The Secret of the Puzzle Box (The Code Busters Club) Hardcover – Illustrated, August 1, 2016

My daughters love this series and we're especially pleased that Penny Warner traveled all the way to Japan to research this new book. Funny, clever, and charming, the kid sleuths are totally relatable and the mysteries fun for my kids to solve. The best part are all the codes to solve as you work through the book!

Best series we have ever read with our boys

Title: The Secret of the Puzzle Box - Code Busters Club Book 6Author: Penny WarnerPublished: 9-1-2016Publisher: Lerner Publishing Company/Darby CreekPages: 192Genre: Mystery & ThrillersSub Genre: Children's Fiction; Detectives, Amateur SleuthsISBN: 13-9781512403077ASIN: B01IPSEB1WReviewer: DelAnneReviewed For: NetGalleyRating: 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.

Ms. Stadelhofer’s 6th grade class at Berkeley Cooperative Middle School was planning yet another field trip. The Code Busters had a chance to solve not one, but two mysteries, and would be sharpening up their code busting skills for the next trip. “Shore, scavenge, snap ...” Those three words were clues to the location of their trip, but what could they mean? The Japanese haiku Ms. Stad had given them was a tricky one, but MariaElena—M.E.—Esperanto was hoping it would be something cool like Hawaii. The other Code Busters, Quinn Kee, Luke LaVeau, and Dakota—Cody—Jone, and Mika were avid puzzlers and if they solved a simple crossword puzzle, they’d know the location.Well, it wasn’t quite as simple as that because “each question was written in alphanumeric code” and the circled letters left them an anagram to solve. It was a tricky one, but as code busters, they were up to it. It wasn’t long before M.E. knew they were going to Isla de los angeles, otherwise know as Angel Island. Ms. Stad explained that they were going there to “find out more about our heritage.” There would be a bit more than just heritage to explore because there would be a couple of mysteries to solve. The Code Busters didn’t know it, but one of them involved Mika, whose very ancestors had been residents of the island.Angel Island Immigration station was the equivalent of Ellis Island, only on the West Coast. Many of the Chinese had inscribed poems on the walls and elsewhere on the island, poems that had “hidden messages in them.” Mika’s great-grandfather, Hiraku Takeda, had been a poet. His penname was “Senjin,” a name they’d be looking for on the island. The Code Busters would be looking for a Koyosegi puzzle box, a box that Senjin used to send his wife secret messages in. The search would be on as soon as they set foot in the immigration station detention center.The entire class would be going on a scavenger hunt, a hunt that involved solving puzzles of all sorts. “Once you’ve solved the message,” Ms. Stad explained, “take a picture of the item.” There would be no puzzles to solve when they search for the Koyosegi, so the Code Busters would have to be especially sharp. There was a mysterious lurker who kept popping up now and then, but just who could it be? Their ultra-unpleasant tram driver, Delbert Schnikey was a pain and so was Matt the Brat, but it wasn’t either one of them. They’d find out soon enough when the Code Busters found themselves trapped ... underground!The Code Busters Club is a series that will appeal to a wide variety of young readers. This is not your average, straightforward mystery series, but rather one filled with secret (and not so secret) codes that move the story line along. Any youngster can opt to pass by the codes and read the tale without them, but it’s infinitely more fun to figure them out. Each chapter heading is spelled out with visible finger spelling, a great start to the mini-mysteries within. The Code Busters, as well as the reader, have to figure out the code before moving on. In the back of the book is a Key Book & Solutions. The keys can easily be replicated for easier solving. There’s a Code Buster’s Club website for even more fun as well as suggestions for classroom teachers.CODES:Alphanumeric CodeInternational Flag CodSemaphore CodePigpen Code (two versions)American Indian SymbolsPhonetic AlphabetFinger SpellingGrid AlphabetTHE CODED BUSTERS CLUB:#1  The Secret of the Skeleton Key #2  The Haunted Lighthouse #3  The Mystery of the Pirate’s Treasure #4  The Mummy’s Curse #5  The Hunt for the Missing Spy #6  The Secret of the Puzzle Box This book courtesy of the publisher.

My 11-year-old daughter is very enthusiastic about the entire series and read this book in less than a day. This is what she has to say about the book:I've read the entire series and loved them all, but this book is my favorite Code Busters. I like that the Code Busters solve a mystery that is 100 years old! The settings are real places, like Angel Island. Even though I haven't been there, I feel I know the place. The map is also cool and helpful. I especially like the characters. They seem like real people. It's fun to get to know Mika and get to know her history. You can see the characters develop drastically throughout the series, especially Matt the Brat. Matt changes from being the class bully to being nice to the Code Busters. He even thanks them, while during the last book he almost ruined everything for everyone.

My friend is an elementary school teacher who is always on the lookout for books kids love to read. As a surprise, I donated the entire Code Busters Series (all 6 books) to the library of books for his 5th grade class, because I enjoy reading these books to my niece. He tells me this series and this latest book in particular, "The Secret of the Puzzle Box," is the current top favorite of all the kids, boys and girls alike. Their favorite part is solving all the puzzles, and learning how to break the codes, so that they can be used for secret communications among their friends. But I think it's the authenticity of each story and the way each mystery unfolds that resonates with the kids and helps each one grapple with the complicated issues children have to confront each day. In my opinion, that is what has really struck a chord in each of their hearts. I think they'll be reading these Code Busters' books to their own children some day.