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The Code Busters Club #6
The Secret of the Puzzle Box
The Code Busters are excited for their class field trip to Angel Island, known as the Ellis Island of the West. One of Mika's ancestors passed through the island's immigration station in the early twentieth century, and Mika thinks he may have left behind some secret messages . . . plus a very special box. But as the Code Busters search for hints from the past, they get caught up in an even bigger secret.
Can you crack the code? Test your brain with the Code Busters to see if you have the right stuff to be an ace detective. Answers are in the back, in case you get stuck.
Can you crack the code? Test your brain with the Code Busters to see if you have the right stuff to be an ace detective. Answers are in the back, in case you get stuck.
- GenresMysteryMiddle Grade
192 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2018
7 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Penny Warner
142 books138 followersPenny Warner is an award-winning author of over sixty books, including DEAD BODY LANGUAGE mystery series (Macavity winner), HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY series, and the upcoming Food Festival series. Her middle-grade mystery, THE CODE BUSTERS CLUB, won the Agatha Award for Best Children's Mystery.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 24, 2017
A group of friends are going with their class for a field trip to Angel Island (the west coast equivalent of Ellis island) and one of their relatives may have left a secret gift for his spouse there that they want to find.
I wish my class trips had been that fun - will secret puzzles and clues and scavenger hunts!
The book is full of secret messages and various codes (with solutions in the back). I enjoyed it. I really enjoy codes but it was a bit frustrating at times having to pause and work through one code after the other to progress in the story. Not sure how much is too much. For me as an adult, it seemed a bit much but I suspect that a young me would have LOVED it.
I wish my class trips had been that fun - will secret puzzles and clues and scavenger hunts!
The book is full of secret messages and various codes (with solutions in the back). I enjoyed it. I really enjoy codes but it was a bit frustrating at times having to pause and work through one code after the other to progress in the story. Not sure how much is too much. For me as an adult, it seemed a bit much but I suspect that a young me would have LOVED it.
July 21, 2016
Why hasn’t the Code Busters Club mysteries received as much widespread popularity as Ron Roy’s Calendar Mysteries or Mary Pope Osbourne’s Magic Tree House? Penny Warner’s series is such joy. Quite possibly, it’s the focus on SF Bay Area locales, but as a Bay Area native, that’s the charm. She makes these not as widely visited landmarks and more obscure history moments (while everyone’s learned about Ellis Island, how many school children know of Angel Island?) completely accessible. Well done and more like this, please!
I hesitated to jump into the series at the end with Case #6 the Case of the Missing Puzzle Box, but I’m glad I got over my reservations and gave this story a try. As my family immigrated to the US via Angel Island and I have kids who are in the target audience for this book, I had extra motivation to crack its virtual cover through NetGalley AND an ability to offer greater scrutiny.
I found the story well done for kids. Did it peter out towards a clichéd Scooby Doo Mystery at the end? Yes, but that didn’t bother me as much because this book had a strong start in setting up the code concept – not just through standard puzzles but through poems, which I thought incredibly clever – and by establishing the significance of Angel Island. I don’t think I’ve pondered how important that land has served the American people. Where was this book when I was a kid taking my class field trip to the island? I learned more from this book than from my own teacher and knowledgeable guests.
I appreciated the diversity of characters. I can easily see kids being intrigued to start their own Code Breakers Club. My school library needs more entertaining and educational reads like this.
I hesitated to jump into the series at the end with Case #6 the Case of the Missing Puzzle Box, but I’m glad I got over my reservations and gave this story a try. As my family immigrated to the US via Angel Island and I have kids who are in the target audience for this book, I had extra motivation to crack its virtual cover through NetGalley AND an ability to offer greater scrutiny.
I found the story well done for kids. Did it peter out towards a clichéd Scooby Doo Mystery at the end? Yes, but that didn’t bother me as much because this book had a strong start in setting up the code concept – not just through standard puzzles but through poems, which I thought incredibly clever – and by establishing the significance of Angel Island. I don’t think I’ve pondered how important that land has served the American people. Where was this book when I was a kid taking my class field trip to the island? I learned more from this book than from my own teacher and knowledgeable guests.
I appreciated the diversity of characters. I can easily see kids being intrigued to start their own Code Breakers Club. My school library needs more entertaining and educational reads like this.
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February 6, 2017Matthew: I loved this book! I like it because it has lots of mysteries. It's cool that Mika's Great grandmother and grandfather passed secret messages at the immigration station. It's crazy that Matt the Brat hurt his leg in the middle of the night. I loved this book!
July 3, 2018
I read this book exploring a possible new series for my 8-year-old son. The story was very good - am going to obtain the first book in the series for him to read and am curious to see how he reacts to the puzzles in the book.
December 13, 2019
Good book. Easy to read with fun codes!
December 22, 2016
Title: The Secret of the Puzzle Box - Code Busters Club Book 6
Author: Penny Warner
Published: 9-1-2016
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Company/Darby Creek
Pages: 192
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Sub Genre: Children's Fiction; Detectives, Amateur Sleuths
ISBN: 13-9781512403077
ASIN: B01IPSEB1W
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating: 5 Stars
.
I received a copy of The Secret of the Puzzle Box from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
The story surrounds another field trip to the lesser known immigration port known as Angels Island. Located on the West Coast it is also where Mika's great-grandfather, Hiraku Takeda entered the United States she believes he may have left some clues their leading to a very special box. The gang must decipher clues to find out if the box is there to be found.
I have come to truly enjoy reading the Code Buster Club books with my nephew Chad and can feel safe in purchasing these books for my other great nieces and nephews. The Characters are constant in that their personalities have not dramatically been altered since they were first introduced. The codes and different puzzles are a big part of the reasons the series is so popular with my family. The stories are well written and move at a quick pace. Chad and Rachel both stated that this was the best Code Busters Club book yet and I have to agree. I gave The Secret of the Puzzle Box a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IPSEB1W/...
Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...
GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
Author: Penny Warner
Published: 9-1-2016
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Company/Darby Creek
Pages: 192
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Sub Genre: Children's Fiction; Detectives, Amateur Sleuths
ISBN: 13-9781512403077
ASIN: B01IPSEB1W
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating: 5 Stars
.
I received a copy of The Secret of the Puzzle Box from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
The story surrounds another field trip to the lesser known immigration port known as Angels Island. Located on the West Coast it is also where Mika's great-grandfather, Hiraku Takeda entered the United States she believes he may have left some clues their leading to a very special box. The gang must decipher clues to find out if the box is there to be found.
I have come to truly enjoy reading the Code Buster Club books with my nephew Chad and can feel safe in purchasing these books for my other great nieces and nephews. The Characters are constant in that their personalities have not dramatically been altered since they were first introduced. The codes and different puzzles are a big part of the reasons the series is so popular with my family. The stories are well written and move at a quick pace. Chad and Rachel both stated that this was the best Code Busters Club book yet and I have to agree. I gave The Secret of the Puzzle Box a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IPSEB1W/...
Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...
GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
June 9, 2016
This is definitely a book you want to have in hard copy. In e-book form, it was tough to check my code-breaking skills with the keys at the back of the book.
I haven’t read others in this series, so I don’t know all the backstory of the characters, but this is a fun group of late-elementary-aged children.
It definitely gave me a “Scooby Doo” vibe—you know, those meddling kids! The bad guy was definitely reminiscent of a bad guy from that long-running cartoon series.
The kids worked well together and supported each other. What I didn’t like was the class outcast, “Matt the Brat.” I think he was a stereotype of the boy who can’t sit still and finds himself in trouble a lot. Yes, he was a bit of a braggart, but I think he was poorly handled. The Code Busters were very unsympathetic and cold toward him until near the end, when they actually come to like him a bit. I hope that is a trend that will continue in further volumes. The “troublemaking boy” is a trope that, as a teacher, I find rather harmful.
The most far-out part of the story? These kids get to go on overnight camping field trips. Must be nice to live in a district with that kind of money!
My third-grader loves cracking codes and I think she would really enjoy this if I had a hard copy of it.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Kids do things without adult permission. Some dangerous situations.
Who Might Like This Book:
Kids who like mysteries and enjoy learning about all kinds of codes. Scooby Doo fans. The suggested age range is appropriate, although I know a few second graders who could easily handle it, and many eighth graders who would feel they are above it.
This review also at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/20...
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.
I haven’t read others in this series, so I don’t know all the backstory of the characters, but this is a fun group of late-elementary-aged children.
It definitely gave me a “Scooby Doo” vibe—you know, those meddling kids! The bad guy was definitely reminiscent of a bad guy from that long-running cartoon series.
The kids worked well together and supported each other. What I didn’t like was the class outcast, “Matt the Brat.” I think he was a stereotype of the boy who can’t sit still and finds himself in trouble a lot. Yes, he was a bit of a braggart, but I think he was poorly handled. The Code Busters were very unsympathetic and cold toward him until near the end, when they actually come to like him a bit. I hope that is a trend that will continue in further volumes. The “troublemaking boy” is a trope that, as a teacher, I find rather harmful.
The most far-out part of the story? These kids get to go on overnight camping field trips. Must be nice to live in a district with that kind of money!
My third-grader loves cracking codes and I think she would really enjoy this if I had a hard copy of it.
Possible Objectionable Material:
Kids do things without adult permission. Some dangerous situations.
Who Might Like This Book:
Kids who like mysteries and enjoy learning about all kinds of codes. Scooby Doo fans. The suggested age range is appropriate, although I know a few second graders who could easily handle it, and many eighth graders who would feel they are above it.
This review also at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/20...
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews