Eternal Flame

National Archive Hunters #2

by Matthew Landis

Twins Ike and Iris Carter race from D.C. to Paris to New York on the trail of one of America’s most iconic treasures, before it disappears like smoke. The second book in a breathtaking and hilarious middle grade action-adventure series.

Fresh off saving the French Four—a quartet of American treasures—and their mom’s museum, Carter twins Ike and Iris are back in Washington, D.C. when they’re summoned to the National Archives by the FBI Art Crimes Team because the Statue of Liberty is missing.

Well, not the statue. But pieces of the flame packed away in 1916 have somehow vanished. The Smithsonian has organized an elaborate, high-profile event around the artifacts in six days -- with the presidents of both the U.S. and France set to attend --and the flame’s absence will be a national embarrassment.

The National Archive Hunters jump into action, learning everything they can about Lady Liberty’s construction, including that Gustave Eiffel helped original sculptor Frederic Bartholdi by designing the supports for the flame . . . and that one of Eiffel’s original sketches is missing. They need to see what was so important on that page, and that means getting to France, where another set of Eiffel’s sketches is housed.

Ike and Iris need a French connection tout de suite, or the relationship between America and its oldest ally might be snuffed out.

Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Mystery, Family, Young Adult

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2025

About the author

Matthew Landis teaches middle school history outside Philadelphia, where he seeks to slay boredom wherever it lurks in his classroom. He is the author of five novels, including the forthcoming NATIONAL ARCHIVE HUNTERS series for 8–12-year-olds. He won Mississippi's 2020 Magnolia Book Award and the ILA 2019 Teacher’s Choices Reading List Award. A three-time Junior Library Guild recipient, Matthew's MG novel, IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS I KNOW IT, was shortlisted for the Virginia Reader’s Award, the Missouri Truman Reading Award, Oklahoma's Sequoyah Book Award, and the South Dakota Teen Choice Award. He has one epic wife, four kids, thirty-five chickens, three barn cats, and love tacos. He hasn't slept good since 2015.

Reviews

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central

Ike and Iris are back after their adventures in Capitol Chase, and have made a wary peace with Luna Laurent, who is now attending the school where their father is principal.They are still concerned that the evil criminal mastermind, Cincinnatus, is following them, so there are new security protocols put in place by Agent Brooks. In addition, there is a new mission for the kids. The US has planned a big 150th anniversary celebration of the Statue of Liberty, which has been moved up since the guest of honor, the grandson of Frédéric Bartholdi (the sculptor of the statue) is ailing. An exhibition of artifacts relating to the statue is planned, but some are missing! A different version of the torch, not seen for years, is not where it is supposed to be. Ike and Iris plan on doing lots of research, and since some of it is in French, they bring in Luna, who is having trouble connecting with other students in the school. When the trio head to the National Archive, they find that a page of the records is missing, which propels them into a lot of travel to try to solve the top secret mystery. At the same time, Ike is struggling with his mental health and nightmares after all of the trauma of the first book, and the entire family goes to see a counselor. On a trip to France, made possible by Luna's father, the ambassador, the kids are once again followed by Cincinnatus, and manage to elude his grasp with the help of the French secret service. It helps to have Luna's bodyguard, Rasmus, assisting them as well. As the research continues, and more documents and items end up missing, clues point to an inside job. Will Ike, Iris, and their retinue be able to solve the mystery and recover the torch in time for the celebration?

Harnessing the modern zeitgeist surrounding mental health, it makes sense for Ike to struggle with being the target of an international criminal, and there is a nice twist to the mystery involving their therapist. Of course, it also makes therapy seem like a difficult proposition if you are a spy!

I learned a lot about the Statue of Liberty, as well as a great deal about a variety of government historical agencies! The solution to the mystery made sense, but was a bit sad. My favorite part was learning that rose gold is made from a combination of gold and copper! I don't know how that wasn't clear until now.

The twins interchanges with Luna make sense; even though she was their nemesis in the first book, they understood her motivations. As nice kids, they didn't want to see her struggle and not have friends, so of course they agree to go to her birthday party even though it involves formal wear. It didn't hurt their research to have the amenties of a French ambassador at their disposal, either.

Hand this to spy aficionados who enjoyed Gibbs' long Spy School series (Spy School: Blackout comes out in the fall!), Ponti's City Spies, or history lovers who found Landis' Not-So-Boring Letters of Private Nobody intriguing. I'll be curious to see what mystery the National Archive Hunters solve next.

As personal preference, I would have liked to see a bit less of the adult interaction. I appreciate that the parents are alive and around, but between the Carters, the Laurents, Agent Brooks, Ruby, and Rasmus, the kids didn't have very much freedom. Ike's nightmares and therapy slowed down the book a bit. Since I harbor secret ambitions to be a spy, his failure to completely embrace the fun of spying would have irked me intensely as a child, and narratively, this just slowed down the story a bit.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ike and Iris after saving their moms Museum and hiding the training in escape and evasion for the day that Cincinnatus tries to get them again. Agent Booker needs their help again, this time to find the lost odd pieces of the statue of liberty’s flame. They are to have a big ceremony just days away and need these original parts to show Eiffel’s his one family member whose health is declining fast. Can the duo do this in the time crunch? Who will translate all of the papers they need that are in French?
Friends are there to help no matter what. This is a lesson all, even two countries, learn on this mission. The action is major and the suspense of where is Cincinnatus and when will he strike again is as high as the Eiffel tower. There are many lessons to learn but friendship and cooperation are just some. I love this book and only hope that I will be privileged enough to be able to review the next.
This review copy was provided by Edelweiss

[Christine Barth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting that mental health was a spotlight, usually missing from action adventure books due to plot. I didn't really like it at first, but now that I've read the end it was good. Looking forward to more in the series.

[Jamie Steinberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The National Archive Hunters are on the run again! This time their adventures surround Lady Liberty’s light with Iris and Ike re-teaming with petite French pal Luna in order to avoid an international incident. Author Matthew Landis does it again with a fascinating and historically fun tale that is action packed and absolutely intriguing in his latest middle grade read National Archive Hunters Eternal Flame.




Ten year old wins Iris and Ike Carter thought they had it rough preventing an art heist, but what happens when a piece of the original Lady Liberty flame goes missing? They must reunite with enemy turned friend Luna in order to assist the FBI Art Crimes Team in locating this historical item. It seems a piece of the 1916 flame has vanished and they only have six days to locate it as the Smithsonian has organized an anniversary event around it. Adding to the problem is Ike’s panic attacks over villain/stalker Cincinnatus’ promise to be seeing them. Ike, Iris, their mom and dad, Luna, Ruby and Agent Brooks dive into research on the construction of Lady Liberty, learning all they can on her designer Gustave Eiffel and sculptor Frederic Bartholdi - whisking them off on a fast-paced escapade that takes them from from Washington, D.C. to Paris and New York. 




I absolutely loved Landis' origin story National Archive Hunters Capitol Chase so I was excited a new tome had been released! Landis does a wonderful job at weaving together a story that envelopes the reader in historical events while deeply investing in the heist at hand. Readers will certainly find themselves engrossed and asking parents for extra reading time in order to find out what the next chapter holds. Additionally, as someone who personally suffers from panic attacks, I thought that sub-story line was very accurate and helpful for young adults that find themselves burdened by anxiety.




For your middle-grade readers I definitely recommend checking out National Archive Hunters Eternal Flame. Not only will they find themselves in a mystery that is fascinating and fun, but something that will enhance their knowledge of US history (possibly even without them being any the wiser). Do your kid a favor and grab a copy of this action-packed read and let your kids become modern day young Indiana Jones through Landis' latest addition to the National Archive Hunters adventures.




Sidenote: Ike is totally going to marry Luna one day. Maybe National Archive Hunters Book 24 has their nuptials interrupted by a Victorian era jewelry heist?

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

National Archive Hunters 2 is just as exciting as the first book in the series. Ike and Iris are once again on the hunt for stolen historical treasure and trying to beat Cincinnatus, the diabolical evil genius behind the thefts in both books. I appreciated that in this book the author portrayed the emotional and mental toll that the previous adventure had taken on the twins. They are not written as super heroes, but as almost normal kids; with super IQs.

I would recommend this book to middle grades on up. The books in this series are squeaky clean and very enjoyable.

I was given a free advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

[Karen Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wouldn't it be amazing if a child could be a spy? If you love City Spies and Max in the House of Spies then National Archive Hunters is your next read. Landis weaves important themes of friendship, family, and anxiety with adventure and action in the fast-moving sequel that will leave you ready for more. The characters are well developed, and it is fantastic to get to know more about a former treasure hunting opponent. There are also elements of history and politics woven in that many kids will enjoy. Overall, Eternal Flame is an exciting, well-crafted book that is the perfect addition to your own collection.

[J. S. Seebauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewing for School Library Journal

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good YA story...but the audiobook is HORRIBLE. Only read the physical book.