by Penny Warner
Code Buster’s Solution found on p. 207.
“Sounds cool,” Cody said. “When can we go?”
Finger Spelling:
Morse Code:
Caesar’s Cipher:
Semaphores:
Braille Alphabet:
Chapter 1
Alphanumeric code:10-15-9-14 20-8-5 3-15-4-5 2-21-19-20-5-18-19 3-12-21-2
Join the Code Buster’s Club.
Chapter 2
Finger spelling:
Fire. Across the street.
Need to dress. Dad coming.
Chapter 3
ABC code:Meet me at the clubhouse after school. Lock and key.
Chapter 4
Caesar’s cipher:
3-2-12-8 21-2-9-22-4-8 8-2 15-4-4-8 15-4 16-8 8-19-4 21-13-16-22-23-2-13-4 16-21-8-4-9 7-1-19-2-2-13 15.4.
Don’t forget to meet me at the flagpole after school. M.E.
Chapter 5
Morse code:
D. J.
Chapter 6
Text message translation:What’s up, Red? Good luck on your spelling test. You go, girl! Talk to you later. Pop. Hugs
Hi Pop. Thanks. See you later. Hugs, Red Consonant code:Meet at the library at 1900 hours.
Chapter 7
25 + 36 = 61 + 81 = 142 + 400 = 542 − 37 = 505
Chapter 8
Double Dutch:Syllables are broken up, and “ag” is added in between. For example, “Not” would be “Nag-ot,” tonight would be “to-nag-ite.”
Not tonight. Tomorrow.
Chapter 10
Finger spelling:
Thieves
Chapter 11
Morse code:SOS. Matt in caf. Need help. SOS.
Chapter 13
Semaphores:Under couch
Braille:Floor space
Chapter 15
“Go Out. turn uphill. go around Pit.
Look for anatural cave.” Got a plan.
Chapter 17
I dare you to visit the haunted lighthouse on Alcatraz…
Finger spelling
Chapter Title Translations
Chapter 1The Clawed Hand
Chapter 2Up in Flames
Chapter 3The Secret Message
Chapter 4The Coded Note
Chapter 5The Stealthy Stalker
Chapter 6A Secret Meeting
Chapter 7Shadow in the Stacks
Chapter 8A Secret Place
Chapter 9Out of the Ashes
Chapter 10The Black Ghost
Chapter 11Cafeteria Caper
Chapter 12Food Fight
Chapter 13What Lies Beneath
Chapter 14The Curious Cat
Chapter 15Mountain Lion!
Chapter 16The Skeleton Key
Chapter 17Case of the Skeleton Key: Closed
For more adventures with the Code Busters Club, go to www.CodeBustersClub.com.
There you’ll find:
1 Full dossiers for Cody, Quinn, Luke, and M.E.
2 Their blogs
3 More codes
4 More coded messages to solve
5 Clues to the next book
6 A map of the Code Busters neighborhood, school, and mystery
7 A contest to win your name in the next Code Busters book.
SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS
Kids love codes. They will want to “solve” the codes in this novel before looking up the solutions. This means they will be practicing skills that are necessary to their class work in several courses, but in a non-pressured way.
The codes in this book vary in level of difficulty so there is something for students of every ability. The codes move from a simple code wheel—Caesar’s Cipher wheel—to more widely accepted “code” languages such as Morse code, semaphore and Braille.
In a mathematics classroom, the codes in this book can easily be used as motivational devices to teach problem-solving and reasoning skills. Both of these have become important elements in the curriculum at all grade levels. The emphasis throughout the book on regarding codes as patterns gives students a great deal of practice in one of the primary strategies of problem solving. The strategy of “Looking for a Pattern” is basic to much of mathematics. The resolving of codes demonstrates how important patterns are. These codes can lead to discussions of the logic behind why they “work,” (problem solving). The teacher can then have the students create their own codes (problem formulation) and try sending secret messages to one another, while other students try to “break the code.” Developing and resolving these new codes will require a great deal of careful reasoning on the part of the students. The class might also wish to do some practical research in statistics, to determine which letters occur most frequently in the English language. (E, T, A, O, and N are the first five most widely used letters and should appear most often in coded messages.)
This book may also be used in other classroom areas of study such as social studies, with its references to code-breaking machines, American Sign Language, and Braille. This book raises questions such as, “Why would semaphore be important today? Where is it still used?”
In the English classroom, spelling is approached as a “deciphering code.” The teacher may also suggest the students do some outside reading. They might read a biography of Samuel Morse or Louis Braille, or even the Sherlock Holmes mystery “The Adventure of the Dancing Men.”
This book also refers to modern texting on cell phones and computers as a form of code. Students could explain what the various “code” abbreviations they use mean today and why they are used. —
Dr. Stephen Krulik
Dr. Stephen Krulik has a distinguished career as a professor of mathematics education. Professor emeritus at Temple University, he received the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to my outstanding critique group: Colleen Casey, Janet Finsilver, Staci McLaughlin, Ann Parker, and Carole Price. I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of my husband Tom, my mother Connie Pike, and my family, Mike and Rebecca Melvin, and Matt and Sue Warner. Finally, a special thanks to my wonderful agent, Stefanie Von Borstel, and my incredible editors, Regina Griffin, Erin Molta, and everyone at Egmont USA.