Bertman, Jennifer Chandliss. The Unbreakable Code (The Book Scavenger)

Bertman, Jennifer Chandliss.  The Unbreakable Code (The Book Scavenger) Macmillan/Henry Holt    2017  353p  $16.99  Hardback  ISBN 978-1-62779-116-8  ms/jr  Fantasy  VG-BN  

In this sequel to The Book Scavenger, Emily, James, and Emily's brother are at loose ends after getting an award for finding the hidden Mark Twain manuscript. Many Book Scavengers (including their teacher, Mr. Quisling) were at their awards party. Mr. Quisling, however, was acting very mysterious. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as Emily, her brother, and James try to figure out if he is looking for the same Tom Sawyer as they are. They take up the quest to find out what he was hiding. It seems everyone as well as Mr. Griswold is hunting lost mysterious puzzles.
   

Our young sleuths have been challenged. They must tail, confer, and solve many cyphers before they can figure out the mysterious puzzle.  It is a well-written book that would make an excellent addition to any middle-school library.

Summary: This a sequel to Book Scavenger. Emily, James, and Emily's brother are off again on a new mysterious quest to find the lost puzzle.

Mark Twain novels-Fiction                                   --Linda McNeil   

Bertman, Jennifer Chamblis. Book Scavenger.

Bertman, Jennifer Chamblis.  Book Scavenger.  Macmillan/Henry Holt      2015  354p  $16.99  ISBN 978-1-62779-115-1      ms/jr  Fantasy  VG-BN  

Reading and books are important to many people for many reasons, and Emily finds that they help her make a transition to new cities and new friends. Her life is a suitcase full of books that she loves. Her parents both have jobs that can be performed online so they have embarked on their goal of living in all fifty states before they turn fifty. Their latest city is San Francisco.

This time Emily is enthusiastic because it is the city where her favorite author lives. Garrison Griswald is supposedly working on a new idea for an online scavenger hunt for clues that will end in a special prize. Emily and her new friend James find a book in a train station that is also being hunted by some less honorable folks. This starts the intrigue and tests the ability of Emily and James to solve puzzles and ciphers.  The plot is straightforward, which allows the beauty of the characters to shine through, and it includes enough tension, intrigue, and mystery to keep youngsters reading. It is a well-written book that would make an excellent addition to any middle-school or high-school collection, and it is recommended for Books of Note.

Summary: This is the story of a middle-school student who uses books and reading to help her adapt when her parents move from state to state.  Emily is a fan of Garrison Griswald, creator of an online book scavenger-hunt game.  Readers will find that this book is “where life is a game and books are the tokens.”           

Books and reading-Fiction                                         --Linda McNeil