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The Third Code
When Isho is unexpectedly forced to co-captain his father’s Assyrian merchant ship, challenges on the Tigris River hit at once. Securing payment from King Hammurabi of Babylon for a shipment of silver is Isho’s task. Unfortunately, disaster derails him and his companion, Ninsun, en route to Babylon. In order to save his family's future, Isho must grapple with tests of maturity and trust. But who can he trust? What decisions are best? Why isn’t brute size and strength enough to survive hardships?
Find out how the third code will impact Isho’s quest to save his family.
Find out how the third code will impact Isho’s quest to save his family.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 30, 2019
6 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Adam Lee
1 book17 followersFor 11 years, Adam has passionately taught children ranging from the 4th through 8th grade. Although this is his his first book, Adam is passionate about both literature and history. In 2015, Adam earned his Master in Literacy degree from Judson University. Learning to expose students to amazing books has changed the culture of his classroom. Experiencing history “first hand” by visiting battlefields and other historical sites has allowed Adam to gain credibility with his students. Quality literature and historical authenticity are two staples in his classroom.
Adam, a proud alum of Northern Illinois University, enjoys Chicago White Sox baseball, leads music at church, and thoroughly enjoys reading book series (e.g., Gregor the Overlander, The Ranger’s Apprentice, etc.).
Adam lives with his wife and 2 school-aged daughters, in Sycamore, IL.
Adam, a proud alum of Northern Illinois University, enjoys Chicago White Sox baseball, leads music at church, and thoroughly enjoys reading book series (e.g., Gregor the Overlander, The Ranger’s Apprentice, etc.).
Adam lives with his wife and 2 school-aged daughters, in Sycamore, IL.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 13, 2020
The Hittite crew have stolen the silver and the sailboat. Can Isho, son of Rabona, recover it with the help of the captain Ninsun? Not wanting to attract trouble, it appears that no one on the water wants to help them. What about on land? It is 200 miles to Babylon where the silver was headed. Who is Hannie? A Christian? Believer in only one God? What about Askiva? Isho is only 13 and with the documentation also stolen, how is anyone in Babylon going to believe him and/or his story? Set in the time of King Hammerabi in Mesopotamia surely Hammerabi's Code of Laws can help?
I, as an adult, thoroughly enjoyed this story. We have studied Hammerabi in school this year so I was thrilled to be able to past this historical fiction onto our kids to also read. TRULY excellent, really bringing to life what life was like back then. Isho, like many 13 year olds, is impulsive and not always mindful of his tongue. Watch him mature and learn from the wiser elders around him as the story develops. GREAT character lessons for kids. Hope the author writes more of these. Thanks, Liz
I, as an adult, thoroughly enjoyed this story. We have studied Hammerabi in school this year so I was thrilled to be able to past this historical fiction onto our kids to also read. TRULY excellent, really bringing to life what life was like back then. Isho, like many 13 year olds, is impulsive and not always mindful of his tongue. Watch him mature and learn from the wiser elders around him as the story develops. GREAT character lessons for kids. Hope the author writes more of these. Thanks, Liz
November 1, 2019
I have been teaching social studies for over a decade now, most recently middle school, and I am thrilled to have found this book. Teaching the cradle of civilization to young students can be very dry and so far outside of their ability to connect to such ancient history. This story of a young boy making his way through the ancient civilizations brings this time period of history to life in a way that my students can connect with in a more meaningful way. It is a super engaging read and a well needed period of history that need an historical fiction lens. I highly recommend this book to for all students to get them excited about this time period and take Ancient History to living history.
November 13, 2019
The Third Code is a great adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. I'm looking forward to sharing this with my students.
January 5, 2020
Whats up Teach! I just want to say that I have found and read it on my kindle and oh boy was it great! I look forward to reading as I go on and suggest it to any social studies teachers!
November 16, 2020
Good Historical Novel for Students
“The Third Code,” by Adam Lee, would be an excellent addition to the elementary and middle school classroom libraries as recommended reading for those students interested in learning more about Mesopotamia in the days of Hammurabi. Textbooks can be awfully dry reading at any age, but this book personalizes that period of history by following 13-year-old Isho as he tries to recover his father’s stolen ship and its precious silver cargo. Terms the student learn in class such as Hammurabi’s Code, ziggurat, and caravan, or geographical terms such as Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Babylon, and the Fertile Crescent are brought to life in the story as Isho and his companion Ninsun pursue the Hittite merchants who stole the silver.
Along his journey, Isho, already tall for his age, also matures emotionally as he deals with people and circumstances which confront him. The story contains character lessons for Isho as well as the reader. The reader also gains insight into monotheistic and polytheistic religions when Isho falls in with a caravan of followers of Yahweh, but the religion in the story is not preachy.
There are plenty of historical novels for children set in ancient Egypt or Rome or Greece. In “The Third Code,” Adam Lee brings to life an important, but less-well represented, ancient civilization.
“The Third Code,” by Adam Lee, would be an excellent addition to the elementary and middle school classroom libraries as recommended reading for those students interested in learning more about Mesopotamia in the days of Hammurabi. Textbooks can be awfully dry reading at any age, but this book personalizes that period of history by following 13-year-old Isho as he tries to recover his father’s stolen ship and its precious silver cargo. Terms the student learn in class such as Hammurabi’s Code, ziggurat, and caravan, or geographical terms such as Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Babylon, and the Fertile Crescent are brought to life in the story as Isho and his companion Ninsun pursue the Hittite merchants who stole the silver.
Along his journey, Isho, already tall for his age, also matures emotionally as he deals with people and circumstances which confront him. The story contains character lessons for Isho as well as the reader. The reader also gains insight into monotheistic and polytheistic religions when Isho falls in with a caravan of followers of Yahweh, but the religion in the story is not preachy.
There are plenty of historical novels for children set in ancient Egypt or Rome or Greece. In “The Third Code,” Adam Lee brings to life an important, but less-well represented, ancient civilization.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews