2017
WISE Score
Amazon
A literary escape room in book form that makes being a 'book nerd' look like a high-stakes spy mission.
4.8
4.8View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
This is the opposite of brain rot. Jennifer Chambliss Bertman has written a book that actually rewards kids for paying attention and thinking critically.
It’s fast, it’s smart, and it’s one of those rare middle-grade novels that doesn't rely on fart jokes or school drama to keep a kid's interest. If you have a kid who likes puzzles or feels like they don't 'fit in,' this series is a must-buy.
Perfect for 9 to 12-year-olds. It hits that sweet spot where the mystery is complex enough to be engaging but the 'scary' parts are totally manageable for a 4th grader.
The core of the story is a rock-solid friendship between Emily and James. It treats intellectual curiosity as a superpower and models how to handle disagreements without being toxic or dramatic.
It turns the real world into a giant puzzle. The 'Book Scavenger' concept—hiding books with ciphers for others to find—is the kind of thing that makes kids want to put down the screen and start their own real-life game.
Very safe for the middle-grade set. There’s some tension involving an arsonist and a few 'stranger danger' moments common to mysteries, but nothing graphic or traumatizing.
It's basically a stealth education in cryptography and San Francisco history. Kids learn about Mark Twain and actual ciphers while following a fast-paced plot.
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