The Flinkwater Factor by Pete Hautman

• Genre:  Science Fiction/Mystery
• Grade Level: 3rd - 6th
• AR Reading Level: 5.1 (6.0 pt.)
• Length: 256 pages  
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (September 1, 2015)
• My Rating: 5 out of 4
• Readability:  Fun, fast read
• Division 1 and Crossover

Meet Ginger Crump who lives in the town of Flinkwater, Iowa, home of the largest manufacturer of technology devices in the world.  Because of all of the very smart people who live in this town, the children are also very smart too.  Ginger is a 13 year old who finds herself in a mystery when the computer in the town start turning people into mental vegetables. She calls it being "bonked".
She recruits her best friend and genius, Billy George, to to figure out what is happening in their town.  All kinds of things turn up, including a talking dog, a sasquatch, a zombie and Agent Ffelps from Homeland Security chasing them down.

I enjoyed this story and despite the girly cover, it is a great book for both boys and girls.  Fun characters and funny situations make this book a fast read.