Tween
Crack the Code! 9 Books About Puzzles and Codes for 9- to 12-Year-Olds
by Dena McMurdie
My 11-year-old daughter loves puzzles, ciphers, secret messages, and mysteries. She even took an online class through Duke University to learn more about codes and ciphers throughout history. The best part was that our entire family got sucked into the class. We spent every afternoon pouring over coded messages and using various ciphers to crack them. It was a blast.
Of course, my daughter also wants to read every book written on the subject — fiction and nonfiction alike. She devours them with an enthusiasm usually reserved for eating chocolate cake.
Filled with secret codes and tantalizing mysteries, these nine books will keep your child glued to the page.
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Mr. Lemoncello's Library Series
Puzzles, clues, and adventure await readers in this funny and imaginative series. A favorite amongst young readers, kids can't help obsessing over Mr. Lemoncello's incredible library and mind-boggling challenges.
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The Jigsaw Jungle
Desperate to figure out why her dad left, Claudia starts collecting emails, documents, text messages, and phone transcripts into a scrapbook. When she receives an actual puzzle piece with a mysterious message, Claudia and her grandfather start hunting for clues to her father's past.
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Mightier Than the Sword
Readers can write and draw themselves into this goofy fantasy story, making it as unique as they are. With puzzles to solve and a prince to save, kids will take their reading experience to the next level with this highly interactive book.
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Samantha Spinner Series
When Samantha's beloved uncle disappears, he leaves her a rusty red umbrella and a cryptic message, which she soon discovers is her ticket to adventure. Kids who love collecting clues and decoding secret messages won't be able to get enough of this exhilarating series. (Check out book two in the series, Samantha Spinner and Spectacular Specs, out now!)
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Story Pirates: Digging Up Danger
The first half of this book is a spooky mystery novel about a ghost-hunting girl and a weird plant that goes missing from a shop. In the second half, readers learn how to create their own mystery using the step-by-step writing guide.
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The Westing Game
Who says you can't have a little fun after you're dead? Eccentric millionaire Samuel Westing leaves behind a will that sends 16 people on a wild-goose chase for puzzle pieces to his vast fortune in this Rat Race-style story.
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Sammy Keyes Series
Join Sammy Keyes as she solves mysteries involving pranksters, crooks, thieves, and poachers. With 18 books in this extra-long series, there’s no shortage of thrilling detective work to keep your young reader entertained.
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Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing
If your child enjoys the other books on this list, they'll love this interactive journey through the history of codes, ciphers, and secret messages. There’s a good chance they’ll be itching to create their own — find out how with our step-by-step guide!
