The Puzzling World of Winston Breen

by Eric Berlin

Overview

Winston Breen says the only thing better than discovering a puzzle is stumping someone else with it. But when his sister uncovers mysterious strips of wood with words and letters on them, even Winston himself is stumped. Soon the whole family (and some friends) are caught up in the mystery and off on a scavenger hunt that just may lead to a ring worth thousands of dollars! Chock-full of puzzles to solve, some tied to the mystery and some not, this treasure hunt will keep readers' brains teased right up to the exciting ending!

Perfect for fans of The Westing Game, exciting mysteries, and, of course, puzzles!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142413883
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/16/2009
Series:	The Puzzling World of Winston Breen , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	214,491
Product dimensions:	7.78(w) x 5.12(h) x 0.62(d)
Lexile:	610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Eric Berlin creates puzzles for all ages, from kids to adults (his crosswords appear often in The New York Times). He is a member of the National Puzzlers' League and enjoys creating puzzle events for schools and other groups. He lives in Milford, Connecticut, with his wife and two children.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This ingenious novel, which conjures up The Westing Game and good old Encyclopedia Brown, peppers a classic treasure-hunt plot with nifty puzzles. . . .Readers both avid and reluctant will surface from this unusual mystery with their hearts pounding.”—Booklist, starred review

“A delightfully clever mystery . . . There is plenty of suspense to engage readers, who are sure to enjoy tackling the brainteasers and word games along the way.”—School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

This ingenious novel, which conjures up The Westing Game and good old Encyclopedia Brown, peppers a classic treasure-hunt plot with nifty puzzles. . . .Readers both avid and reluctant will surface from this unusual mystery with their hearts pounding.”—Booklist, starred review

“A delightfully clever mystery . . . There is plenty of suspense to engage readers, who are sure to enjoy tackling the brainteasers and word games along the way.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Readers . . . will surface from this unusual mystery with their hearts pounding and their brains limbered up for more. - Starred review

Booklist

Gr 4-7 A delightfully clever mystery. Winston Breen loves puzzles and finds them everywhere, including in the antique box he gives his younger sister, Katie, on her birthday. The siblings discover that it has a false bottom containing wooden strips with words and single letters on them. When two somewhat sinister strangers with their own wooden strips arrive looking for Winston, the boy realizes that the only way to crack the mystery is to pool their clues. A group that includes the town librarian, a giant ex-policeman, a young reporter, the two strangers, Winston, and Katie faces dangerous threats, mistrust, decades-old clues, and in-fighting as they set out on what turns out to be a treasure hunt. There is plenty of suspense to engage readers, who are sure to enjoy tackling the brainteasers and word games along the way. (A note sends readers to a Web site to download printable versions of the puzzles. Answers are included at the end of the book.) Recommend this to fans of Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game (Puffin, 1992) and Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer (2004) and The Wright 3 (2006, both Scholastic).-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME

School Library Journal