A History of PI by Petr Beckmann is a great book for that age group. It has lots of historical information about PI and its calculation by various historical figures and cultures. The writing style is engaging and even moving. Another plus for that age group - it's less than 200 pages long.

I second a previous poster's suggestion of Simon Singh's The Code Book.

Those stupid shows on cable showing "professional" thieves stealing fucking chandeliers and furniture are over exaggerated nonsense.

Over exaggerated? So, what's the right amount of exaggeration?