Project Mercury

In this fast-paced adventure with a futuristic twist from the author of the bestselling Black Panther books, two military kids whose families are stationed near Area 51 uncover secrets far more threatening than aliens.

Ike Pressure is an Army brat.

Which, if you ask him, is not an insult.

His mom’s new job is in Mercury, Nevada, on a secretive military base close to Area 51. What’s more, his childhood friend, Eesha Webb, and her family are about to move there too.

Spoiler alert: Ike and Eesha aren’t really best buds, even though their parents think so. They used to play together when they were little kids, but now she's more like his nemesis. 

Still, it’s clear to both of them that something mysterious is happening on the base—but what could it be?

Eesha is convinced it has to do with aliens, but Ike isn’t so sure.

What they don’t know is that the stakes are actually much higher than they could have imagined—and Ike’s mom might be in more danger than she has ever faced. Will Ike and Eesha be able to get over their differences and work together to unravel the secrets of Project Mercury?

Ronald L. Smith is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award–winning author of several acclaimed novels for young readers, including Hoodoo, The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away, Gloom Town, Where the Black Flowers Bloom, and the Black Panther: The Young Prince series. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

"A warm and inviting tale of reimagined futures, friendship, bravery, and environmentalism with a futuristic twist that will have readers rallying behind the intrepid protagonists of this hopeful story." -Publishers Weekly