I, Q: Independence Hall

I, Q #1

by Roland Smith

Thirteen-year-old Quest (Q) isn't sure he's ready for a new family. For a long time it's just been him and his mom, Blaze. But everything changes when Blaze falls in love with Roger and they start a new rock band called Match. Now they're married, have a hit record, and Match is going out on a year-long driving tour across the country. Q, along with new stepsister Angela, will take a year off from school and travel with the band. For now, home will be a luxury motor coach and homework will be a Web site diary of their travels. Perfect-Q can practice his magic tricks and Angela can read her spy novels. What can go wrong? As Q and Angela settle into their new life and new relationship as siblings, they start to notice that certain coincidences don't seem coincidental. For example, how does a band roadie named Boone find them in the middle of a desert where their coach just happens to break down? Why does a man from their parents' wedding keep showing up in the same cities they stop at? When they reach Philadelphia, Q and Angela realize this tour is definitely not the trip their parents had planned and that the "City of Brotherly Love" is full of mysteries and secrets that could threaten their new life together. In addition to his action adventure books, Roland is the author of many award-winning books for children including Journey of the Red Wolf; The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe; and Thunder Cave, which was a 1996 Notable Children's Trade Book in the field of Social Studies. His books with Sleeping Bear Press include W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet; Z is for Zookeeper: A Zoo Alphabet; and N is for our Nation's Capital: A Washington, DC Alphabet. Roland lives near Portland, Oregon.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Middle Grade, Espionage, Realistic Fiction

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Roland Smith is an American author of young adult fiction as well as nonfiction books for children.
Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University and, following a part-time job at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996.
In 1997, Smith published his first novel, Thundercave. The book continues Smith's theme, as teenage protagonist Jacob Lansa follows his biologist father to Africa where the father is researching elephants. The Lansa character also appears in 1999
s Jaguar and 2001's The Last Lobo. Other novels by Smith include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch (novel), about a boy who searches for Bigfoot. Peak, the story of a teenage boy obsessed with climbing mountains, Elephant Run and Tentacles(novel). In 2008, Smith published the first book in the series I, Q, titled Independence Hall. Smith's books have won "Book of the Year" awards in Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as in his native Oregon. Smith lives in Tualatin, Oregon with his wife and stepchildren.

Reviews

[Erin Forson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I.Q. Independence Hall
by Roland Smith
This adventure novel had my attention quickly, because it featured two kids whose parents were rock stars. Because of this, Quest (a.ka. “Q” for short) and Angela get to be out of school and travel across the country in a giant, tricked out, R.V. What could be more exciting? But the more I read, the more confused I got. Three different spy organizations, the Mossad (or Israeli spies), the C.I.A., and the F.B.I., all are after the two kids, but I really never figured out why. Even though Angela's real mom has a lot to do with the spies tailing the kids, I just don't buy that she was enough reason for the special agents of two different countries to care about the daily movements of two teenagers. Even at the resolution I just felt skeptical, frustrated, and glad the novel was over. Maybe you will feel differently and can explain what I'm missing.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not done reading this book, but I wish I was. I don't know, it just hasn't pulled me in and I'm 2/3 finished. I probably won't like it very much.

I finished this book last week of August, and I think it was too soon after having read Storm Breaker. The influence of that spy book was too strong -- I expected more action, a focus on one character, a huge explosion, and a dead bad guy.

There were moments when I was drawn in because I thought the story would pick up its pace, but I didn't care for the spies in this book. They talk about lack of trust and yet they easily trust the right people. I just never bought into that.

I don't know. Roland Smith is not my type of writer.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Roland Smith. I've read just about every novel he's written and have loved all of them. I really can't imagine not enjoying anything he writes. This book, the first in a series that so far totals 6 books, is a quick, fun, and definitely exciting read. I can see a lot of middle grade kids getting into this series. What's not to love? You've got two teens, twelve year old Quest (Q) whose mom has just married fifteen year old Angie's dad. The parents are musicians with a number one album and millions of fans. What better way to spend the honeymoon and for the kids to bond with each other and their new step parent than to go on a national tour in a million dollar tricked out tour bus? Their driver, an aging Willie Nelson look-alike who used to be a roadie for Q's mom when she had a band is really a retired CIA agent. So are the personal assistants. Angie's mom who was a Secret Service agent was supposedly killed in a terrorist bomb three years ago. Or was she? And why are there four Israeli Mossad agents following them and possibly trying to kill them? See, lots of exciting stuff. I love the kids Q and Angie. She's a walking encyclopedia who can take down a grown man with a tae kwon do kick to the face. Q is a budding magician who wants to be as good as his idol is Harry Houdini. His amazing sleight of hand ability comes in handy when he and Angie find themselves in a few dangerous situations.

I'm not sure how many books are planned for this series, but I know I will be blazing through the first 6 in the next few weeks.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the books that I read recently is IQ by Roland Smith. The main theme of the story is persevere in difficult situations. The reason why I think this is the theme is because Q and Angela (the main characters) have to make life changing decisions. The genre of this story is mystery. There are also many different settings for this story because they are constantly moving around. A few of them are the trailer and independence hall. The name of the main character is Q who is also the narrator of the story. Another important character is Angela who is Q’s step sister. Boone is also an important character. He is a roadie who is actually a spy. One of the final main characters is Angela's mom Malak. Angela’s mom worked for the secret service until she was killed. But Boone still thinks she's alive. There are also spies who have been following them the whole time. If I went farther I would have to basically spoil the story which I do not want to do. This is overall a good book. It's definitely not my favorite as I didn't find myself reading it 24/7. One of the things that I liked about the book was that the main reason for the character's motivation wasn't benefiting the main character. I like that because usually the main character has something to benefit from when the main goal of the story is achieved. One thing I didn't like so much was how there weren't really chapters. This made it a little more confusing because instead of having chapters the book has a page with a location on the planet and a black page with some text. It took me a little bit to realize how they were chapters. People who may enjoy this book are anyone who is interested in mystery books or spies novels. The age group who I would recommend this to is 6th grade to 8th grade. It's definitely not the most challenging book to read but wouldn't make too much sense if you were too young because most definitely did not know what the CIA was in third grade. Or if they did it was probably a basic understanding. That is why I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery or spy novels. There is also a sequel to this book which is called IQ book two: The White House.

[Jackson Gallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book fascinated me a lot. From the mystery to the adventure throughout the whole book the mood changed and the interested me a lot. The theme of this book was when there are troubling objects never quit on the people around you. This book was very good and I hope to read more of the series.

[Audrey Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good mystery book, not to scary but still a really good thriller.
This book is about two kids, Angela and Q, and how Angela's dad got married to Q's mom. Their parents are really famous music artist and are going on a year concert tour. They decided to take Q and Angela. They are traveling in a large coach and while in Philadelphia Angela realizes she is being watched. Q and Angela then attempt to figure out the whole thing. Read to find out who is following her and Q and why they are following them.
I thought this book was a really exciting the whole time. One reason I like this book because you never knew what was going to go on on the next page. I thought the author did a really good job not giving anything away or making it to obvious was going to go on next. There where a lot of aha moments and I though they were really good because you didn't ever get bored in the book.
One thing I didn't like was how many characters the book had because sometimes it was hard to keep track of all of them. For example, it was really hard to remember the roll each character played in the book. Another example is if the characters weren't all together it was hard to remember wear everyone was and what they were doing.
Overall I think this was a really good thrilling book. I recommend this book to you if you like a mystery that is not scary but not boring.

[Parker roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was reading this book because it caught my eye I thought it would be good but when I started reading it It just goes worst from a three star to a two-star bad while reading the story the characters and story progoes to the story felt like it got reused or became really slow but at the beginning of the book Q and angalia meet at the setup before their parents go on tour angalies father just married q mother and formed and band when reaching one of there gig destinations we meet someone called Boone is a sercet spy with some one follwing him so to not get noticed he becomes the driver for q faather and mother but when they reach the destnation we figure out more from the are main chacters.

[Juan Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book. I mostly enjoyed reading it. There were many interesting plot twists, for example one of the people turning out to be hired by their manager to keep them on track. It was also very interesting because one of the focuses was on building relationships between their new family and with him building a new relationship with his new Step dad and step sister. It gives a good view to people who might want to know. I don’t know if I would read this book again in the future, but it was a decent book and would recommend to someone for a quick read.

[Marissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book because it was boring and it didn't interest me as much as most books do.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading the part where Q had his phone out and was secretly recording the surroundings when he wasn't supposed to be and being totally enamored with the kid and how spy-like he was.

[Tanishq1718]

The book is awesome, the website SUCKS

Book:100000 out of 5

Website:-10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 out of 5



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u suck hec

[Cintia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This includes information from ALL THREE books.

okay so i wanted to write this because who knows how long it'll take for Roland Smith to write the fourth book of this series so im just going to lay everything i know on the table so when the fourth book DOES come out, I can remember what it was I had been reading...



Anmar (AKA The Leopard)- International terrorist. Truth is when she turned 18, her parents arranged a marraige for her, she went through with it and he became her handler; thats also when the terrorist training began. She had known two years prior to the Independence Hall bomb that she had a twin sister. She had wanted out of the terrorist cell but didnt know how because once they got you they dont let you go.At Independence Hall she was trying to dearm the borm Amun Massri had placed (disguised as a high schooler on a field trip). While she was trying to disarm it, it blew and killed Anmar, and thats when Malak took her place (faking her death with Anmar's body).Elise and Sean were her adopted parents. Ziv (not his real name) is her biological father.

Malak Turner (AKA angel)- Anmars identical twin sister. When she had reached 18 years of age she ran away from her parents and her arranged marraige. Her adopted parents disowned her and she in turn disowned them. She has a daughter, Angela Tucker, with Roger Tucker. She was a secret service agaent which took alot of time away from her being around the house and eventually killed her marraige in a way. Shes undercover in the ghost terrorist cell as The Leopard. In Kitty Hawk, by kidnapping Bethany Culpepper she makes it in to being one of THE FIVE. Bestest friends in secret service were Amanda, Patrick Callaghan,& Charlie Norton (who were also a part of her SS sculling team, "Skull&Bones". Wears a seamaster (POTUS).

Ziv- Not his real name. Anmar and Malak's bio dad. Angela's grandfather. Q's step grandfather.He's reinvented himself many times. He killed Salim Kazi in Mexico. Killed Amun Massri, Elise and Sean in an apartment where The Leopard was about to be drugged or killed by Elise because Elise believed Anmar wasnt Anmar (which she was right about).

Dirk Peski- Leopard's second monkey also known as the Papparzi Prince because that is his cover.

Eben Lavi- rogue mossad agent. Older brother of Aaron Lavi. At first he was hunting the leopard because he thought she had killed Aaron but eventually by the end of BK1 he joins SOS and knows it was Salim and Amun who killed Aaron and about Malak having a twin that was dead and an ex-terrorist.

Quest (Q) Munoz- Blaze Munoz and Speed Paulsen's son. Roger Tucker's stepson. Former wannabe magician and Rookie terrorist hunter.Good at reading people and understands illusions & smokes and mirrors well. He tricked Eben in a hospital waiting room with a magic trick and a pair of doctors. Not as good a liar as Angela nor as fluent in spy talk but improving. Fast thinker at times. Stuffs things into cargo pants/shorts. Wears a seamaster (POTUS).Gets the Itch which is like some sort of premonition. He experienced it before his father "Speed" Paulsen reached his home, a boat in Sausalito CA. Then before Bethany was to be kidnapped. Lastly, before his father showed up following him on I-95 and when croc was growling at the Maryland Fish Company semi-truck which had bethany and malak inside.

Angela Tucker- Daughter of Malak Tucker & Roger Tucker. Stepdaughter of Blaze Munoz. Good in Tae kwon do and observing. has many shades and other stuff in a ratty old backpack she keeps with her. Fluent in spy talk and a better liar than Q. wears a seamaster (POTUS).

Tyrone Boone- Ex NOC CIA agent. His cover is an ANCIENT hippy roadie. Ageless. Has some wierd teleporting ability he calls "blinking" along with his dog Croc who seems to understand what people say. Friends with everybody including Mr.POTUS. Wears seamaster (POTUS).

SOS Team- Some Old Spooks. Ex-spys still in the trade who work independently and share intel with agencies at the same time not only to one agency. There's Boone (leader), Vanessa (driver & good at throwing knives), X-Ray (computer genius & Bomb disarming genius), Felix (big guy), Uly (big guy), Eben Lavi (new recruit),Ziv (new recruit/Leopard's monkey), Agent Pat C. (new recruit/SS agent), Agent Charlie Norton (new recruit/SS agent), Angela & Q.

Mr.POTUS/J.R. Culpepper- President. Gives Seamasters to his closest friends who he trusts, exclusive club, & has his personal cell number which he always answers on crystal that is the back of the watch which also contains a tracker (whick Malak discovered and took out after Independence Hall bomb). Has a son named Willingham AKA PK (President's Kid), a daughter named Bethany Culpepper who is and has First Daughter responsibilities since their mother died a few years back, and he has an older daughter in college who makes no appearances in the book. He is also an ex-CIA Director. Very well respected in the intelligence community for always knowing what was going on. So far mentioned in the book, he has given seamasters to Malak, Agent Callaghan, Agent Norton, Boone, John Masters, Angela & Q.

Willingham Culpepper/Will/PK(Presidents Kid)- 10 years old but VERY smart, can read people well and knows when somethings up. Found secret passages on his own and took an old model SS radio so he can hear what the SS hears in their ear pieces. Thinks his dad doesnt know but he does and is just trying to keep it interesting for him in the white house since there is no privacy in there. Likes to hang in the kitchen although who knows how he felt after realizing that Chef Cheesy was a mole and tried to kidnap him after drugging him the day of the concert. Also likes hanging out in the Solarium.

Ghost Cell- Terrorist cell VERY WELL planted and rooted in the USA. They're ghosts. Some are born or immigrated there and the training starts very young. Everyone has a role. Some big, some small. The head of the cell is made of THE FIVE. After kidnapping Bethany, Malak makes it into THE FIVE. Its made of Paul S, Malak, and three other people. Elise used to be a part of THE FIVE but after she was shot by Ziv there was a vacancy. The way it works is operational ideas are floated up anonymously and then voted on. Paul is #4 and Malak is #5. Each member has a vote but theyre skewed. #1 has 3 votes, #2 has 2 votes, #3 has 1 vote, #4 has 1/2 vote, & #5 has 1/2 vote too. Other lower ghostcell members get instructions through junk emails that have a certain pattern in the title.

Paul S- #4 in THE FIVE. Father of dead Amun Massri and brother of dead Elise. Shot in the shoulder by Eben Lavi and escapes with and because of Malak from Kitty Hawk Island.

QUICK SUMMARY OF BOOKS-

BK1>>> They are running from Eben Lavi and his little mossad team and they are trying to figure out of if Malak is indeed alive or not. They go from California to Pennsylvania which is where the first concert from the tour will be in the Electric Factory.

BK2>>> They are at the white house as Malak requested Boone. Theres going to be a concert by Match (incredibly famous and popular at the moment, Blaze and Rogers band). Bethany Culpepper is kidnapped by the end and Malak leaves the president a note with Q.

BK3>>> I-95, Virginia, and North Carolina. Mostly it takes place on the interstate trying to disarm 3 bombs in 3 Tahoes. & following trying to get back bethany. & the raid at the Kitty Hawk Island where one of the five head cell members was finally revealed. & Malak was finally let into the inner 5-member circle.

[Katie Killingsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t normally a book that I’d select for myself, but it came with high praise as a recommendation. It was a super quick, easy, enjoyable read. There were a lot of moving parts that kept me guessing. It lays the foundation for what promises to be a series with a lot of potential. I guess we shall see!

[Jack .V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it has so many action parts and I couldn't stop reading. I liked the part where Ziv dressed up as a cop and that Angela's mom was still alive. This book is probably not a super young children book but maybe 4th through 5th.

[Joshua]

Good book

[Olivia Cirillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my FAVORITE series as a kid. It’s just as good as I remember it. 5 stars.

[Mayank · Rating 5 out of 5]

IQ: THE INDEPNDENCE HALL
BOOK REVIEW
SUMMARY
This story takes place in Dexter at first but mainly in Pennsylvania in 2008 September. The main character in the story is Q (quest) and Angela, his step sister. Q is a very fast thinker, and can also pull off tricks and confuse anyone. Angela is a quiet person, she seems very hard, but she is actually very caring and soft hearted inside. She is also self-training to be a spy, like her mom. Her mom died in battle, as she was told. She finds 2 groups of people. She and Q have to find out who the good people are and who the bad people are and whether it was her mom who died, or her twin
This book is about Q (Quest) and Angela both of whom are step siblings to each other because Blaze (Q’s Mom) has split up with her previous husband, and Angela’s mom died in a war. Blaze and Roger (Angela’s Dad) decide to make a love and rock band. The story starts at the opening ceremony of Blaze and Roger’s new album, Match. For this album they have to go to Pennsylvania and then to New York to do interviews and then come back to Pennsylvania and perform twice. This will take 3 days and their schedule is extremely tight, so they tell a man they met one morning by accident (they thought it was an accident.) called Boone , to get their children new phones. Before getting to Pennsylvania, they stop at Nevada and are chased by a paparazzi. After splitting up once getting off the bus at Nevada, Q finds Angela eating a beef burger, even though she is pure vegetarian. They start to talk about life in the past but are interrupted by the paparazzi so they continue their talk in their bus which is guarded by security. Angela says what actually happened to her mom, which she hadn’t revealed to Q yet. She also confesses that she too wanted to be a spy like her mom. Q had already experienced some of her own Spy Training. Q confesses that he has very nervous hands so he likes to do magic tricks, he shows one to Angela which lightens her mood. The next day when they go outside for dinner, Angela spots someone who she had seen at the launching party of Match. When she goes around the block to see if that person was a spy, she doesn’t come back so Q gets anxious and goes after her, but finds Boone there, he finds out that Boone is the head of a group of spies that were once employees of FBI, NCI, and NSA. He gets a call from Angela saying that she is at the restaurant, he goes there and tells her about Boone. Boone takes them to Independence hall where their phones get new SIM card which allow them to be remotely controlled by Boone’s staff, it also lets them track all members of Boone’s agency and their own parents. Boone show Q and Angela what had actually happened to Angela’s mom. Her mom dies trying to save an explosion, but later in that video, Angela detected a sign that one of the people on the screen was actually her mom. They are later shown a video of Angela’s mom who is talking to one of the spies, who are supposedly the Al Biruni from Israel. Though this video was taken after the death of Angela’s Mother. Q and Angela are heading to their big Bus in a car driven by one of Boone’s men, when they get attacked by 2 cars, both from the group of spies.
OPINION
I really liked this book because the book has lots of twist and turns, and is also filled with action and thrill. The theme of terrorism and counter intelligence makes it all the more relevant. The climax and state of story make the book better to read. The book was very unpredictable because the author changes the story up and down so many times, like when I found out that one of the Israeli was working for Angela’s mother, it’s like the story just changed direction compared to where I thought the story was going. The ending of the book was awesome due to the fact that Angela actually met her mother and what revealed in those 15 minutes is mind boggling. My favorite part was when Angela and Q found out that one of the Israeli people actually worked for Angela’s mom. Another favorite part was when Q stopped Even (a member of Al Biruni) from killing him by entertaining some doctors at a hospital because they were alone in the hospital with only Even. The book is set in time with recent events, though there is a certain amount of fiction in it, the book still has a lot about teeming spies all over America. And other recent events, it also uses some landmarks as settings, like Independence hall, and the big Market in Nevada.
RECOMMENDATIONS
I would like to recommend this book to anyone who loves action, Thrill and suspense, because since the very beginning, the book gets the reader’s juices running. I would definitely rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because, I liked it when Angela raged off and Q finds out why, and later when they meet the guy dressed in the policeman costume, and he tells them that the person they had to meet at 2 PM was inside a hotel room. Not that the ending wasn’t great, but to arrive at it through the storyline, it is a better experience, or is it, go ahead and find out yourself.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m baffled I read this as a preteen…

[Drew Davis]

"Independence Hall" by Roland Smith, is the first book in a multiple book series. The story is mainly narrated by Quest, also known as Q, about an enticing plot following himself and his stepfamily. Q's mother Blaze, a musician, marries another musician, Rodger, and together start a family and band all in one. Following an explosion of the band's album, Blaze and Rodger take the kids on tour with them, which turns out to be far more intense than anyone could have ever predicted. Being forced into spending countless hours together, Q and his stepsister Angela form a unique family-friendship bond. Alongside the family is Boone. Boone is just a seemingly innocent manager, but as it turns out everyone was wrong about him when the truth was revealed. Ever since the tour started, the family was followed and stalked by others in an attempt to find Malak, Angela's thought to be dead mother.

Despite being a very interesting book, it has its flaws. For starters, the drastic change in point of views complicated the plot at the beginning and made it more difficult to understand what was going on. For example, the first page and a half of the book was not from Q's point of view. A whole new plot and characters were introduced with little known about them. But this also provides both sides of the story to the reader. Once the plot is more developed and understood, these point of view switches become more entertaining. This gives you more knowledge than Q, Boone, or anyone on the tour. In doing this, a sense of dramatic irony is created at times. I also enjoyed the family dynamic. Q and Angela's personalities go really well together, and it is fun to watch everyone in the family grow closer together from the tour.

This book did not leave much of a lasting impression on me. I really enjoyed how the author was able to create feelings of suspense, humor, and solemness so well all in one book. Even though I believe this is a great story, I wish there was a more serious theme and resolution, something important to remember and stick with me. Also, despite sharing little in common with Q, I can relate to his personality and relationship with Angela. Although they are considered siblings, it reminds me a lot of relationships that I have developed with new friends in my life. But all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would advise anyone considering whether or not to read it to pick it up.

[Riley Harden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but I felt like there was almost too much going on. It got to the point where I didn't know who the good guys were and who the bad guys were.

[Drew Shackelford · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book, I think that Independence Hall is a great mystery book.
Independence Hall takes place in 2008 in many cities across the U.S, but mostly Philadelphia. This book is in the first point of view of Q. Other characters in this story include Angela, who is Q's step sister, Roger and Blaze, Q and Angela's parents, Boone, their R.V worker, and Angela's mom. The main conflict is Angela and Q against the CIA and the Mossad
I think that this book is pretty good. It's pretty entertaining and action packed. I agree with the authors arguments, but some of them could be confusing at points.
I would recommend this book to people who like mystery books.

[Jager Bute]

Roland Smith's Independence Hall, the lives of Quest and his new family are told from his own perspective. This adventure novel is an amazing start to an even more amazing series. Q is thrown into a completely new world after his mother Blaze marries a man named Roger Tucker. Blaze and Roger are pulled into the life of fame after their first album, "Match" catches fire and takes the world by storm. This fast change of pace catches Q and his new sister Angela off guard. Angela and Q are forced to spend time together and end up enjoying each other's company. During Angela and Q's first time on tour together, they meet their "roadie" named Boone. Even though this homeless looking man with a deep southern accent seems innocent and harmless, he has a few tricks up his sleeves. After a couple of days of being in Boone's company, Q and Angela figure out the real reason that Boone had been sent with them. Boone is a retired spook who used to work for the CIA. Being retired, Boone is no longer under the authority of the CIA and is free to work solely with his trusted group of friends. Boone and his team have been tasked with protecting Angela and Q, which proves to be much more difficult than expected. Q and Angela are informed that Angela's "deceased" mother may be alive still. The only problem with Malak still being alive is that Boone is not the only person trying to get to her. Mossad agents are searching for Malak as well, with the belief that she is one of the most infamous terrorists in the world. It is a constant battle between the Mossad agents and Boone's team to get to Malak first.

My favorite thing about this book was the constant plot twists and major redirections that occur constantly. This book always kept me on the front of my seat, itching to know what would happen next. Aside from all the book's positive traits, there are a few that I do not think were great. To begin, the major plot twists and big moments were too predictable. The book kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen, but there was not much unpredictability, and it would usually be exactly what I thought would happen.

This book left a big impression on me, even though I haven't shared almost any of the same experiences they have, their sibling bond is remarkably close to home for me and many people. This book made me laugh many times, especially when Q awkwardly explained how he wanted to be a magician.

[Cormac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cormac Reilly 3/4/10


I.Q by: Roland Smith

There is a boy named Q he started his life living in a boat until his mother got married to a guy named Roger they forma band and go on a tour and roger has a daughter named Angela. Q and Angela are getting followed by Israel terrorist cause Angela’s real mom was a secret agent and they tried to get Angela. Then they got security and there were fights here and there and they killed some but not all.
My favorite character in the book was Angela because she was a girl and she was the one that could really fight it was not like a sexist book and the guy was not really the strong ones they are kind of diverse so the female is the stronger in the book. And she takes the most risks and is the smartest. She is almost really talented in more then one way. Angela’s is really nice cares a lot about Q even though she has not known him for a long time.
The climax of the story when Angela found out the terrorist was following her. I think that because that is when all the emotions kicked in. they started to hear things they never believed they would hear. That was also when the physical contact came in and the death threats came in with traders and more.
I think Roland Smith wanted the reader to learn that there are conflicts all over the world and that life is not always perfect. That there are terrorist in the world and life is not a fairy tale. And that he wants the reader what is going on in the world so he could warn his reader that here are dangerous things and people in this world. He also is saying that girls are just as good as boys.
I would recommend this book for anybody that likes bookswith action and adventure. I would because this is a book I took great interest in. this book is also a lot different then any book I have ever read in my lifetime. Though I do not suggest this book for people who like fantasy and stuff.

Book rating 1-10
I give it a ten.

[Terri Longcrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing.

[Critter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Roland Smith has been one of my favorite authors from when I was a child and I tend to pick up his books whenever I’m lucky enough to come across one. However, like the other books I’ve read outside of the Cryptid Hunters series, I’ve found them to be very disappointing. Smith can write some very good action/adventure books that teach readers about issues in the world which include wildlife conservation but tends to fail enormously when writing about other cultures with a heaping of ethnocentrism. I.Q. has an issue with islamophobia and was very much written in the post 9/11 world. Islam is portrayed as being a very dangerous religion in this book with some fearmongering that it only leads to terrorism. I can’t say I’m surprised that Smith has written something like this, as he has had some hints of this in his other books, but I’m disappointed that he would be so blatant. The plot was otherwise poorly written with little direction. The characters felt out of place, and nothing felt as if it had actually happened. The only interesting character was the MC’s stepsister, and the story would have been better if she had been the main character. The MC was the standard boy protagonist while the stepsister was the character who would have a lot of emotional baggage and would have a lot of emotions to sort out after learning that her mother could have betrayed their nation and become a terrorist. I wish I could love this Smith’s books, but I can’t get over the amount of issues I have with many of Smith’s works.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read by Roland Smith although I own several. I've always considered him an author who writes just for boys and avoided reading his books, but I was wrong. I really enjoyed this fast-paced tale laced with action, mystery, and political intrigue.
The book begins with the wedding of Roger and Blaze who make up a musical group called Match that has just landed a hit song and are getting ready to tour the country. The story is about their teenage children. Angela is Roger's daughter, and Quest or Q for short is Blaze's son. With Blaze and Roger about to embark on US tour, Q and Angela find their lives in upheaval. While trying to get to know each other better, Angela reveals that her mother was a Secret Service agent killed in the line of duty. Seemingly out of nowhere, Boone, a scruffy looking former roadie, appears and tells Angela that her mother may not be dead and may be a terrorist. The action and mystery amp up from there as Q and Angela find themselves being followed by Mossad agents while trying to find out the truth about Angela's mother. It's unclear in this story who can be trusted, but that just leads to greater suspense and exciting twists.
I really liked this story and will make sure to get copies of the rest of the series as well as reading other books Roland Smith has written. If I like them half as well as this one, I will be busy reading his books for some time to come.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Q and his new step-sister Angela find themselves caught up in something they are not quite prepared for.
Blaze Munoz and Roger Tucker are two musicians who are starting off their tour with a wedding. Blaze had hit the top of the charts then took time off to be a mother. Roger Tucker has written songs for years. Now he and Blaze will start a new life together not only as a newly married couple with a blended family but also as the newest and hottest singing group, "Match".

Q has not really gotten to know his new step-sister. The only thing he knows about her is that her mother was killed in a bomb blast. On their first night on the tour bus it breaks down and a strange old man offers to fix the bus. Blaze knew him as a former roadie. He takes over the job of driving the bus. There is more to Boone than meets the eye. He is known as a spook and he believes Angela's mother is alive and is hooked up with a terrorist group. He doesn't know why but he knows he must protect the kids and control the situation at all costs.

This was an excellent spy type mystery. It is the first installment in the series by Roland Smith. I definitely look forward to the next one

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I think of "pillars of young-adult literature" Roland Smith doesn't come to mind. Maybe he should. This is now my third book I've read by him. (I didn't realize that until I'd finished.)

I went in to the book thinking I was going to be reading a book about artificial intelligence. Boy, was I wrong. I swear I read that in a summary somewhere.

This is more like a teen 24 (Merry Christmas). Secret agents, terrorists, espionage, intrigue, the Israeli Mossad... it's all there, but on a more kid-friendly level.

It was a quick and easy read, and I'm glad I knew it was part of a series before I started reading it. I didn't feel tricked or trapped at all that way. (Plus, I think it can stand alone - no 24-esque cliff-hanger at the end... beep boop beep boop beep boop beep *hums the 24 clock music.*)

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book is I.Q. The author of this book is Roland Smith. This book was a mystery book and was a thriller with a lot of action. Angela and Quest meet each other at their parents wedding. They become step siblings. As the story goes on Angela tells Quest (Q) that her mom was a secret service agent and had past away. Q and Angela's parents are famous singers and go on a tour. There car brakes down and they meet this roodie man, is name is Boone. He helps fix there car and Q's parents let him stay in the car to drive. And the adventure starts from there. The 2 main characters are: Q and Angela. Q is Curious, hard working, intelligent, and thoughtful. Angela is smart, thoughtful hopeful, and caring.
I would recommend this to boys and girls. It is so exciting and action packed book. I would rate it 8 out of 10 stars.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I.Q Independence Hall
BY: Roland Smith
Angel and Q are step brother and sister. There parents are two of the most famous musicians in the world. After getting married they head on tour. Immeaditley they are busy. A person named Tyrone Boone . comes up to their car. He is an old roadie who sets up the stage before concerts. But their is more to this Tyrone Boone than just being an old Roadie. Why would and old roadie. And how did Angela see her real mother while she was supposed to be dead.
Q is a good musician
Angela is a good karate person
10 I like this book because the author includes a lot of action and a little bit of mystery which I like.
I reccomend this book to 11-13 years old kids because it would be hard for 10 and below year olds to comprehend the book.
People should read this book because people would love the action and mystery in it.