The CIA forces twelve-year-old Charlotte "Charlie" Thorne, a rebellious genius, to use her code-breaking skills on an epic global chase to locate Einstein's last equation before dangerous agents discover it and unlock the solution to harnessing energy. - (Baker & Taylor)

A series debut by the best-selling author of the Spy School adventures introduces child genius Charlie Thorne, who uses her elite skills to crack a complex code created by Albert Einstein that could benefit or destroy all life on the planet. 200,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

'Fast-paced, smart, and action-packed...a real page-burner.' 'Chris Grabenstein, #1 New York Times bestelling author of the Mr. Lemoncello's Library series

A 2020 Texas Lone Star Reading List Pick

From New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs comes the first novel in a thrilling new series about the world's youngest and smartest genius who's forced to use her unbelievable code-breaking skills to outsmart Einstein.

Charlie Thorne is a genius.
Charlie Thorne is a thief.
Charlie Thorne isn't old enough to drive.

And now it's up to her to save the world"

Decades ago, Albert Einstein devised an equation that could benefit all life on earth'or destroy it. Fearing what would happen if the equation fell into the wrong hands, he hid it.

But now, a diabolical group known as the Furies are closing in on its location. In desperation, a team of CIA agents drags Charlie into the hunt, needing her brilliance to find it first'even though this means placing her life in grave danger.

In a breakneck adventure that spans the globe, Charlie must crack a complex code created by Einstein himself, struggle to survive in a world where no one can be trusted, and fight to keep the last equation safe once and for all. - (Simon and Schuster)

“Fast-paced, smart, and action-packed...a real page-burner.” —Chris Grabenstein, #1 New York Times bestelling author of the Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series

A 2020 Texas Lone Star Reading List Pick

From New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs comes the first novel in a thrilling new series about the world’s youngest and smartest genius who’s forced to use her unbelievable code-breaking skills to outsmart Einstein.

Charlie Thorne is a genius.
Charlie Thorne is a thief.
Charlie Thorne isn’t old enough to drive.

And now it’s up to her to save the world…

Decades ago, Albert Einstein devised an equation that could benefit all life on earth—or destroy it. Fearing what would happen if the equation fell into the wrong hands, he hid it.

But now, a diabolical group known as the Furies are closing in on its location. In desperation, a team of CIA agents drags Charlie into the hunt, needing her brilliance to find it first—even though this means placing her life in grave danger.

In a breakneck adventure that spans the globe, Charlie must crack a complex code created by Einstein himself, struggle to survive in a world where no one can be trusted, and fight to keep the last equation safe once and for all. - (Simon and Schuster)

Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation, Charlie Thorne and the Lost City, the FunJungle and Moon Base Alpha series, and the Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras (the world's largest rodents). Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he's up to at StuartGibbs.com. - (Simon and Schuster)

Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Thorne series, FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, Once Upon a Tim series, and Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras (the world’s largest rodents). Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he’s up to at StuartGibbs.com. - (Simon and Schuster)

Booklist Reviews

At first glance, 12-year-old Charlie Thorne might appear reckless, especially when skiing off of Deadman's Drop, but Charlie is always running the numbers. Her genius-level IQ lets her precisely calculate her landing, as well as the odds that two of the people on the slopes below are waiting to apprehend her. After an intense chase, CIA agents Dante Garcia and Milana Moon capture Charlie and convince (i.e., blackmail) her to help them find Pandora, a powerful equation believed to have been developed and hidden by Einstein—a terrorist group is also on its trail. Gibbs deftly pens an Alex Rider–level adventure with this series starter, as the trio races to solve clues and find Pandora before it falls into the wrong hands. Issues of racial and gender diversity are nicely folded into the plot, which moves at breakneck speed from start to literal cliff-hanger finish. Charlie is a wildly entertaining protagonist whose intelligence is balanced by normal preteen rebellion. It doesn't take a theoretical physicist to predict that this series will be popular.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Best-seller Gibbs is touring and seeing heavy publisher promotion for this title. A powerful equation in its own right! Grades 5-8. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

This adrenaline-charged thriller by Gibbs (the Spy School series) introduces 12-year-old supergenius Charlie Thorne and sends her, with two CIA agents, in search of a world-changing equation developed by Albert Einstein before his death. Charlie is skipping university classes in Colorado to ski forbidden slopes when she is tracked down by agents Dante Garcia and Milana Moon. They need her help to find Pandora, an equation concealed by Einstein that could make both cheap, clean energy and terrible weapons. The Furies, a white supremacist cell, is hot on Pandora's trail, and Garcia believes that only Charlie can solve the clues that Einstein left behind and get the CIA there first. Clues take them to Israel, where both groups run afoul of the Mossad. Bullets fly, bodies fall, puzzles lead to more puzzles, and chases via skateboard and Humvee ensue at a breakneck pace. In addition to all the action, Gibbs slips in a few lessons on cryptography and Einstein, and poses questions about moral uses of power that give this adventure depth. Charlie is a terrific hero—outrageously smart, courageous, and still believable as a kid. After this explosive start, young readers will eagerly await her next adventure. Ages 10–up. (Sept.)