A 2008-2009 Black-Eyed Susan Nominee for 6th-9th grades, The Puzzling World of Winston Breen will appeal to lovers of mysteries, puzzles, codes, and treasure-hunting. When Winston buys a box in an antique store for his sister's birthday, he doesn't know that, hidden inside the box, are the first pieces of a puzzle leading to an unknown treasure. He teams up with the town librarian, a burly ex-cop, two shady treasure hunters, a reporter, his sister, and two buddies in search of the elusive treasure. But someone wants the treasure all to themselves--who could it be?
The neat thing about this book is all the puzzles sprinkled throughout the text for the reader to solve. You don't have to solve them in order to follow the story (and answers are provided in the back), but it's fun to try. It's also fun to attempt to solve the larger puzzle of the missing treasure as the team finds more and more clues, all the way up to the exciting conclusion that will have readers turning pages quickly to see what happens.
This was an enjoyable read, and I think people of many ages would like it as well. Recommended for 5th grade and up, both boys and girls, especially those who love mysteries and puzzles.
Catherine
