Treasure hunt (Game) -- Juvenile fiction. |
Schools -- Juvenile fiction |
Single-parent families -- Juvenile fiction |
Spy fiction. |
School fiction. |
Scavenger hunt (Game) |
Available:
Library | Shelf Number | Shelf Location | Status |
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Searching... Norton Public Library | J MAG | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Carver Public Library | J FIC MAG | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Dighton Public Library | J MAG | 1:JTOWNHALL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Fall River Main | JFIC MAG | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Lakeville Public Library | J FIC MAG | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Mansfield Public Library | J FIC MAGOON | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Mattapoisett Free Public Library | J MAG | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Norfolk Public Library | JF MAGO | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Palmer River School | FIC MAG | Stacks | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Plainville Public Library | J MAG | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Raynham Library | JFICTION MAG | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Seekonk Public Library | JFIC MAGOON | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Somerset Public Library | Y MAGOON KEKLA | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Swansea Public Library | J MAGOON, K | CHILDREN FICTION | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Taunton Public Library | J FIC MAGOON | CHILDRENS ROOM | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Cracking the code isn't all it's cracked up to be in this scavenger hunt adventure from a Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author.
"Delivers a truly fresh mystery -- along with a heist, some heartbreak, some unforgettable characters and plenty of laser tag." -- The New York Times Book Review
Chester Keene takes great comfort in his routines. Afterschool Monday to Thursday is bowling, and Friday, the best of days, is laser tag! But Chester has one other very special thing--he gets secret spy messages from his dad, who must be on covert government assignments, which is why Chester has never met him.
Then one day, Chester's classmate, Skye, approaches him with a clue. They've been tasked with a complex puzzle-solving mission. Skye proves to be a useful partner and good company, even if her free-wheeling ways are disruptive to Chester's carefully built schedule.
As Chester and Skye get closer to their final clue, they discover the key to their spy assignment: they have to stop a heist! But cracking this code may mean finding out things are not always what they seem.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--7--Luke Cage actor Elijah Boothe makes his audiobook debut as biracial 11-year-old Chester Keene, a spy-in-training readying himself to someday assist his secret agent father, whom he's never met. Despite Dad's absence, Chester still gets occasional emails, packages, and clues. The latest missive--certainly Dad-initiated--sends Chester on a complicated scavenger hunt, but this time, he's inexplicably paired with his classmate Skye (who is also biracial--white and Japanese American). As different as the two are, their work together gets results, although the answers may not be what Chester predicted--or wanted. Boothe's range is impressively dynamic, easily distinguishing the two sleuths, Chester's worried mom, Skye's easygoing dad, the gruff mall security guard, and would-be thieves. VERDICT Magoon's broad topics--bullying, friendship, absent parents, blended families--should encourage wide audiences; libraries might provide audio for their most reluctant readers.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Magoon (The Season of Styx Malone) skillfully blends family, friendship, and forgiveness in this endearing adventure starring spy-in-training Chester Keene. Eleven-year-old biracial (Black and white) Chester lives alone with his mother, having never met his father. Nevertheless, Chester credits his dad--whom he believes to be a covert agent, and who mails him spy books and offers advice, such as how to navigate bullies, through email exchanges--for his own inclination toward spy work. After a mysterious envelope containing an unfinished riddle, seemingly from his dad, appears on his doorstep, Chester becomes embroiled in a puzzle-laden scavenger hunt with an important prize at the end. Joined by Japanese American and white classmate Skye, who inexplicably has the missing puzzle pieces, the two search across town for the remaining clues. But as they encounter nefarious locals, the duo fear that their once lighthearted hunt has higher stakes than they initially thought. Skye's chaotic puzzle-solving skills complement Chester's meticulousness, and their joy in code-cracking is palpable. Astutely conceived riddles and Chester's lively first-person narration deliver an action-packed mystery that highlights trusting in the bonds of friends and family, and encourages having patience with loved ones. Ages 8--12. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown Ltd. (July)
Horn Book Review
Twelve-year-old Chester Keene is perfectly content to adhere to his regular routines, making sure he doesn't worry his mother with his daily struggles (including an increasingly aggressive bully) and making careful observations of others around him -- without any personal interactions. He does so to impress his father, whom he hasn't seen in years because he's been away on "spy missions" (based on the latest birthday gifts Chester's received). Only accessible by intermittent emails, Chester's dad gives him advice about bullies, school, and life in general. When Chester receives a cryptic note at his front door, he's certain his father is in danger and needs help with a perilous assignment. He immediately jumps into action...only to discover that the mission requires a partner. Carefree, haphazard Skye is the complete opposite of Chester, but, as he has to admit, they work well together as they solve increasingly tricky riddles. When the mission turns dangerous and Dad goes incommunicado, Chester is forced to rely on his powers of observation even further -- and what he discovers changes everything. Chester's attempts to make sense of the world around him are equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, since he is fully aware of his social awkwardness and rigid idiosyncrasies. Taking great care with issues related to blended families and bullying, Magoon (The Season of Styx Malone, rev. 9/18) gives readers another emotional and satisfying read. Eboni Njoku July/August 2022 p.192(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A careful sixth grader who appreciates predictability connects with a new friend who takes the opposite approach to life as the two work together on a scavenger hunt that ends up being about more than just solving clues. As 11-year-old Chester Keene waits on an email reply from his absent father, who he is sure is away on secret spy business, he keeps to himself and his meticulous routines. He hones his skills as a spy-in-training while trying to manage the provocations of a bully, prevent his mother from worrying about him, and prepare for what he longs for most: his father's return and his need for Chester's assistance with an important mission. When a mystery envelope containing pieces of an unsolved puzzle arrives at his doorstep, surely left by his father, Chester springs into action. He is soon offered help by Skye, a schoolmate who turns out to hold missing pieces of the puzzle. As they work together to solve it, they uncover more than they ever bargained for while discovering that they have more in common than they initially realized. Strong characterization--especially of the relationship between Chester and his mother--and a multilayered plot provide overall excitement and interest, although the pace drags in some places. Chester is biracial: His mother is White, and his father is Black; Skye is also biracial, with a Japanese American mother and White father. Engrossing and heartwarming; explores belonging, love, and forgiveness in families and friendships. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Chester is quiet. Methodical. A bit of a loner. He's also a spy-in-training, just like his father, whom he's never met--and who must be a spy, since he only contacts Chester occasionally with a super-secret message. Then his classmate Skye approaches with a set of scavenger hunt clues that complement the ones Chester just received from his dad. Skye is his exact opposite, yet as they bond over their love of puzzles, having separated parents, and the experience of being biracial (Chester's parents are Black and white, while Skye's are white and Japanese American), Chester realizes that they make a great team. Magoon's portrayal of a bullied boy who doesn't understand how to sort through or communicate his feelings is touching and at times frustratingly realistic. Watching him push his mother away as he navigates the complexities of adolescence while yearning for his father's advice is heartbreaking; you can't help but wish for his happiness while also bracing yourself for the life lessons he learns. For fans of scavenger hunts, puzzles, and stories of building new family.