30 May 2017
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... Blastoff!
It is that time of year again. School is ending and our summer reading program will be starting very soon. Because of this, my blog will be on hiatus until August or September. Check back in the fall for new material; for now, check out the categories listed on the right column for more programming or book review ideas!
04 May 2017
The Unbreakable Code
Emily and James have hardly recovered from their adventures in Book Scavenger, and now they notice their teacher Mr. Quisling acting suspiciously. Following him leads to another book-related mystery. Can they solve this mystery before the mysterious arsonist beats them to the answer?
This book was very similar to Book Scavenger, a book I very much enjoyed and frequently promote at my library through book talks. While there are plenty of references to books in this story, is not nearly as literature or library-focused as Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library or its sequel. I loved watching the kids solve the puzzles and wondering if they'd arrive at the correct conclusion before the bad guys caught up with them. I did guess the ending correctly, but I'm not an 8-12 year old, so I don't consider that a bad thing.
Full of San Francisco color and history, this book is highly recommended for tweens, particularly those who are fans of mystery stories.
Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: "mild peril" - there are a couple of fires that happen and the main characters are occasionally in danger
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Read-Alikes: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Inkheart, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets