SOLVED. YA - Master codebreaker befriends boy [s]

[Kinsey]

I read this YA book sometime in the early 80s. A boy befriends a retired master codebreaker, who I think may be disabled in some way and possibly house bound, maybe bed bound. The boy is very interested in learning all about codes and code breaking, and his teachings are discussed at great length throughout the book, making it quite educational.

At one point, the boy decides to come up with his own unbreakable code to challenge the codebreaker and is disappointed when it gets solved in a few minutes. The boy also has some friends his own age who are around a lot, but I don't recall anything about them.

There is also a real coded message that the boy and the codebreaker are mulling over. I think it reveals the location of money buried by a man on the run many years ago.

At one point in the story, there is some sort of crisis, and the boy runs to a pay phone and calls for the police. Then he decides to call an ambulance as well and then the fire department and possibly even the power company. All these emergency vehicles quickly show up, and the boy marvels at how such amazing things could be accomplished with four dimes. I also remember that the boy's father showed up, and seeing all the emergency vehicles, asked his son in a humorously understated way what was going on.

[April Ann]

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delaney, 1976.

Summary: In "Babel-17," Rydra Wong, a poet and code expert, must break an enemy government's code, but discovers that the code is really a supersophisticated language, while in "Empire Star," a simple-minded teenager is entrusted to carry a vital message to a distant world.

[Kinsey]

April Ann, thanks, but it's definitely not Babel-17. The book I read wasn't science fiction.

[April Ann]

I thought that one was a long shot, I'll keep looking.

[April Ann]

Secret Island by Judith Gwin Brown, Four Winds copywright 1977.

Kirkus Reviews
Writing as his wounds heal--a seductive, unexplained come-on--John Allen chronicles his recent adventure, a genuinely intriguing series of events which will entertain sophisticated readers, able to handle a large cast and the 1865 milieu, and will transfix kids with a liking for codes. A New York City boy with an active imagination and great admiration for a Union army captain, John goes upstate to visit country relatives, consoling himself with fantasies of uncovering robbers, Rebel-sympathizers, and other undesirables. "'If you want to remember a man,'" he's counseled, "'there's four things he can't change much--ears, hands, eyes, voice," and this offhand advice, along with some fairly complicated deciphering techniques, is the basis for highbrow detection by John and equally energetic cousin Sam. Unpredictable plot turns and mystifying details maintain the suspense, and crisply etched personalities increase the page-turning potential. We won't tell all but the Secret Island, where the twice-stolen loot is buried, is underwater, and the clues hinge on Biblical references. Password: rewarding. Don't keep it secret. (Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 1977)

[Kinsey]

That's definitely not it, but it's certainly interesting how many commonalities it shares with my book. The story I read definitely takes place in the 20th century, probably no earlier than the 70s. The code the characters are working to solve is much older and may go back to the Civil War, but there are no flashbacks to earlier times.

[April Ann]

Key to the Treasure by Peggy Parish, 1966.

Summary:Liza, Bill, and Ted unravel a series of coded clues that solve a family mystery while spending the summer.

More of a game than a story, the simple mystery follows Jed, Bill and Liza Roberts as they track down the clues to a collection of Indian artifacts Great-great-grandfather hid away just before he went off to the Civil War. He had been killed, and the first clue had been inadvertently destroyed, but the three children manage by chance to discover the second one.

Alvin's Secret Code by Clifford B. Hicks, 1963.

Summary: Twelve-year-old Alvin and his best friend Shoie use their knowledge of codes and ciphers to solve a dangerous mystery.

[Kinsey]

April Ann, you've done it again! It's Alvin's Secret Code. Thank you.

[April Ann]

You're welcome! It's always a good feeling when one of the books that pop up is a hit!