The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code
By Dan Brown
Read in 8th Grade
Robert Langdon, professor of symbology at Harvard, in trying to relax in the wee hours of the night after giving a speech to the American University of Paris. Then, Jacques Sauniére, a renowned art curator, is murdered. And Langdon is the scapegoat. However, all is not lost. He and a police cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, discover that Sauniére protected an ancient secret - one that could destroy the church. They go on a hunt to try to uncover the secret, but with traitors and police at every turn, they must work fast. It turns out at last that they are looking for the Holy Grail, the fabled chalice in the Bible. The Knights Templar supposedly found it in Jerusalem long ago, and it is being protected by the Priory of Sion.
As they search, they find clues that the Grail is not a chalice after all. It is a representation of the actual treasure. They seek help from Langdon's friend a Grail specialist. Together, they find their way through the past, all the way to Sir Isaac Newton's grave where Langdon's "friend" reveals his true identity, and they have a stand-off. At last, the final clue returns Langdon to where it all started, in the halls of the Louvre. The body of Mary Magdalene, Jesus's wife.
For reference, the chalice stands for a woman.