Elspeth Lorraine

It’s my first middle grade book review! I met the author (Eagle Brite is her pen name) of this book at a writer’s conference and she and I got to chatting about her “The Code Agency” series. The first book is called “A Grimm Mystery”* and it follows five kids with diverse skin tones as they teach you to solve seemingly unsolvable mysteries. The purpose of the series is to get kids started on computer science skills including coding. There are 100+ puzzles and challenges which makes this book fun, but also an interactive book. The challenges are geared towards problem-solving, creative innovation, and critical thinking abilities. The next book is slated to be released on April 15th so keep an eye out! 

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Bits and Pieces: Double impressed that Lauren was able to invent all of this! Wow! I don’t think I could come up with a cryptogram? Also I’m not sure I knew what a cryptogram was before this. So I learned a lot even though I am not in the 8-12 age range. Anymore.

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Not Sure About: When I first picked up the book I thought it would be a bit more story oriented, but it’s more about solving the challenges and brain teasers.

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Favorite Part: I think this could be a great book for a plane trip, or you want to try and limit screen time. I can also see kids picking this book up on their own because the cover is super cool! 

*A copy of this book was provided to me for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own.