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CHESTER KEENE CRACKS THE CODE

Kekla Magoon

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.

Chester Keene takes great comfort in his routines. Afterschool Monday to Thursday is bowling, and Friday, the best of days, is laser tag! But besides Friday laser tag, 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 at lunch, Chester's classmate, Skye, approaches him with a clue. They've been tasked with a complex puzzle-solving mission. Chester takes their assignments very seriously, but Skye treats it like a big game. Skye proves to be a useful partner and good company, even if her haphazard, free-wheeling ways are disruptive to Chester's carefully curated 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.
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Published 2022-07-01 by Wendy Lamb Books

Comments

Nominated for 2023 Edgar Allen Poe Best Juvenile novel. Read more...

Engrossing and heartwarming; explores belonging, love, and forgiveness in families and friendships. -- Kirkus Reviews

CHESTER KEENE CRACKS THE CODE delivers a truly fresh mystery - along with a heist, some heartbreak, some unforgettable characters and plenty of laser tag. --The New York Times Read more...

Chester Keene Cracks the Code is a heartwarming puzzle mystery whose narrator has multiple codes to crack: the code of the riddle messages, the code of friendship, the code of handling a bully and the code of family. --BookPage

Magoon makes space for and celebrates the sensitive and solitary middle-grade readers who are happiest flying under the radar. -- Shelf Awareness

For fans of scavenger hunts, puzzles, and stories of building new family. -- Booklist

Magoon creates memorable characters and a wacky adventure that toes the line between playful fantasy and ¬deep-rooted emotional journey. -- School Library Journal