Chester Keene Cracks the Code
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. After school Monday to Thursday is bowling, and Friday, the best of days, is laser tag! But most special of all is when Chester gets secret spy messages from his dad, who is always 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 might lead to a discovery Chester never saw coming.
Chester Keene takes great comfort in his routines. After school Monday to Thursday is bowling, and Friday, the best of days, is laser tag! But most special of all is when Chester gets secret spy messages from his dad, who is always 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 might lead to a discovery Chester never saw coming.
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Community Reviews
A cute middle grade book with puzzles to solve and lots of fun. The audiobook is great too!
Quick summary: Chester Keene likes routines and things to be a specific way. He hopes to be a spy later in life like his father. Afterschool he goes to the bowling alley, where he does his homework and then bowls, except for Friday which is laser tag day! One day though, he finds a secret spy message from his dad, who must be on some secret covert assignment. The next day at school, a classmate, Skye, approaches him with another clue...they have to work together to solve the clues his father has left for them. Even though the partnership starts off a bit rocky, they start to work really well together and they think they have figured out what the clues are telling them to do. But is the situation exactly as it seems?
I absolutely loved the clue solving aspect of this book. It was kind of cool to like solve the clues with Chester and Skye. However, this book touches on many more sensitive topics than you would think at first glance. In this book, Chester learns much more about his absent father and learns a lot about friendship, family, and forgiveness. Chester is so focused on these clues and so convinced that his dad is behind them that he is neglecting his mother. There are definitely some things that are important to be telling her but he doesn't want to upset her.
Unfortunately, Chester's mother is hiding a bit from him as well. They way she goes about trying to give him more information through the clues and adventure is pretty cool though. This book also shows that sometimes parents make mistakes. Often times they have good intentions and just don't know how to communicate or connect with their child so they try something else. I would say Chester's mom took a big risk in this book but it ultimately paid off.
Overall, I felt like this was a super cute mystery with some great storylines dealing with family and friendships!
Quotes:
- You have to know everything, see everything. Observation, conclusion. When you make an observation and can’t make a conclusion, and you’re left with more questions, you have to keep observing. Information is power. A small detail can tell an entire story - pg. 7
- Skye sings along to the music. I don’t know how she does it. There are still problems to solve, dads to save, homework to do, things to clean and things to worry about. And instead, somehow, we’re living in the moment. For a few minutes, we are magic - pg. 112
- He was nervous about introducing you to Skye. You’re very different people and he knows that you can be shy about making new friends, but solving puzzles is one thing you and Skye both have in common. He thought it would be fun for you to be able to meet each other without the awkwardness of parents looking over your shoulder - pg. 172
- Do we? I don’t know anymore. Nothing is what it once seemed to be. I don’t have a dad. My mom has been lying to me forever. My one true friend - or at least my one prospect - was set up to spend time with me. It wasn’t even her choice. No one chooses me - pg. 237
- Skye is right. The letters tell the story. And it’s not a story about how Dad really left us. It’s a story about how much Mom loves me. How huge and wonderful a person she is, and how she tried to give me everything, even the impossible - pg. 270
Quick summary: Chester Keene likes routines and things to be a specific way. He hopes to be a spy later in life like his father. Afterschool he goes to the bowling alley, where he does his homework and then bowls, except for Friday which is laser tag day! One day though, he finds a secret spy message from his dad, who must be on some secret covert assignment. The next day at school, a classmate, Skye, approaches him with another clue...they have to work together to solve the clues his father has left for them. Even though the partnership starts off a bit rocky, they start to work really well together and they think they have figured out what the clues are telling them to do. But is the situation exactly as it seems?
I absolutely loved the clue solving aspect of this book. It was kind of cool to like solve the clues with Chester and Skye. However, this book touches on many more sensitive topics than you would think at first glance. In this book, Chester learns much more about his absent father and learns a lot about friendship, family, and forgiveness. Chester is so focused on these clues and so convinced that his dad is behind them that he is neglecting his mother. There are definitely some things that are important to be telling her but he doesn't want to upset her.
Unfortunately, Chester's mother is hiding a bit from him as well. They way she goes about trying to give him more information through the clues and adventure is pretty cool though. This book also shows that sometimes parents make mistakes. Often times they have good intentions and just don't know how to communicate or connect with their child so they try something else. I would say Chester's mom took a big risk in this book but it ultimately paid off.
Overall, I felt like this was a super cute mystery with some great storylines dealing with family and friendships!
Quotes:
- You have to know everything, see everything. Observation, conclusion. When you make an observation and can’t make a conclusion, and you’re left with more questions, you have to keep observing. Information is power. A small detail can tell an entire story - pg. 7
- Skye sings along to the music. I don’t know how she does it. There are still problems to solve, dads to save, homework to do, things to clean and things to worry about. And instead, somehow, we’re living in the moment. For a few minutes, we are magic - pg. 112
- He was nervous about introducing you to Skye. You’re very different people and he knows that you can be shy about making new friends, but solving puzzles is one thing you and Skye both have in common. He thought it would be fun for you to be able to meet each other without the awkwardness of parents looking over your shoulder - pg. 172
- Do we? I don’t know anymore. Nothing is what it once seemed to be. I don’t have a dad. My mom has been lying to me forever. My one true friend - or at least my one prospect - was set up to spend time with me. It wasn’t even her choice. No one chooses me - pg. 237
- Skye is right. The letters tell the story. And it’s not a story about how Dad really left us. It’s a story about how much Mom loves me. How huge and wonderful a person she is, and how she tried to give me everything, even the impossible - pg. 270
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