Mac Cracks the Code

Mac B., Kid Spy #4

by Mac Barnett, Mike Lowery (Illustrator)

Mac B. and his arch-nemesis are facing off at the Video Game World Championships! But first, Mac B. needs to crack an unbreakable secret code... can he solve it in time to defeat his enemy? Find out in this kid spy adventure from New York Times bestselling author, Mac Barnett!

The Queen of England calls on Mac B. once again! This time, Mac must crack a secret code that has been recovered from a double agent. A series of clues leads Mac to France, and then to Japan, where he comes face-to-face with his arch-nemesis, the KGB man... and the world headquarters of Nintendo! Is the KGB Man secretly behind all of this? And are Mac's video game skills good enough to facedown his enemy at the Video Game World Championships?

With Mike Lowery's signature illustrations on every page, historical facts woven throughout, and of course intrigue, history, hilarity and more, catch the latest in this totally smart, wholly original, side-splittingly funny series from the wildly talented author Mac Barnett.

Genres: Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Mystery

178 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2019

About the author

Born to non-farmers in a California farming community, Mac Barnett now lives near San Francisco. He's on the board of directors of 826LA, a nonprofit writing center for students in Los Angeles, and he founded the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, a convenience store for time travelers.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to be excellent. The famous Mac Barnett "tougue-in-cheek" flair shines through . In this 4th installment, readers learn about what it was like to play video games in the 80's and the history of the Nintendo Company (started in 1889) -- along with other nuggets of information. As usual, the queen of England is a main character along with Freddy (one of her Corgis). The Red Spy is still running amok and Mac has to go rogue to stop him. Can't wait for Episode #5!

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

My five year old laughed so hard at this book that he spit milk all over his Incredibles costume. God bless and keep you, Mac Barnett.

[Negar · Rating 5 out of 5]

مک بارنت توی اولین رمانی که ازش خوندم، مستقیم قاعده تفنگ چخوف رو یاد داد. و توی هر هشت‌تا رمانی که ازش خوندم غیر مستقیم نشون داد که هنوز یاد نگرفتم.

*The favorite*

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit wordier and less joke-dense than its predecessors, but I count any book a success when I finish reading it to my son, and he IMMEDIATELY begs to start the next one

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I love reading this series to each other and this is the best of the bunch!

[Ryder Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like games I like books combine them amazing

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why would the Soviet Union want to infiltrate the Video Game World Championships in New York City? So they can put the KGB’s initials “atop the high score list of the entire world.” Mac is sure that is why the Queen of England has summoned him to London this time. But she has other plans for Mac, because the Americans are handling the Video Game issue. No, the Queen of England wants Mac to do something else. After all, there is an enemy spy hanging around London and when they raided that spy’s London flat, they found a secret message on the label of a pair of white pants ... that’s underwear to Americans. And the message? DRUBBALUBBA! The Queen wants Mac to sit in a little room and try to decipher this code. What? Mac wants to go on chases and have things blowing up around him. He doesn’t want to be stuck at a desk, so he decides to escape and become a rogue agent.

Another fun adventure in the Mac B. Kid Spy series. The mystery is tangled and fun to follow and Mac, though often foiled and confused, manages to save the day. For students 3rd grade and up.

[Maria Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) Mac Barnett has such a good sense of humour! This is a "mock" memoir of his days as a spy (when he was a kid, of course). And I especially love the fact that his boss is the Queen of England. There are some great interactions between Mac and her Majesty! (Including talk about underoos, i.e. underwear!)

2) I love the gag with the phones. Somehow, the Queen is always able to track Mac down, including that first time in the movie theatre. I love how she always asks for Mac, expecting her phone call to go through on the payphones around the world. (Since this is supposed to be 1989, there are no cell phones. But apparently, the Queen doesn't let that stop her!)

3) The video game thread is definitely a fun hook. I enjoyed how Mac talks about Zak, the video game kid who has exactly three letters in his name, which is perfect for getting his full name when he scores during the video gaming competition! Funny how Mac does seem to realize or acknowledge that he has the same three-letter name advantage!

4) It's fun how this kid just ends up going around the world, all by himself. Totally, unbelievable, but that's part of the charm.

5) This was definitely a quick read. There are lots of illustrations, which is great for struggling readers. And fun for all readers!

6) This book has a lot of tongue-in-cheek, not-true-to-real-life events. So, if you can't handle that, this is not the book for you. I think most kids will eat this up!

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is apparently the fourth book in the series of Kid Spy books. I haven't read the other books, but this book does reference them a bit. I must say that I enjoyed this one a lot and will be looking up the rest. If you liked Mac Barnett's Brixton Brothers (which is a spoof on the Hardy Boys), then I think you will enjoy this series! (And this one has the Queen in it! Bonus.)

[Laila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread with my son (his choice) December 2022 - super fun!

This is a really fun series for grades 3-6! My son and I took turns reading the dialogue - he would read Mac's parts and I read the Queen's parts in my British accent, which is a take on Tahani from The Good Place.

[Jessica F · Rating 5 out of 5]

"And that's how it happens. One moment you are about to enjoy a movie about shrinking some kids, and the next moment you are in a car that takes you to a plane that takes you to another car that takes you to a palace in England. You don't really get much say about where you go or what you do when you are a spy. But then again, you don't really get much say about where you go or what you do when you are a kid."

Mac goes rogue in this fourth installment! When the Queen decides he's safer cracking a code behind the desk, Mac takes matters into his own hands. This time his travels take him from France to Japan and the last place he thought he'd be: the Video Game World Championship in America.

Have I mentioned how much I adore the Queen's sass? The dialogue between her and Mac is so spunky and funny and delightful!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helloooooooo! If you've listened to this on audio then you know exactly how that hello should sound, that is Mac Barnett being the Queen of England. My family are big fans of Mac Barnett, but now that the kids are in high school they're not really reading them anymore. But my husband and I do! I hadn't realized how many MacB Kid Spy books were out, but Paul has been listening to them on audio and insisted I listen to one too. And oh my goodness, what a delight. The only thing better than reading these is listening to Mac B himself read them. Truly hilarious. (and not too long, which is a big bonus for me.) We want to know if the Craig in the Mac B books is basically the same guy as Rick (jerk) in the Brixton Bros. books. Mac?

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because at the beginning, Mac B. became a rogue spy. He went rogue from the Queen of New England (Whoops, I mean the Queen of England). He went rogue because she gave him a piece of paper, and it was a really boring thing. So he went rogue, but he still tried to figure out the mission because he believes he's a nice person. He had an enemy. His enemy is KGB man, and Mac B is trying to figure out what "Drubbalubba" means.

What I think was funny was that he went rogue, but he still did the mission anyway. Mac Barnett has a way with words. If you don't believe me, try reading one of them yourself.

So long, fellas!
Sincerely, Lou-Dawg.

[Cara Noyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Kid Spy books are hilarious! As an adult, I love them. I can identify with the setting of Mac’s youth in the 80s. The Queen is proper yet properly funny in each book. And the corgis- an awesome dog helps advance the plot. Video gaming was and still is s big deal. How great to craft a tale of espionage around gaming!
The illustrations by Mike Lowery are funny and bright.
Hooray for another fun adventure!

[TheSingero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the best books I have ever read because: The author made small details of things and expressed emotions nicely. Another way was by adding pictures and making the audience feel vivid imagery, but it would still be better through verbal description since the characters were not described that well. Overall this book was one of the best I read because I loved the pictures and plot

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one with my 8 year old, and this is one series both of us can't wait for new books to come out. I feel like I learn things from it, they're clever and funny and the illustrations are good too. This volume did not disappoint, and I learned a heck of a lot about Nintendo as a brand as a result!

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time of year I start reading possible Christmas gift books for little ones (some are now elementary age). This was average with illustration although the premise of a kid spy is pretty outrageous. I read it cover to cover in one sitting. Middle grades of elementary school will find it entertaining.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series that my son and I are still enjoying. Yes, parts of it are repetitive, but some parts make us both laugh a ton! I appreciate that the author is talking about his childhood in the 80s (relatable) and my son likes the spy-kid theme. And each book has had one or two interesting (and accurate) tidbits so that we both end up learning something new!

[Mayumi Shimose Poe · Rating 3 out of 5]

MAC B. KID SPY: MAC CRACKS THE CODE (2019) by Mac Barnett: whoops, we accidentally read book 4 first. Oh well. I’m a fan of Mac Barnett for easing kids into reading: his book are humorous, outlandish, and fun. This series is Barnett’s fictional rendering of his childhood as a kid spy. Quite fond of the characterizations of the heads of state here; voicing them was super fun!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, it's been a few months since we read of these and I forgot how fun they are! I'm always telling my husband about the jokes later. My kids and I just loved how video games were a big part of the story and the rogue spy trope was used hilariously. Really fun!

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a fun, gorgeously illustrated story about a young man (Mac) who is a spy for the Queen of England. When he ends up picking up a code, it’s his job to travel the world to figure it out. This is quirky and unusual….. now I want to read the rest of them!

[S.C. Yung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mac Barnett books are quite often a whole lot of fun, and this one is no exception.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever and fun, but not nearly as funny as #3.

[Morgan Nikola-Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always entertaining. Thoroughly clever.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mac Barnett is a genius at writing. End of story. But also, just do yourself and/or your kids a favor and read this series.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
We like the code that Mac ended up breaking. Also Nintendo!

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, but I didn't enjoy this installment quite as much as the previous three.

[Markie Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Really enjoyed this book. I loved how all the books are based on the queen of England and a boy named Mac who lives in California

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a funny book and it has great humor and bathroom talk.

[Winston · Rating 5 out of 5]

i is the a wow book

[Arhaan Shaikh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was cool, funny and imaginative.