The Secret of the Skeleton Key (The Code Busters Club, #1) by Penny Warner

The Secret of the Skeleton Key (The Code Busters Club, #1) Reviews

• 
  Mark Baker

  Cody and her friends love everything about codes and have formed their own club to learn how to use them. When Cody and Quinn observe strangers in the house of the neighbor recluse, they are curious. Then his house catches fire and they find a code. Where will it lead?
  
  It leads to a book kids will love. The mystery is strong, and the codes help propel the story forward. There’s a code in almost every chapter the reader is invited to solve (the solution is at the back of the book). At the end, there is more information on codes that kids can use after they’ve finished reading the story. The characters are a little thin, but that’s something only adults will care about. The target middle grade audience will love this book.
  
  Read my full review at
  Carstairs Considers.
• 
  Dolly

  The first book in the series.
• 
  Robyn

  Montana Library 2Go | For reluctant readers; not great. | Non-readers will probably enjoy the puzzles, and the text is in no way challenging for them. It just wasn't very good, and I found some of the errors irritating. Very few people in the region--and basically no kids--call it Berzerkeley anymore. If an attempt to use local lingo like that is going to be made, why refer to "UC Berkeley"? Locals would call it Cal or the University. A family with a deaf child would not be finger spelling everything. I can stretch acceptability to say that Cody might have taught it to her friends to get them started, but between family members they'd use proper ASL. Otherwise Tana would never get to communicate, because it would take so long to say everything. Witness the fact that Cody woke her sister up by finger spelling that there was a fire, then went outside and had conversations that nobody bothered to include Tana in. The hospital and police workers acted in a way completely separate from reality. It sounds like nitpicking, but there's so much of it that it can't be overlooked.
• 
  H

  I tried it out for 20 ish pages before dropping. I wanted a puzzle mystery like Winston Breen, but these are mostly basic 1 to 1 translation puzzles like sign language, from what I've seen/read, where the reader just checks the sign language chart to decrypt and read the secret message. I dont care for that kind of "secret" puzzle, and things like Dakota/Cody (btw I found it super confusing since Cody is a boy's name but the character was a girl) talking constantly about "Before the divorce" and "After the divorce" felt like too much "tell", not enough "show", and felt too in-your-face when I was reading it. Overall, I think its a weak children's mystery and prefer other works I think.
• 
  Lorenzo

  Il pregio del romanzo è quello di essere infarcito di indovinelli e di codici. L’intento dell’autrice è quello di coinvolgere il lettore offrendo gli strumenti per poter risolvere gli enigmi. Alla fine del libro c’è un’appendice con i Codici e le Soluzioni per cui, se proprio uno non riesce a venirne a capo, può sempre dare una sbirciatina alle ultime pagine per trovare la soluzione e andare avanti con la lettura.
  
  È un libro didattico che potrebbe essere proposto nelle scuole per l’insegnamento dei codici. Tra l’altro, la storia ha il pregio di essere divertente e appassionante, per cui sono sicuro che gli studenti svolgerebbero gli esercizi con più entusiasmo.
  
  Le avventure dei giovani Code Bosters spronano il lettore a dare sempre il massimo, a non arrendersi di fronte al primo ostacolo che si incontra per strada ma a cercare di superarlo usando l’ingegno.
• 
  Katelyn Patterson

  3.5 really. This title gets points for putting a lot of codes into the text. For instance, each chapter title was in American Sign Language font and there are several codes to solve along with the characters. An appendix in the back had decoders for several popular ciphers such as Morse, consonant code, and semaphore.
  
  Problems I had are... calling American Sign Language a code. I recall reading somewhere that those that rely on ASL to communicate don't appreciate it being called a code. I also didn't care for the story that much. Matt the Brat was just a brat without any glimpse into his situation. This is the first in a series so perhaps that will be introduced eventually.
• 
  Melanie Wood

  The title is intriguing. The idea of reading codes and solving mysteries is fun. The book is full of codes and teaches you how to read, write and listen for codes while telling a story. My son was hooked. I was a little apprehensive reading code after code and found myself skipping chapter titles and flipping to the back of the book to get the answers. In all the book was good and I recommend the series of 6 books.
• 
  K Grant

  I liked the variety of "codes". The story was intriguing. The characters not so much. Three main character kept repeating future possible punishments, the problem solving inconsistent and non main characters were lacking in depth. I'll read the next one because i like the code breakers idea and I'm hoping the writing style becomes better.
• 
  Brenda

  It took me a long time to bring this to the top of my TBR pile. I'm glad it came to the top now while I have interested mystery readers in my classroom. They'll enjoy it -I'm glad there are several others in the series for them to read right away too.
• 
  Tara Ethridge

  Fun book about a group of kids who have a codebreakers club and come upon a mystery to solve when an elderly neighbor goes missing and then his house burns down. The codes and answer key in the book were great additions, and the story is a solid mystery.
• 
  Katie

  Fun kid sleuth puzzle book
• 
  Steve Center

  The story was okay but the codes were really fun. Will be intersecting to see if they develop as the series progresses.
• 
  Mia

  This is a big no when reading to the kids. It goes nowhere, with repeated and unnecessary descriptions of everything. Drove me nuts trying to read to my kiddos. Won't be continuing the series.
• 
  Laura

  My children loved it and were very engaged in the mystery.
• 
  Dawn Teresa

  Originally posted on my blog,
  ReadLove.
  
  Have you ever wanted to be part of a secret club with secret passwords, code names, and your own hideout? Then you’ll feel right at home with Dakota “Cody” Jones and the rest of the Code Busters Club! Cody’s the new girl in town, having recently moved when her parents divorced. She’s still dealing with the big DIVORCE, so it helped when she found a coded invitation from Quinn, the club’s founder. Alongside Quinn and the other Code Busters, Luke and M.E., Cody exchanges secret coded messages and cracks codes and puzzles for fun. They’re all in the sixth grade, and Cody likes school, but she’d never admit to it! One night Quinn and Cody notice some strange happenings at a neighbor’s house. The next morning they awaken to find the neighbor’s house on fire, and suddenly their code busting is put to the test, and the stakes are higher than any game. This could mean the difference between life and death!
  
  From the moment you crack the cover of The Secret of the Skeleton Key, it is clear you’re wading in different waters. You’ll feel you’ve been granted special access as you are greeted with the club rules and club dossiers that disclose the identities of all four members, as well as their code names, descriptions, special skills, and other privileged information. And once you reach the table of contents, it’s clear your active participation will not only be encouraged but required! Each chapter title, both in the table of contents and at each chapter heading, is encoded in pictorial American Sign Language finger spellings. So you’ll immediately be flipping to the indexed key at the back of the book and learning finger spelling on the fly in order to figure out what the first chapter will be all about. And trust me, it’s a challenge! But I can also say that by book’s end, you won’t need to reference the key to figure out which letter each pictogram represents. Instead, you’ll be reading the chapter headings like a pro — nearly instantly decoding them and diving into the text to uncover the next piece of the puzzle! Have a sheet of paper and a pencil handy! And you’ll want two bookmarks — one to mark your place in the story, and a second to track your progress with the keys and solutions. Yes, the answers are in the back, but you’ll have so much more fun if you work out the answers first and check the back only to verify whether you got them right!
  
  While there are a lot of mystery/adventure books on the shelves right now, the Code Busters Club books are much more interactive than the others. From American Sign Language finger spellings to Morse Code, Caesar’s cipher, semaphore, and even braille, these are puzzles and codes kids CAN and WILL want to crack. Readers will be actively uncovering the clues with the fictional foursome, solving the puzzles with them each step of the way. And that’s half the fun! It’s more thrilling than a Choose Your Own Adventure style story, and definitely less frustrating because there won’t be any dead ends.
  
  Without getting into spoilers, let me tell you a bit of what the book’s about. When Cody and Quinn witness a coded message on the neighbor’s door, the Code Busters Club becomes embroiled in a dangerous and potentially deadly mystery. And it will take all of their collective skills to crack the case! In so doing, they learn more about their neighbor and regret having referred to him Mr. Skelton as “the Skeleton Man”. Adults and older readers may recall Boo Radley (To Kill a Mockingbird) when the kids’ new knowledge of their mysterious neighbor reveals a man who is decidedly less strange and threatening than they had previously assumed. So there’s a lesson waiting in between these pages. But, more than anything, there is a whole lot of challenging F-U-N! And I’m convinced that every kid who reads this series will be inspired to start his or her own secret club. As well as a feeling of accomplishment, readers will walk away equipped with a new set of skills and tools that they’ll find useful, if only to exchange information in a secret or stealthy way, be it passing notes at school or driving their little brothers or sisters mad!
  
  Verdict: 4 of 5 Hearts. The Start of a Uniquely Appealing Interactive Middle Grade Mystery Series. Opening The Secret of the Skeleton Key felt a bit like discovering a hidden, precious gem. Though, since this first book and the third installment were nominated for the Agatha Award, and the second casebook won that honor, I’m clueless as to why The Code Busters Club series isn’t more widely known.
  
  
  *Disclosure of Material Connection: I would like to thank Egmont USA for providing me a copy of this title. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
• 
  Maria Antonia

  I think the fun about this book has to do with all the different codes. Seriously, there's a different type of code for each message, including sign language. My favourite, I think, is the semaphore code. And the book doesn't give away the solution to each code so YOU get to solve it as it comes.
  
  For me, as an adult, I didn't find the story to be super engaging. But kids will probably like it. This would be a perfect book for kids who enjoy solving puzzles and codes. [3 stars]
• 
  Jessica

  Code Busters Club, The, Case 1 What a fun read! Do you love solving puzzles? Are you a fan of mystery? If so, this is the perfect series for you! The Secret of the Skeleton was a blast to read from beginning to end, and I'm not even the target audience.
   
  Mr. Skelton, the "Skeleton Man" has a secret to hide, and the Code Busters club are going to uncover it.Cody, Quinn, Luke and M.E. bonded over the love of puzzles and codes. For Cody, whose whole life was turned upside down when her parents split up, the Code Busters Club is her favorite place in the world. Complete with a secret hideout, this is a club I'd love to be a part as well!
   
  I definitely see young readers falling in love with these characters. From the fashionista, to the extreme sports lover, there is a personality for every reader to latch onto. These kids are fun, smart, and really brave too.The absolute best part, and I'm sure you will agree, was the codes and puzzles to solve! From semaphores, to Morse code, each chapter brings something new to the table. Are you a little lost? Never fear! The keys and answers are in the back waiting for you. I guarantee you'll be having so much fun solving them you won't want to look though. I had too much pride, I admit it!
   
  Every chapter title is in sign language. By the time I reached the end I started to recognize a lot of the signals for letters. How cool is that?As you can see, this is a read that I really loved! The mystery here was fabulously laid out, with clues all along the way. Even as an older reader I found myself wanting to find out what happens next. I'm happy to state that there are more books in the series and, truth be told, I'll be there to read them! I can't wait to open up book two and dive in!
• 
  Scheggia

  4.5 per Il segreto del vecchio scheletro (The Code Busters club 1)
  
  Recensione completa su
  Scheggia tra le pagine
  
  Scrivere libri per ragazzi è più difficile di quanto sembri, soprattutto quando si punta a una storia che contenga elementi di apprendimento senza dover annoiare il lettore.
  
  I bambini rischiano spesso di annoiarsi, soprattutto quando vedono nella lettura un’attività priva di iniziativa, un obbligo, che sia da parte della scuola o dei genitori, soprattutto quando viene proposta come una continua alternativa, volta a sminuire le altre loro passioni.
  
  The code busters club da la possibilità di leggere una storia con tanto mistero, sicuramente situazioni a volte stereotipate e magari classiche, ma supportate da belle novità e curiosità.
  I protagonisti sono ragazzini che amano i codici, tanto da aver creato questo club, con una loro sede e che hanno la possibilità di mettersi alla prova quando il vecchio scheletro invia loro un messaggio segreto tramite una finestra. Cosa dirà?
  
  Ecco. Il bello, l’originalità di questo libro è proprio nel mistero e nei codici.
  Ogni capitolo ha il titolo tradotto nella lingua italiana dei segni e le soluzioni si trovano in fondo al libro, insieme alla risoluzione di tutti gli enigmi che si trovano durante la lettura.
  L’aspetto interessante però è proprio in questi enigmi all’interno del libro: io, che sono vecchiotta, mi sono divertita a scoprire le soluzioni, ho conosciuto codici diversi da quello Morse e ho apprezzato davvero tanto il rimando alla lingua italiana dei segni.
  I bambini potranno solo amare questo libro.
• 
  Jackie

  Four young sleuths, Cody, Luke, Quinn, and M.E. love, love, LOVE to decipher codes and puzzles. So much so, that they form The Code Busters Club. They have a secret hideout, secret passwords, and secret languages. When the foursome see some mysterious activity at the 'Skeleton Man's' (aka Mr. Skelton) in their neighborhood, they are up to the challenge of figuring out what it is all about. He seems to be writing the kids some code in his upstairs window, just as two very questionable characters are snooping around his house.
  
  Early one morning, a fire breaks out at Mr. Skelton's house and the kids step up their investigation. Mr. Skelton is badly hurt, but the two nefarious characters seen nosing around are making themselves more suspicious. They find out that Jasper and Jezebel are Mr. Skelton's cousins who want to conveniently get rid of him and claim his forture. Lucky for the kids, he's left many, many clues to his will, fortune, and plans. Cody, Luke, Quinn, and M.E. figure it all out and just in time!
  
  The Code Busters club, Case #1: The Secret of Skeleton Key is a fun interactive mystery with lot of different kinds of clues and ciphers hidden in the story for the reader to figure out. Conveniently, at the end of the book, another mystery is shaping up and the kids are up for the challenge once again.
• 
  Elissa Schaeffer

  Four friends make up the Code Busters Club--from different ethnic backgrounds, different living situations, etc. The club is based around learning and using different codes to communicate. This comes in handy when a mystery involving the elderly man across the street from Cody starts to unfold. Using sign language, semaphores, braille, and more, the Code Busters Club is on the case!
  
  The mystery was decent, but what really made this fun was breaking the codes along with the characters. I found myself flipping to the back of the book to look at the keys and then at the answers to see if I deciphered correctly. I think this would be of great interest to those students and children who like to actively solve a mystery while they read it--readers of 39 Clues will probably love these!
  
  However, there was something that really bothered me. At one point, the Club goes into the burned out house that has been marked off by the fire department. Um...dangerous! They admitted that it was dangerous and the whole house could come down on top of them, but they went anyway. AWFUL decision. I realize what it did for the plot but there must have been a less "super dangerous and poor idea" way to get it done. Maybe that's the parent in me, but it bothered me.
  
  That aside, it is recommended, grades 4 and up.
• 
  S Farneth

  As a kid I couldn’t read enough Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. Make room on the shelf for the Code Busters Club. They are new and modern kid sleuths that get the job done.
  
  The first book in the new series is a page turner (even for an adult). This series is sure to appeal to upper elementary students. The code busters have an elderly neighbor who writes a message on the window just before his house burns down. The kids in the club try to figure out his message which leads them to the burned out house where they meet the neighbor’s “cousins” who are looking out for him. The kids figure out they just want to find his will and make some changes. This causes the Code Busters to kick into high gear and find the will before the “cousins” do.
  
  The story is entertaining and suspense filled. One of the things that makes this series so appealing are the codes that the reader can figure out along the way. Even the chapter titles were written in sign language. If you get stuck, the answers are in the back, but figuring out what the codes say is part of the fun of reading the story.
  
  There’s enough of a mystery to keep you turning the pages and the ending is quite satisfying. A great read for the young sleuth and a great intro to a new series.
  
  
• 
  Liz

  Great book for kids that like to work out codes and secret messages. Each chapter starts with the title in finger spelling for the deaf and the story continues to include at least one other type of code or puzzle to figure out to move the story along. The mystery is interesting enough to keep you working on the puzzles (the codes are located in the back of the book and on a different page the solution is provide if you give up.) The mystery was interesting enough to keep the reader working out the puzzle and the last code was the beginning of the second book.
  
  The only thing I would like to see done differently since this is a series is that all the codes be placed in a book of their own, and perhaps show how to make a bracelet for the Caesar's Cipher. I actually used other code/cipher books when I could, rather than to keep turning to the back of the book. The other problem I found was the the finger spelling in the back of the book was rather small and until I recalled most of it, I had to really stare at the closed fist letters. Minor problems, but correcting these would make it a five star book.
• 
  Melanie H.

  Cody, Quinn, Luke and M.E. belong to a secret society they all developed together. They call themselves "The Code Busters Club." They each have a secret name and hiding place. They communicate with each other in many different types of codes including ASL, semaphores, morse code and many others.
  
  In this book the club members become suspicious of the people visiting the old man who lives across the street. They have reason to believe the two visitors are not well-intentioned. When the house burns down and the gentleman is taken to the hospital, the club members quickly take a look around the burned down house. What they find and hear confirms their suspicions. The two villains are out to get the man's money for themselves and so are trying to find his will to destroy it and make a new one.
  
  The Code Busters quickly get to work and learn the location of the actual will and are able to solve the case!
  
  An fun new series for middle readers. Interestingly enough, the characters are 7th graders, but the book is aimed at 4th/5th graders. Might be a little off-putting.
• 
  Vicky

  "If it hadn't been for those darned kids..."
  
  Okay, wrong story, but same basic theme. In this one, Cody (Dakota) Jones and three of her friends have teamed up to help solve a crime.
  
  Cody lives across the street from "Skeleton Man", a recluse who has metal sculptures in his front yard and a lot of cats. One night, she and her friend Quinn see something odd happening at the house. Before they can solve that mystery, the house catches fire and Skeleton Man is taken away in an ambulance. Cody and the Code Club team put their heads together and solve the puzzles and codes in time to save Mr. Skelton's life.
  
  This is a good mystery for ages 8-12 that not only gives you a good story, but gives the reader the chance to solve the puzzles along with with Club. Some of the codes used include American Sign Language symbols, Morse Code, Semiphores, and more. Definitely a good pick.
• 
  Katie

  Yes, it's that time of year when my 4th grader has to write a book report on a mystery book. They are my daughter's least favorite books to read (apparently, she has not read any sci-fi yet!). I got this book while I was visiting the Spy Museum in Washington D.C. (great museum, btw) and thought this could be a fun book for her to read for her report.
  
  While she still does not love mystery books -- she read this on her own without any nagging from me! Yay!!! I then read the book and actually quite enjoyed it myself. I would totally read the rest of this series. Too bad I'm not in 4th grade with time on my hands!
  
  My older son actually told me that he had read a few of these in 5th grade and liked them as well. So apparently both my kids like these mystery books. I loved the different skill sets to help solve the puzzles. We've been discussing anagrams, sign language and braille together. Love it!! In fact, I'm changing this to 5 stars since it's a NAG FREE BOOK REPORT BOOK! HURRAH!
• 
  Melissapalmer404

  Book #70 Read in 2012
  The Code Busters Club by Penny Warner (YA)
  
  This is the first in a mystery series. Four young adults form a club where they pass secret messages written in code back and forth. Their neighbor, whom they call Skeleton Man, is taken to the hospital after his house catches fire. But was it an accidental fire or set by his newly arrived family members? The kids decide to investigate.
  
  This book was a good mystery and used the codes in an interesting way to move the plot along. I could see readers who liked solving codes really enjoying this book. There are two male and two female protagonists so I think both male and female readers would be drawn to this book. It was a good, quick read.
  
  
  http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
• 
  Cathleen

  I received this book as part of a giveaway from Goodreads in exchange for this review. As a child I loved the Trixie Beldin mysteries--this series will bring to this generation of middle school students a whole new group of young crime solvers to follow. I found the characters more like caricatures, especially with the criminals, but I think this clear sense of good and bad will appeal to tweens. I especially liked the various codes scattered throughout the book. Just as the tension begins to build, the reader is challenged to put some brain power into decoding the next clue. This first book in the Code Busters Club series will take the Scooby Doo mysteries of my generation and neatly insert critical thinking skills. Happy reading.