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In this digital world, the old tradition of passing coded notes to friends at school seems to have faded away. But author Penny Warner is keeping the tradition alive with her Code Busters Club series. And in the seventh book, A Disappearance in Magicland, the characters use codes to get out of some troubling situations.
The story follows the code-busting kids as a fun first day of summer vacation doesn’t go as planned. Cody’s mom surprises the kids—and Cody’s younger sister, Tana—with a trip to Houdini-themed amusement park Magicland. The kids are all excited to explore the attractions and search for the coded handprints hidden throughout the park. But when Cody’s mom gets sick, the kids are left to fend for themselves—and instead of a fun-filled adventure, the day turns into a scramble to find a lost little girl while outrunning a mysterious man disguised as a magician.
With their code notebooks in hand, these clever eighth graders race through the park, using their arsenal of code options to solve the problems that arise along the way. Young readers will learn a little bit about Harry Houdini as they read—and they’ll also get to decode all of the kids’ secret messages using their different codes. Keys for all of these codes are featured at the back of the book, so not only can readers decode the messages for themselves, but they can also use the codes later, to write their own coded messages. Of course, this is much easier if you’ve got a printed book instead of the ebook version, which can make flipping back and forth more complicated.
The story follows the club members as their day of code-busting and amusement park fun turns into a seriously stressful situation. While Cody’s mom is stuck in the park’s infirmary, the kids find themselves stalked by a creepy guy in disguise while racing through secret tunnels beneath the park, trying to find Cody’s deaf little sister. It’s all tense and suspenseful, though it does feel a bit short—and all of the pieces come together surprisingly quickly. And while it makes for an action-packed middle-grade mystery, the story (and the characters) could have used a little more development.
For younger middle-grade readers who enjoy a little action and mystery, A Disappearance in Magicland will keep them guessing. And the codes included in the book might inspire them to explore more codes with their friends.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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