family problems

explorers

codes, ciphers and puzzles

Adventure, danger, and a thrilling global mission await 12-year-old Cruz Coronado as he joins an elite school for explorers. Cruz leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 23 talented kids from around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world’s leading scientists to become the next generation of great explorers. But for Cruz, there’s more at stake. No sooner has he arrived at the Academy than he discovers that his family has a mysterious past with the organization that could jeopardize his future. In the midst of codebreaking and cool classes, new friends and augmented-reality expeditions, Cruz must tackle the biggest question of all: Who is out to get him … and why? Readers can get in on the excitement with puzzles and codes embedded throughout.

The Nebula Secret

Ellen Raskin

inheritances

problem solving

A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, on things for sure: Sam Westing may be dead…but that won’t stop him from playing one last game!

The Westing Game

David Macaulay

What appear to be four separate stories, one installment of each appearing on each spread of the book, turn out to intermingle and, in time, become one story. Always Macaulay is playing with our perceptions and making allusions and illusions. A robber hides out in a herd of cattle who, in turn, disrupt the passage of a train. At the train station, passengers at first are absorbed in the newspapers they are reading, but as the wait lengthens, they start playing with the newspapers and with each other. A boy, a passenger on the train, witnesses some of the events, but not all of them. Parents, previously staid and distant, have apparently changed, at least temporarily, because of their time spent waiting for the train that day. The book can be frustratingly confusing or, in the proper hands and minds, a challenge and a source of fascination.

Black and White

Ernest Cline

utopias

imaginary places

popular culture

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Now a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg.  “Enchanting . . . Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.”–USA Today - “As one adventure leads expertly to the next, time simply evaporates.”–Entertainment Weekly  A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?  In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.  When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune–and control of the OASIS itself.  Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on–and the only way to survive is to win.  NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly - San Francisco Chronicle - Village Voice - Chicago Sun-Times - iO9 - The AV Club  “Delightful . . . the grown-up’s Harry Potter.”–HuffPost  “An addictive read . . . part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart.”–CNN  “A most excellent ride . . . Cline stuffs his novel with a cornucopia of pop culture, as if to wink to the reader.”–Boston Globe  “Ridiculously fun and large-hearted . . . Cline is that rare writer who can translate his own dorky enthusiasms into prose that’s both hilarious and compassionate.”–NPR  “[A] fantastic page-turner . . . starts out like a simple bit of fun and winds up feeling like a rich and plausible picture of future friendships in a world not too distant from our own.”–iO9

Ready Player One

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

mansions

OVER 750,000 COPIES SOLD OF THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES! Don’t miss this New York Times bestselling “impossible to put down” (Buzzfeed) novel with deadly stakes, thrilling twists, and juicy secrets – perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out. Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why – or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man’s touch – and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he’s determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather’s last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive. ** Avery’s story continues in The Hawthorne Legacy and The Final Gambit

The Inheritance Games

Joseph Bruchac

soldiers

Navajo

World War II

Viewed through the eyes of a 16-year-old Navajo youth, Code Talker is a fascinating slice of World War II history by a much-respected and acclaimed author.

Code Talker

Ben Guterson

enchanted places

curses and spells

Elizabeth, eleven, spends Christmas break at Winterhouse hotel under strange circumstances, where she discovers that she has magic, and her love of puzzles helps her solve a mystery.

Winterhouse

Dan Gutman

roadtrips

family life

solving crimes

The most exciting road trip in history begins! In this action-packed, New York Times bestselling adventure, twelve-year-old twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald embark on a family vacation you’ll have to read to believe.Coke McDonald and his twin sister, Pepsi, think their family’s cross-country RV vacation is nothing to get excited about…until they’re chased off a cliff, locked in a burning school, and receive mysterious messages in codes and ciphers. From California to Wisconsin, it’s a race against time to find out who’s after Coke and Pep, who’s leaving the notes…and just what being a part of The Genius Files entails!With the real-kid humor that has earned Dan Gutman millions of fans around the world, and featuring weird-but-true American tourist destinations, The Genius Files is a one-of-a-kind mix of geography and fun.As Coke and Pep dodge nefarious villains from the Pez museum in California all the way to the Infinity Room in Wisconsin, black-and-white photographs and maps put young readers right into the action.And don’t miss the next leg of the journey in The Genius Files: Never Say Genius!

Mission Unstoppable

Marina Cohen

Twelve-year-old Kallie despises nonsense. She believes there’s a rational explanation for everything, despite the good-natured prodding of her Grandpa Jess, who takes her to frivolous wastes of time like their town’s local Festival of Fools. There, Kallie meets a faceless man (must be some kind of mask) who gives her a strange wooden puzzle box (must be some kind of gimmick). Intrigued despite herself, Kallie sets to work on unlocking its secrets and…lets something out. From here Kallie’s life begins to entangle with another world, a world where Liah, a young bone carver, journeys with her master to sell wares to a wicked Queen. The sights, sounds, smells, and spells of Liah’s world are beginning to leak into Kallie’s, and if Kallie can’t decipher the meaning of her own story, “the end” might be far from happy.

A Box of Bones

Frances O’Roark Dowell

Amy June Bates

Sam Graham wants a cell phone to help him with his research, but when his parents say no, he has to come up with another way to keep all the info he needs in his pocket in this hilarious fifth chapter book in the Sam the Man series from Frances O’Roark Dowell. Here are the facts: Sam Graham is an information man. But to get information, you need to do research. You never know when you’ll need an urgent piece of info—like, say, the number for a chicken emergency hotline—so a resource for instant research is a must! This is why Sam needs a cell phone. Unfortunately, Mom and Dad disagree. So, Sam has to come up with a plan. But what is small enough to fit in your pocket and can hold all the information you need? Sam will have to go old-school with his latest plan and use a handy notebook instead. Luckily, retro is in, and a la Nick in Andrew Clements’s Frindle, Sam might just start the latest trend!

Sam the Man & the Cell Phone Plan

Debbie Dadey

Tatevik Avakyan

Kiki and her friends get caught up in a code war to try and meet a narwhal in this sparkling Mermaid Tales adventure. All the merkids are super-excited! Two famous narwhal scientists are visiting Trident City with their daughter, Nadine. Best of all, someone is going to get to show Nadine around the city while her parents are in meetings! But who? All the merkids want to be the one, so how are they going to decide who gets to do it? Mrs. Karp, their teacher, decides to organize a code-breaking contest, but with the competition getting fierce, it is more like a code war! Even Kiki, Echo, and Shelly are fighting! Is there a way that everyone can win?

The Narwhal Problem

Elise Gravel

This delightful board book will make the little ones in your life giggle at the absurdity of a fly on the phone and a carrot in the tub. The text’s repeated asking Have you ever seen…? preceding the refrain No way! will have toddlers yelling “No way!” themselves as you read through these silly situations. Celebrated artist Elise Gravel brings the silly to a new level in A Potato on a Bike, because really, has anyone ever seen a broccoli counting to ten or a sausage reading a book? But wait, how about a…baby being tickled?! Uh-oh, I think the answer for that is–yes way!

A Potato on a Bike

Blake Hoena

During World War II U.S. forces had to keep battle plans and other top secret information out of the enemy’s hands. Coded messages were often used, but secret codes could be broken. To solve this problem, the U.S. military turned to an unexpected source to create an unbreakable code. The Navajo people spoke a complex language that few outsiders knew how to speak. Several Navajo soldiers were recruited to develop a code based on the Navajo language. The result was a complex code that could not be solved by the enemy. Learn all about the brave Navajo Code Talkers and how their unbreakable code helped defeat the enemy and win the war.

Navajo Code Talkers

Diane Z. Shore

Stephanie Bauer

Deanna Calvert

Rhyming animal riddles feature a crab, a dolphin, and other sea animals hiding under the flaps in this lift-the-flap board book.

Riddle Diddle Ocean

Rhyming animal riddles feature a monkey, a sloth, and other rainforest animals hiding under the flaps in this lift-the-flap board book.

Riddle Diddle Rainforest

Mary Pope Osborne

Sal Murdocca

It’s sink or swim for Jack and Annie when the Magic Tree House whisks them off to the middle of the ocean. Luckily, they find a mini-submarine on a coral reef. Unluckily, they are about to meet a giant octopus and one very hungry shark. Will the dolphins save the day? Or are Jack and Annie doomed to be dinner?

Dolphins at Daybreak

Rick Riordan

Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her decendants an impossible decision: “You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue.”Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world’s most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 clues hidden around the world will reveal the family’s secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what’s important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.The 39 Clues is Scholastic’s groundbreaking new series, spanning 10 adrenaline-charged books, 350 trading cards, and an online game where readers play a part in the story and compete for over $100,000 in prizes.The 39 Clues books set the story, and the cards, website and game allow kids to participate in it. Kids visit the website - www.the39clues.com - and discover they are lost members of the Cahill family. They set up online accounts where they can compete against other kids and against Cahill characters to find all 39 clues. Through the website, kids can track their points and clues, manage their card collections, dig through the Cahill archives for secrets, and “travel” the world to collect Cahill artifacts, interview characters, and hunt down clues. Collecting cards helps: Each card is a piece of evidence containing information on a Cahill, a clue, or a family secret.Every kid is a winner - we’ll give away prizes through the books, the website and the cards, including a grand prize of $10,000!

The Maze of Bones

Ellen Weiss

Alessia Girasole

Pepper and Jake love herding sheep in the little valley where they live. But there’s a problem– a big problem. Urk, a giant who lives on a nearby mountain, is big and stinky and doesn’t care that dumping dirty laundry water in the nearby stream causes a flood down below every single week. So Pepper and Jake hike to Urk’s mountaintop lair to confront him. But there’s no reasoning with a giant, especially one who gives cryptic puzzles to solve. If the kids can solve it, Urk will move away. If not, Pepper and Jake (and their sheep) will be the featured ingredients in Urk’s next bowl of smelly soup!

Stinky Giant

Ridley Pearson

Disneyland, Opening Day, 1955. When five present-day teenagers known as the Kingdom Keepers find themselves thrown into a past that would make anyone envious, things don’t exactly work out the way they’d hoped. Finn, Charlene, Maybeck, Willa, and Philby open a door into a place and a time when the legend of the Disney parks is just starting. They are there, in 1955, to retrieve Walt Disney’s infamous pen that once saved the parks as we know them. But like all things Disney, nothing is as it seems.The early days of the Tower of Terror, the origin of the Overtakers (Disney villains), and the real power of magic unfold in an unexpected series of events that propel both the Keepers and Disney itself into a darkness no one saw coming. Along the way, the Keepers visit Walt Disney’s hilltop home, Disneyland’s opening day and reception, and find themselves separated from friends sixty years away. The three Fairlies, young women in Disney’s School of Imagineering, girls with astonishing powers of their own, have unmasked a long-buried secret that threatens the lives of their friends as well as everything Walt Disney worked for.

Legacy of Secrets

Sterling Childrens

PEEKABOO!What’s hiding behind the holes? There’s something new every time you turn the page! Part guessing game, part novelty, this book is sure to please young readers. Knock, knock! Come on in, and find out who lives in these special homes. From a baby bird in a nest to a scampering squirrel to a camouflaged caterpillar blending in with the leaves, these animals are part of a fun guessing game that introduces preschoolers to some sweet creatures they might meet in their own backyard.

Knock, Knock, Who Lives Here?

Margaret McNamara

G. Brian Karas

Mr. Tiffin and his students from the perenially popular How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? are back in this picture book about a school trip to an apple orchard! In this playful, humorous, and child-friendly classroom story, the students learn a lot about apples and apple orchards–including how apples are harvested, how cider is made, and what the different varieties of apples are–while trying to solve a riddle. The book also celebrates how some children learn differently than others. Margaret McNamara and illustrator G. Brian Karas bring us another fun and educational picture book.

The Apple Orchard Riddle

Weng Wai Chan

It’s Singapore in 1940, war is just around the corner–but 12-year-old Lizard doesn’t know that. He lives in Chinatown above a tailor’s shop, surviving on his wits and hustling for odd jobs. When he steals a small teak box containing a Japanese code book from a Raffles Hotel suite, he finds himself in a dangerous world of wartime espionage. Lizard doesn’t know who to trust. How is the mysterious book inside the box connected to his friend Lili, a girl full of secrets and fighting skills? Can he trust her, or will she betray him in the end?

Lizard's Tale

Guardians of the Hidden Sceptor

Lauren Child

Sardonic narration will grab readers from the get-go, and puzzles laced throughout will intrigue those who share Ruby’s passion for solving mysteries. – Publishers Weekly (starred review)Everyone knows that Clarice Bean is exceptionordinarily keen on the Ruby Redfort books. In her own starring role, Ruby, a genius code-cracker and daring detective, and her sidekick butler, Hitch, work for a secret crime-busting organization called Spectrum. Ruby gets into lots of scrapes with evil villains, but she’s always ice-cool in a crisis.

Ruby Redfort Look Into My Eyes

Deborah Hopkinson

From the award-winning author of The Great Trouble comes a story of espionage, survival, and friendship during World War II. Bertie Bradshaw never set out to become a spy. He never imagined traipsing around war-torn London, solving ciphers, practicing surveillance, and searching for a traitor to the Allied forces. He certainly never expected that a strong-willed American girl named Eleanor would play Watson to his Holmes (or Holmes to his Watson, depending on who you ask). But when a young woman goes missing, leaving behind a coded notebook, Bertie is determined to solve the mystery. With the help of Eleanor and his friend David, a Jewish refugee–and, of course, his trusty pup, Little Roo–Bertie must decipher the notebook in time to stop a double agent from spilling the biggest secret of all to the Nazis. From the author of The Great Trouble, this suspenseful WWII adventure reminds us that times of war call for bravery, brains and teamwork from even the most unlikely heroes.

How I Became a Spy: A Mystery of WWII London

Gilbert Ford

Melissa is a nobody. Wilf is a slacker. Bondi is a show-off. At least that’s what their middle school teachers think. To everyone’s surprise, they are the three students chosen to compete for a ten thousand-dollar scholarship, solving clues that lead them to various locations around Chicago. At first the three contestants work independently, but it doesn’t take long before each begins to wonder whether the competition is a sham. It’s only by secretly joining forces and using their unique talents that the trio is able to uncover the truth behind the Ambrose Deception – a truth that involves a lot more than just a scholarship.  With a narrative style as varied and intriguing as the mystery itself, this adventure involving clever clues, plenty of perks, and abhorrent adults is pure wish fulfillment.

Ambrose Deception

Cruz, Sailor, Emmett, and the gang are on their way to Africa when Nebula misses their intended target and someone close to Cruz ends up on the brink of death. Secrets creep out from the shadows and leave Cruz with more questions than answers in this fourth title in the hit series. A major discovery forces the Explorer Academy into the limelight in The Star Dunes, but Cruz has much more on his mind than 15 minutes of fame. A new face on board the ship brings Cruz’s worlds colliding, just as a major close call tears them apart. En route to Africa, Team Cousteau is now down a major player, and Cruz can’t help but be preoccupied by the hole in his life. The discovery of his mom’s next clue leads him to the most exotic location yet–a vast desert–with no other information to lead the way, while an unlikely ally helps Cruz pursue another piece of the puzzle. Just as things seem like they might turn out alright, Dr. Fanchon Quills has a technological breakthrough which gives Cruz a glimpse into the past and reveals more about his future than he may really want to know.

The Star Dunes

Gene Luen Yang

Mike Holmes

Gene Luen Yang is the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and is a MacArthur Fellow, a recipient of what’s popularly known as the MacArthur Genius Grant. Welcome to Stately Academy, a school which is just crawling with mysteries to be solved! The founder of the school left many clues and puzzles to challenge his enterprising students. Using their wits and their growing prowess with coding, Hopper and her friend Eni are going to solve the mystery of Stately Academy no matter what it takes! From graphic novel superstar (and high school computer programming teacher) Gene Luen Yang comes a wildly entertaining new series that combines logic puzzles and basic programming instruction with a page-turning mystery plot! This title has Common Core connections.

Secret Coders

From graphic novel superstar (and former computer programming teacher) and New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang, Secret Coders: Potions &amp;amp;amp; Parameters is the fifth volume in a wildly entertaining series that combines logic puzzles and basic coding instruction with a page-turning mystery plot! Dr. One-Zero won’t stop until the whole town–no, the whole world–embraces the true happiness” found in his poisonous potion, Green Pop. And now that he has the Turtle of Light, he’s virtually unstoppable. There’s one weapon that can defeat him: another Turtle of Light. Unfortunately, they can only be found in another dimension! To open a portal to this new world, Hopper, Eni, and Josh’s coding skills will be put to the test.

Potions & Parameters

Gene Luen Yang is the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and is a MacArthur Fellow, a recipient of what’s popularly known as the MacArthur Genius Grant. There’s something lurking beneath the surface of Stately Academy–literally. In a secret underground classroom Hopper, Eni, and Josh discover that the campus was once home to the Bee School, an institute where teachers, students, and robots worked together to unravel the mysteries of coding. Hopper and her friends are eager to follow in this tradition and become top-rate coders. But why are Principal Dean and the rugby team suddenly so interested in their extracurricular activities? From graphic novel superstar (and high school computer programming teacher) Gene Luen Yang comes the second volume of Secret Coders, Paths &amp;amp;amp; Portals, a wildly entertaining new series that combines logic puzzles and basic programming instruction with a page-turning mystery plot! This title has Common Core connections.

Paths & Portals

The third book in the Secret Coders series from Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes. Stately Academy is no ordinary school: it was once home to an elite institute where teachers, students, and robots worked together to unravel the mysteries of coding. Hopper, Eni, and Josh won’t rest until they’ve learned the whole story, but they aren’t the only ones interested in the school’s past. Principal Dean is hot on their trail, demanding that the coders turn over their most powerful robot. Dean may be a creep, but he’s nothing compared to the guy who’s really in charge: a green-skinned coding genius named Professor One-Zero.

Secrets & Sequences

Dr. One-Zero has added a new class to Stately Academy’s curriculum. But in Advanced Chemistry, they only teach one lesson: how to make Green Pop! While their classmates are manufacturing this dangerous soda, the Coders uncover a clue that may lead them to Hopper’s missing dad. Is it time to use Professor Bee’s most powerful weapon: the Turtle of Light? From graphic novel superstar (and former computer-programming teacher) Gene Luen Yang, comes Robots &amp;amp;amp; Repeats, the fourth volume of Secret Coders. This wildly entertaining series combines logic puzzles and basic coding instruction with a page-turning mystery plot!

Robots & Repeats

From graphic novel superstar (and former computer programming teacher) and New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang, Secret Coders: Monsters &amp;amp;amp; Modules is the sixth and final volume in a wildly entertaining series that combines logic puzzles and basic coding instruction with a page-turning mystery plot! The Coders always knew their programming skills would take them far, but they never guessed they would take them to another dimension! Or to be accurate, one dimension less–to save humanity, Hopper, Eni, and Josh must travel to Flatland, a dangerous two-dimensional world ruled by polygons. If they can return home safely with a turtle of light, they might just stand a chance in their final showdown with Dr. One-Zero!

Monsters & Modules

Cody, Queen, Luke, and M.E. are the Code Busters–clever clue hunters with a passion for puzzles. They can’t wait for their school trip to Washington, D.C., where they’ll get to visit the International Spy Museum. But it seems as if someone is spying on them–or at least leaving coded messages that even the Code Busters can’t crack. And once they arrive at the museum, they notice they’re being followed by a mysterious stranger. Then a classmate goes missing. Could the unknown spy be responsible? It’s up to the Code Busters to find out!   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, if you ever get stuck.

Hunt for the Missing Spy

The mystery deepens and the action intensifies for 12-year-old Cruz Coronado and friends in the exciting third book in the Explorer Academy series. The adventure continues for Cruz, Emmett, Sailor, and Bryndis as they continue their studies at sea and travel to exotic locations around the world. A mysterious person alerts Cruz to impending danger while he and a few trusted pals explore ancient ruins in Petra, Jordan, and search for another piece of the puzzle his mother left behind. Worst of all, now his father has gone missing, which prompts Aunt Marisol, his number one protector, to leave the ship in search of him. Who is the new professor who takes her place? How does the new technology he introduces help or hurt Cruz’s quest? Why is Nebula determined to stop Cruz before he turns 13? The clock is ticking as his first teen birthday draws near … a milestone that will change his life forever, one way or another.

The Double Helix

Mac Barnett

Mike Lowery

Mac B. and his arch-nemesis are facing off at the Video Game World Championships! But first, Mac B. needs to crack an unbreakable secret code… can he solve it in time to defeat his enemy? Find out in this kid spy adventure from New York Times bestselling author, Mac Barnett!The Queen of England calls on Mac B. once again! This time, Mac must crack a secret code that has been recovered from a double agent. A series of clues leads Mac to France, and then to Japan, where he comes face-to-face with his arch-nemesis, the KGB man… and the world headquarters of Nintendo! Is the KGB Man secretly behind all of this? And are Mac’s video game skills good enough to facedown his enemy at the Video Game World Championships?With Mike Lowery’s signature illustrations on every page, historical facts woven throughout, and of course intrigue, history, hilarity and more, catch the latest in this totally smart, wholly original, side-splittingly funny series from the wildly talented author Mac Barnett.

Mac Cracks the Code

It’s the summer of AD 79 and Flavia Gemina and her friends, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus, set sail for the Bay of Naples where they are going to stay with Flavia’s uncle near Pompeii. Once they arrive, they are soon absorbed in a quest to solve a riddle that may lead to treasure. But then tragedy strikes: Mount Vesuvius erupts and the friends must flee for their lives! Not just a mystery - this is an absolutely thrilling action adventure that brings history to life!

The Secrets of Vesuvius

Dori Hillestad Butler

Nancy Meyers

Lovable dog King and his human Kayla help their friend search for a ring in this new mystery, part of the Geisel Honor Award-winning beginning reader series.”This gentle whodunit…includes such classic genre elements as missing jewelry, suspicious characters, red herrings and a gratifying ‘aha’ moment before the restoration of order.” - The Wall Street JournalKing, Kayla, Mason, and Asia are playing in the snow. Later, Asia discovers her new gold ring is missing. What happened to it? Detective team King and Kayla are on the case!With simple, straightforward language and great verbal and visual humor, the King &amp;amp; Kayla series from Geisel Honor Award-winning team Dori Hillestad Butler and Nancy Meyers is perfect for newly independent readers transitioning from easy readers to beginning chapter books. Great for introducing mysteries and the important concepts of fact gathering, list making, clues, and analytical thinking. Also ideal for diverse book collections.Also by Dori Hillestad Butler and Nancy Meyers: King &amp;amp; Kayla and the Case of Found FredKing &amp;amp; Kayla and the Case of the Lost ToothKing &amp;amp; Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog TreatsKing &amp;amp; Kayla and the Case of the Mysterious MouseKing &amp;amp; Kayla and the Case of the Secret CodeKing &amp;amp; Kayla and the Case of the Unhappy Neighbor

King & Kayla and the Case of the Gold Ring

A trio of young superheroes try to thwart a spy in this second book in the action-packed, comics-inspired adventure series that’s Hidden Figures meets Wonder Woman! After defeating The Hisser–and discovering their power as a team–Infinity Trinity is ready for its next adventure. When Akiko, Mae, and Josie learn that a spy has been betraying secrets to the Japanese military, they join Room Twelve in San Francisco for important work with other code-cracking experts. But soon there is personal code to crack: Akiko spots her mom walking with the suspected spy through San Francisco, which had been her family’s home until Executive Order No. 9066 sent Akiko and all Japanese Americans on the West Coast into internment camps. Teaming up with brilliant members of The League of Secret Heroes–like real-life World War II code-crackers Genevieve Grotjan and Elizebeth Friedman–Akiko, Mae, and Josie search for answers as they battle the evil clown Side-Splitter, who’s bent on destroying not only the city, but the Infinity Trinity, too. As clues begin to pile up that her mother has become entangled with Side-Splitter’s sinister plot, can Akiko solve the most important puzzle of all?

Mask

An explosive revelation and a familiar face heighten the mystery for Cruz and friends in the sixth book in this adventure-packed series.  Still reeling from the life-changing discovery he found buried in the mysterious archive, Cruz Coronado grapples with an important secret as the gang heads to China in search of the second-to-last piece of the cipher. Under the watchful eye of a new adviser, life on the ship returns to almost normal…Almost. Just as things seem to be going smoothly, a familiar face shocks Cruz back into reality, and the final piece in this life-and-death scavenger hunt veers toward a dead end. Explorer Academy features: Gripping fact-based fiction plot that inspires curiosity with new technology and innovations; amazing inventions and gadgets; a cast of diverse, relatable characters; secret clues, codes, and ciphers to track down within the text; vibrant illustrations, Elements of STEAM; National Geographic explorer profiles in The Truth Behind Section.  Complete your collection with: The Nebula Secret (1)The Falcon’s Feather (2)The Double Helix (3)The Star Dunes (4)The Tiger’s Nest (5)Explorer Academy Code-Breaking AdventureExplorer Academy Ultimate Activity ChallengeExplorer Academy Field JournalExplorer Academy Future Tech

The Dragon's Blood

Geronimo Stilton

Enter the world of Geronimo Stilton, where another funny adventure is always right around the corner. Each book is a fast-paced adventure with lively art and a unique format kids 7-10 will love.Do you like art? I do! So when Thea heard that there was a secret map hidden beneath Mouse Island’s most famous painting, the Monamouse, I knew we had to get the scoop! Together we began to investigate, and soon we discovered secret clues that led us to the most fabumouse secret. And it all lay beneath the streets of New Mouse City!

The Mona Mousa Code

Peter Lerangis

Book 3 in the #1 bestselling The 39 Clues series may just be the most thrill-packed yet!ATTENTION! Amy and Dan Cahill have been located once again, this time in the company of the notoriously unreliable Alistair Oh. Could they have been foolish enough to make an alliance?Spies report that Amy and Dan seem to be tracking the life of one of the most powerful fighters the world has ever known. If this fearsome warrior was a Cahill, his secrets are sure to be well-guarded . . . and the price to uncover them just might be lethal.

The Sword Thief

Andrew Clements

Adam Stower

Time is ticking as the countdown to Ben Pratt’s school’s total demolition continues. Ben has been given a handful of clues that could help them save the school, but they are all written in maritime riddles. “After five bells sound, time to sit down.” What the heck does that mean? It’s hard to know where to begin when Ben and Jill don’t even know what they are looking for. All Lyman, the snake posing as the school janitor, needs to know, though, is that they are looking, and that could mean the end of the 30-million-dollar development deal that pays his salary. (Which, by the way, is MUCH larger than what a typical janitor makes.) As Lyman lurks in the shadows–and sometimes not in the shadows–Ben and Jill have to add another to-do to their list of things to accomplish in the next twenty-one days: (1) Figure out the clues left by past Keepers of the School groups, (2) figure out how these clues will help them save the school, and (3) stay one step ahead of Lyman. That’s the mission…which seems, at times, impossible. The second book in this riveting and mysterious six-book series is as action-packed as the first one, culminating in a faceoff between Ben, Jill, and Lyman. “After five bells sound, time to sit down” makes for a good riddle, but Ben and Jill also knows when it’s time to stand up…for Oakes School and for themselves.

Fear Itself

Patrick Carman

The highly anticipated Book Five of the #1 bestselling The 39 Clues series.A strange telegram lures fourteen-year-old Amy Cahill and her younger brother, Dan, deep into Russia and away from the only trustworthy adult they know. Signed with the initials NRR, the telegram launches a race to uncover a treasure stolen by the Nazis and the truth about the murder of the last Russian royal family. All too soon, the treasure hunt starts to smell like a Lucian trap. But the bait might just be irresistible . . . what will Amy and Dan risk to find out what really happened on the night their parents died?

The Black Circle

Margaret Peterson Haddix

The explosive finale to the #1 bestselling series!Fourteen-year-old Amy Cahill and her younger brother, Dan, have had enough. Not only do they have to find the 39 Clues first, they’re expected to reunite their backstabbing family - the same people who killed their parents. But Amy and Dan haven’t survived explosions and assassination attempts for nothing. They have a plan to finish the Clue hutn on their own terms. Too bad there’s a final, fatal secret the Madrigals haven’t told them. A secret that could cost Amy and Dan - and the world - everything . . .

Into the Gauntlet

Gordon Korman

Are you ready to save the world? The bestselling series returns with an adventure spanning 6 explosive books, 2 secret-filled card packs, and a website that places readers right in the action.Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, thought they belonged to the world’s most powerful family. They thought the hunt for 39 Clues leading to the source of that power was over. They even thought they’d won. But Amy and Dan were wrong. One by one, distress calls start coming in from around the globe. Cahills are being kidnapped by a shadowy group known only as the Vespers. Now Amy and Dan have only days to fulfill a bizarre ransom request or their captured friends will start dying. Amy and Dan don’t know what the Vespers want or how to stop them. Only one thing is clear. The Vespers are playing to win, and if they get their hands on the Clues . . . the world will be their next hostage.

The Medusa Plot

The fourth book in the CAHILLS VS. VESPERS series, the follow up to the worldwide bestseller THE 39 CLUES.After pulling some spectacular heists, Amy and Dan have become two of Interpol’s most wanted criminals. So when Vesper One orders them to steal the world’s largest diamond, they know they’re facing life in prison . . . or worse. But with the Cahill hostages still in peril, Amy and Dan have no choice but to launch a mission that leads them to an ancient city full of dangerous secrets. With a Vesper mole sabotaging the Madrigals from inside, Amy and Dan have to fulfill their enemy’s request before it’s too late. Vesper One has developed a taste for killing Cahills, and Amy and Dan aren’t going to wait to see who’s next.

Shatterproof

The Cahill family has a secret. For five hundred years, they have guarded the 39 Clues - thirty-nine ingredients in a serum that transforms whomever takes it into the most powerful person on earth. If the serum got into the wrong hands, the disaster would rock the world. So certain Cahills have always made it their mission to keep the serum safe, buried, locked away. Until now.Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, are the latest guardians of the Clues. They think they’ve done everything right, but a tiny mistake leads to catastrophe. The serum is missing and Dan and Amy have to get it back and stop who stole it . . . before it’s game over. For everyone. Confidential until October 2013!

Nowhere to Run

Liz Amini-Holmes

As a young Navajo boy, Chester Nez had to leave the reservation and attend boarding school, where he was taught that his native language and culture were useless. But Chester refused to give up his heritage. Years later, during World War II, Chester—and other Navajo men like him—was recruited by the US Marines to use the Navajo language to create an unbreakable military code. Suddenly the language he had been told to forget was needed to fight a war. This powerful picture book biography contains backmatter including a timeline and a portion of the Navajo code, and also depicts the life of an original Navajo code talker while capturing the importance of heritage.

Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code

Sarah L. Thomson

Middle school geniuses Sam, Martina, and Theo head to Glacier National Park to find the second of seven artifacts–keys that unlock a secret weapon–left by the country’s Founding Fathers. The clues lead them to look for Thomas Jefferson’s Eagle’s Quill at a Montana ranch. But dangerous Gideon Arnold, descendant of the infamous Benedict Arnold, is hot on their trail. He takes their chaperone and the ranch owners hostage until the kids deliver the quill. Can Sam, Martina, and Theo, with the help of rancher girl Abby, find Jefferson’s artifact before it’s too late? They enter the wilderness to solve riddles and escape traps that protect the quill . . . but if they find it, can they keep it away from Arnold and save everyone? In this fast-paced adventure full of action and interactive puzzles, the kids and readers must use their wits to save our nation by uncovering its greatest secrets.

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