The Project by Brian Falkner

In Iowa City, there isn't much to do. Luke and Tommy pull a prank, defacing their school's founder's statue. Luke gets caught, and makes a deal with his school's vice principal and his English teacher. He doesn't want to read Last of the Mohicans, as he feels it is the most boring book ever written. The deal is a summer project; to either prove Mohicans is the most boring book, or through research prove which book is the most boring ever written. In his research Luke finds out that the most boring book published is Leonardo's River, written in the 1800's. There was only one published, has been missing for years, and is worth millions. Floods rise in Iowa, leading Luke and Tommy to help the university library save thousands of rare books, stored in the basement, from the flooding. Luke comes across Leonardo's River, and convinces Tommy that they need to steal it. The adventure that follows is something Luke and Tommy never could have imagined, and comes nothing close to boring.
Falkner spends some good time setting up the plot, trying to make this fantastic adventure somewhat plausible, but there is little character development for Luke or Tommy. Given the audience, it's of little consequence as the reader seeking adventure will be drawn into it.
Reed Reads Score: 3