VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A 12-year-old's sixth-grade math teacher goes missing; an adventure ensues, packed with riddles and puzzles.
It sounds like the making of a sci-fi movie for kids, but it's actually a Virginia Beach author's way of sparking a passion for STEM in elementary and middle school students.
Jamie Barber wrote Finney and the Secret Tunnel to help kids approach science, engineering, technology, and math in a different way. She said the idea for the book was sparked by a learning technique her oldest daughter used.
"We actually chose the Life of Fred curriculum [for her], which is learning math completely through stories," Barber said.
In the book, Finney sets out to find her missing teacher through a secret tunnel beneath the school. She encounters secret societies, dodges dangerous boobytraps, and uncovers a buried secret.
Barber describes the story as "'Indiana Jones meet[s] Mysterious Benedict Society."
She said it's a way to captivate kids while simultaneously teaching them important subjects.
"It opens up this world where you're just naturally learning just because you're reading," Barber said.
She also hopes children will pick up on another lesson woven into Finney's journey about confidence and self-esteem,
"Even if you have imperfections, you're still perfect," Barber said. "You're mathematically perfect just the way you are."
While the book's storyline takes a lot of turns, Barber said the real plot twist is changing the way kids learn STEM.
"You're solving these things and you're having fun and you're not thinking about the fact that maybe you're learning something along the way," Barber said.
Finey and the Secret Tunnel is available for purchase through Barber's website. You can also order a copy through major online retail platforms including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.