Chester Keene Cracks the Code

June 6, 2022
Magoon (The Season of Styx Malone) skillfully blends family, friendship, and forgiveness in this endearing adventure starring spy-in-training Chester Keene. Eleven-year-old biracial (Black and white) Chester lives alone with his mother, having never met his father. Nevertheless, Chester credits his dad—whom he believes to be a covert agent, and who mails him spy books and offers advice, such as how to navigate bullies, through email exchanges—for his own inclination toward spy work. After a mysterious envelope containing an unfinished riddle, seemingly from his dad, appears on his doorstep, Chester becomes embroiled in a puzzle-laden scavenger hunt with an important prize at the end. Joined by Japanese American and white classmate Skye, who inexplicably has the missing puzzle pieces, the two search across town for the remaining clues. But as they encounter nefarious locals, the duo fear that their once lighthearted hunt has higher stakes than they initially thought. Skye’s chaotic puzzle-solving skills complement Chester’s meticulousness, and their joy in code-cracking is palpable. Astutely conceived riddles and Chester’s lively first-person narration deliver an action-packed mystery that highlights trusting in the bonds of friends and family, and encourages having patience with loved ones. Ages 8–12. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown Ltd.

October 1, 2022

Gr 3-7- Luke Cage actor Elijah Boothe makes his audiobook debut as biracial 11-year-old Chester Keene, a spy-in-training readying himself to someday assist his secret agent father, whom he's never met. Despite Dad's absence, Chester still gets occasional emails, packages, and clues. The latest missive-certainly Dad-initiated-sends Chester on a complicated scavenger hunt, but this time, he's inexplicably paired with his classmate Skye (who is also biracial-white and Japanese American). As different as the two are, their work together gets results, although the answers may not be what Chester predicted-or wanted. Boothe's range is impressively dynamic, easily distinguishing the two sleuths, Chester's worried mom, Skye's easygoing dad, the gruff mall security guard, and would-be thieves. VERDICT Magoon's broad topics-bullying, friendship, absent parents, blended families-should encourage wide audiences; libraries might provide audio for their most reluctant readers.

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