Billions to Burn by Taylor Banks is about a group of kids whose ancestors were part of a group that created a magazine by and about African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance in the early 1900s. Unfortunately the magazine only published one issue before being burned to the ground in a suspicious fire. A century later, the kids work together to solve the puzzles left by founder Amadeus Jones before he died in the suspicious fire. Unfortunately, the kids run into many obstacles in their pursuit for the truth and treasure!

I could easily see how this book could be compared to National Treasure. I enjoyed that treasure hunting aspect and think kids would too. I was a little surprised that the book is supposed to take place in 2034- nothing described is different enough from present day that would make the future setting necessary or plausible.

Billions to Burn has a group of four 12-13 year old friends that are trying to solve a 100 year old mystery. When Zeus' grandfather goes missing it is up to him and his three friends, each a descendant of founders of an all black newspaper that burned down in 1936, to solve the clues that he had been chasing. The problem? They aren't the only ones searching for this treasure and nobody that has looked for it in the past has ever been found again.

This book reminded me of a mix between National Treasure and 39 clues, with one fantastic twist. All the historical figures that the clues were tied to were black people who did some pretty amazing things, but their fame was overshadowed by their race. This was a great vessel to learn about a lot of the big historic events that took place for the black community near the 1930's. There was a pretty good mix of personalities and the action moved along quite nicely.

There was one big thing that I didn't care for in this book. The book is set in 2036, so 11 years in the future. I'm not quite sure why that year was picked, other than it is 100 years from the original fire that started the whole mystery/treasure hunt and there is something satisfying about a nicely rounded decade. The part that bothered me is that it is 11 years in the future and NOTHING has changed. Not technology, not medication costs, not race relations. The author talks about the way black people are treated by the police, including children, naming cases and people that, to the characters, would have happened DECADES ago. Things are apparently still just as bad, yet Charlie is able to waltz into a museum as a lone black girl and nobody looks at her twice? I really feel that the book would have been better set either now or just a few years into the future instead of 11.

One year ago, the young descendants of BURN magazine’s founders met for cultural activities and became great friends. Ashley, David, Charlie, and Zeus are each very different people. Ashley is a tech-wiz, David is a rapper, Charlie likes to tote around his pet rat, and Zeus is a treasure hunter. Zeus has heard rumors that his great-great-grandfather left behind a clue to a hidden treasure. When Zeus’ grandfather shuts down his club and mysteriously disappears, Zeus suspects foul play. He decides to get the group back together to solve the mystery. Can the four friends find the hidden treasure? Can they figure out what happened to Zeus’ grandfather?

The adventure-filled plot is well developed and full of twists and turns. The characters are well-developed, engaging, and realistic. The world building is well done and draws the reader into a jet-setting adventure. Readers who like adventure, treasure hunting, and mysteries will want to pick this one up. 4 stars, Gr 4 to 8.

One year ago, Ashley, David, Charlie, and Zeus met for cultural activities with their magazine-founding relatives. The quickly became friends despite their different interests. Zeus’ great-great-grandfather is rumored to have left a clue behind to a hidden treasure, but no one has found the clue. When his grandfather shuts down his club and disappears, Zeus suspects foul play. He know this is the perfect treasure hunting mystery for him and his friends. Together, the four must use Ashley’s tech wiz abilities, David’s skills as a rapper, Charlie tendence to tote around rats, and Zeus’ treasure hunting instincts to find Zeus’ missing grandfather. Will they succeed? Did Zeus’ great-great-grandfather leave behind a treasure?

The plot in full of mystery, adventure, and is well written. The characters are realistic, authentic, and well developed. Readers who like mystery, adventure, treasure hunting, and friendship fiction will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections.

Get ready to take a trip to so many historical sites across the country. What a great way to learn history while enjoying an adventure. Be prepared for some twists and turns, though. And you are definitely going to want to read book 2!

This is my favorite kind of middle school story. Fairly relatable characters, lots of action and the best part for me is LOTS of history. I think it is a fun way for kids to dive down rabbit holes learning more about something from the past. This was full of those. Many landmarks, and lots of little known or little represented black history. I absolutely loved it!!

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Zeus Jones' ancestor, Amadeus Jones, had a magazine in the 1920s called BURN that not only showcased Black writers, but didn't ignore further marginalized groups, as many others did at the time. There was only one publication before a tragic fire took the offices and Amadeus' life. He was found in the rubble, clutching a toaster, which Zeus' grandfather saved. The grandfather has done very well; the Jones family has a big house in Southampton, chauffeur, and a butler, Mr. Will. The grandfather has been very involved in Zeus life, which has been helpful, since Zeus' parents are very busy, and his brother Apollo is a film star. There was even a group of children that were descendants of BURN's staff to whom the grandfather was teaching cultural history, but lately he has missed meetings with Zeus, and the group has been abandoned. When the grandfather doesn't answer his texts, Zeus knows something is wrong and calls together Ashley, Charlie, and David, asking them to bring their family's copies of the original magazine. Finding messages in invisible ink, combined with a clue Zeus had previously found in the toaster, motivates the group to take off on an adventure (with Mr. Will flying the family jet) that leads them to the Mojave desert, Boston, the University of Michigan, Chicago, the Statue of Liberty,and the plantation where the Jones ancestors were enslaved. They finish their journey at Arlington Cemetery, and they almost come to a tragic end in the basement of Robert E. Lee's house after the crew finds letters from the early 1800s. There is sure to be a second book, because this ends on an enormous cliffhanger!
Strengths: This packed an enormous amount of Black history into an engaging adventure story with deep family ties. I loved the depiction of Zeus' grandfather gathering the children and teaching them about history, and all of the memorabilia of the magazine that was in his office. It also gives Zeus great motivation to go on an adventure, as well as the resources to do so. Charlie was also an appealing character, who had once been wealthy but whose family has fallen on hard times after the collapse of her father's business and his death from a heart attack. There is even a question of how the Jones family might have been involved in this. The details about all of the sites visited (and there are many!) and the relation that they have to history are very well done, although I was hoping that the clues involving Jesse Owens would take the group to Ohio State instead of the University of Michigan. There is still more of the story to be told, but I can't find any information about a sequel yet.
Weaknesses: I always have a hard time believing that clues on paper can last for a hundred years, and that the children can pinpoint exactly where the clues are hidden, but younger readers won't have this problem. The fire in the Mojave desert was heartbreaking (the fires are still raging around Pacific Palisades and other California locations as I write this), and three people died, so sensitive readers might not be ready for this.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed the combination of mystery and history in Vaught's 2016 Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry, Tarpley's 2017 Harlem Charade, Johnston's 2018 The Parker Inheritance, Durst's 2024 Spy Ring, or Landis' 2024 Capitol Chase.

Everyone has family members that like to tell far-fetched tales. Most of us don't believe them, but Zeus is not like most of us. Zeus is amazed by his grandfather's tales of the Harlem Renaissance, especially about the magazine he created called Burn. His grandfather talks about secret codes, hidden treasure, and a secret page from the magazine that holds the key to finding the treasure. It all sounds outrageous since the building where they published the magazine burned down many years before Zeus was born.

One day, Zeus find the secret page holding the key. However, the one person who could help him decipher the key has now disappeared. Zeus has to save his grandfather, who can help him follow the map to the treasure.

This book has a fast pace, full of action, and has characters that are relatable to many young kids today. I loved learning about the Harlem Renaissance in school and feel that this book would help some students become interested in that era too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Billions to Burn is another book in this genre, but with a twist-the world the kids are exploring is the world of Black History and the Harlem Renaissance.

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

One of the best things about the Percy Jackson series is the number of books that have come out since, with a group of chosen kids with different abilities exploring a specific mythological world.

Billions to Burn is another book in this genre, but with a twist-the world the kids are exploring is the world of Black History and the Harlem Renaissance. They are the descendants of the four families responsible for Burn! magazine, a collection of Black writing, art, and culture, which was burned before the first issue made it to newsstands, leaving behind four families and a mystery to solve…but everyone who has tried has died or disappeared.

This is an amazing book in so many ways. The action moves quickly, the kids are relatable and their skills required, the Butler. Will. is a support without being an impediment-and also solves one of the standard problems in such a book (as in), how does a character get from point A to B, get a hotel room, etc).

This is going to be a popular book among adventure loving kids-and hopefully lead them to look into Black history beyond what is covered in school. Notice, I don’t say just for Black kids. The representation. The history, the culture will be SO valuable for them….but I think many, many more children will benefit from this book, too.

And, the good news is that there is a sequel hook-so hopefully this will be the first of a long series!

A good scavenger hunt story overall and the ending was a surprise. Will be enjoyed by readers of this type of mystery.