LitPick Review
The Secret of the Puzzle Box is written from the view of Cody, a middle school girl. She and her friends love codes, and so do their teachers. Cody's teacher gives her class a worksheet that tells them where their next field trip will be. It turns out to be Angel Island, “The Ellis Island of the West.” They ride a ferry there and on the ship see that a Morse Code message flashes from the lighthouse! When they get there, they split up into groups for a scavenger hunt, and all the Code Busters are in one group. A tram takes them everywhere, and the driver seems very suspicious. He watches the Code Busters very closely. Why is he watching their every move? And what's more, why was there a Morse Code signal from the lighthouse to the ferry? Read the book to find out!
Opinion:
The Secret of the Puzzle Box was a very interesting book. I liked how Mrs. Warner used the actual codes in the book when the characters did. Until I realized it was decoded on yet another page, I deciphered the code myself, so it was a bit slow at the parts I deciphered, which did deter me a bit as I am always anxious to continue reading. I really liked the idea though! My favorite part was when they venture out of the camp assigned to them on the field trip as that was when the adventure began! I would recommend this book to any kids my age (10) or even younger, as it is adventurous but not too intense.
