Kudo Kids

April 13, 2020
This swiftly paced caper by the Shibutanis, siblings who have won multiple Olympic and world medals for ice dancing, launches a mystery series starring Mika and Andy Kudo, Japanese American siblings from Los Angeles. Visiting Tokyo to attend the Summer Olympics with their travel-writer father and editor mother, who’s covering the event for a sports website, the kids delve into a hot new augmented reality game, OlympiFan. Their mission involves locating three virtual medals—bronze, silver, and gold—hidden throughout Tokyo, which contain hints to help them identity the former Olympic medalist who created the game and thus win the competition. Tangential plot threads augment the intrigue as the authors explore the possibility that someone may be sabotaging the game, and introduce competing young gamers and past medalists attending the Olympics. The siblings’ own moral conundrums add dimension: to enter a photography contest, Mika defies her parents’ dictate and surreptitiously opens an Instagram account, and she, Andy, and their game rivals deliberate what constitutes cheating. Final illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 8–12.