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The Puzzling World of Winston Breen #1
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen
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!
215 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
September 18, 2008
Winston loves puzzles--solving them and creating them. As far back as he can remember, he's been doing all types of puzzles. In fact, the first puzzle we receive in the book is one he made up using a scrap of wrapping paper from his sister's birthday (Berlin includes answers at the back of the book). The bulk of the story revolves around what Winston gives his sister Katie for her birthday--a unique wooden box which has a false bottom (discovered by Katie) and four puzzle pieces hidden inside. Eventually, the rest of the puzzle pieces are pooled, as the head librarian tells the story and other treasure hunters agree to work together. Mrs. Lewis's father had created the puzzle to make his offspring set aside their differences and become friends. The treasure at the end of the hunt was a ring--a very expensive ring--and it was agreed to split it four ways. Then the hunt begins.
This is a very clever mystery that sprinkles codes and puzzles throughout the story. Berlin includes a note at the beginning saying you can skip the extra puzzles, as the ones key to the story will be explained as readers continue. His website has printables so you don't have to write in the book. Winston is a typical boy, other than his obsession with puzzles, and I enjoyed watching his relationship with his parents, sister and the other treasure hunters develop throughout the adventure. Katie, too, had some character development, which is great, as we mostly saw her through Winston's eyes (though it's an omniscient narrator). Berlin masterfully creates suspense as the mystery heightens, and wraps the story up without being mushy.
This is a very clever mystery that sprinkles codes and puzzles throughout the story. Berlin includes a note at the beginning saying you can skip the extra puzzles, as the ones key to the story will be explained as readers continue. His website has printables so you don't have to write in the book. Winston is a typical boy, other than his obsession with puzzles, and I enjoyed watching his relationship with his parents, sister and the other treasure hunters develop throughout the adventure. Katie, too, had some character development, which is great, as we mostly saw her through Winston's eyes (though it's an omniscient narrator). Berlin masterfully creates suspense as the mystery heightens, and wraps the story up without being mushy.
December 5, 2015
As an avid puzzle lover, I enjoyed the range and variety of number, letter, word, geometric, and logic challenges incorporated throughout the book. Most were moderate to high, in terms of difficulty - more challenging than I would have expected for a YA audience. While the puzzles were quite enjoyable, the story lacked a lot, in terms of creativity and believability.
Adult siblings who have spent decades estranged from each other are very unlikely to set aside their differences for a potential $15,000 prize, especially if they already received a large inheritance from their father containing other significant financial resources for them. If parents have botched their parental responsibilities, during the childhood's of their kids, to the point that their offspring are perpetually fighting, too much damage has been done for too long to ever make them long for or enjoy each others' company. As a mental health professional for many decades, I'm keenly aware that chronic turmoil between siblings is nearly always the direct result of chronic friction and marital dissatisfaction between the parents.
In many of these scenarios, one or both of the parents never actually wanted to be a parent, in the first place, so blames the existence of the children and the challenges of raising them on the other spouse. Other chronic marital problems, such as substance abuse, poverty, workaholism, gambling, domestic violence, incest, religious/cultural frictions, sexual incompatibility, and similar destructive patterns often lead to the parents chronically fighting with each other, modeling poor relationship-building and conflict-resolution skills for their offspring, who, then, follow in the footsteps of their primary role models - their parents - but continuing the petty bickering their parents teach them is acceptable within their family.
Clearly, the father of these four Fredrickson siblings took no personal ownership or actions regarding the constant childhood friction between his children, while they were young. Clearly, the major focus of his entire life was his work and his inventions, along with managing his wealth. Since he didn't treat the sibling friction matter seriously when the children were young, his superficial, unrealistic approach attempting to breach the chasms between them, as adults, obviously wasn't going to work.
I'm not sure what happened to their mother nor what her role was, in regards to their upbringing. Perhaps, she died when they were young, leaving them poorly supervised during their young years. The fact she was never mentioned in the book, while several of the father's friends WERE mentioned, seems relevant, to me. Apparently, neither the kids nor their father found her role in the family to be meaningful.
The plot wasn't especially intriguing nor filled with many "red herrings". I knew who the real villains were by midway through the book, which is a rare occurrence with most YA "detective" or "mystery" books. Usually, there are many more twists and turns in the plot. Thus, this book doesn't rate higher than a 3.5 star rating, from me, which I will round upwards to a 4 star review, in light of the challenging puzzles.
Adult siblings who have spent decades estranged from each other are very unlikely to set aside their differences for a potential $15,000 prize, especially if they already received a large inheritance from their father containing other significant financial resources for them. If parents have botched their parental responsibilities, during the childhood's of their kids, to the point that their offspring are perpetually fighting, too much damage has been done for too long to ever make them long for or enjoy each others' company. As a mental health professional for many decades, I'm keenly aware that chronic turmoil between siblings is nearly always the direct result of chronic friction and marital dissatisfaction between the parents.
In many of these scenarios, one or both of the parents never actually wanted to be a parent, in the first place, so blames the existence of the children and the challenges of raising them on the other spouse. Other chronic marital problems, such as substance abuse, poverty, workaholism, gambling, domestic violence, incest, religious/cultural frictions, sexual incompatibility, and similar destructive patterns often lead to the parents chronically fighting with each other, modeling poor relationship-building and conflict-resolution skills for their offspring, who, then, follow in the footsteps of their primary role models - their parents - but continuing the petty bickering their parents teach them is acceptable within their family.
Clearly, the father of these four Fredrickson siblings took no personal ownership or actions regarding the constant childhood friction between his children, while they were young. Clearly, the major focus of his entire life was his work and his inventions, along with managing his wealth. Since he didn't treat the sibling friction matter seriously when the children were young, his superficial, unrealistic approach attempting to breach the chasms between them, as adults, obviously wasn't going to work.
I'm not sure what happened to their mother nor what her role was, in regards to their upbringing. Perhaps, she died when they were young, leaving them poorly supervised during their young years. The fact she was never mentioned in the book, while several of the father's friends WERE mentioned, seems relevant, to me. Apparently, neither the kids nor their father found her role in the family to be meaningful.
The plot wasn't especially intriguing nor filled with many "red herrings". I knew who the real villains were by midway through the book, which is a rare occurrence with most YA "detective" or "mystery" books. Usually, there are many more twists and turns in the plot. Thus, this book doesn't rate higher than a 3.5 star rating, from me, which I will round upwards to a 4 star review, in light of the challenging puzzles.
July 26, 2012
Move over Encyclopedia Brown there is a new detective on the block, Winston Breen puzzle genius.
Winston Breen is a 12 year old puzzle aficionado. He breathes, eats, and sleeps puzzles. He sees puzzles in the oddest places like on a piece of wrapping paper or on a pizza. Oddly enough the biggest puzzle he has ever come across is one that he did not know was there.
Winston buys a last minute birthday gift for his 10 year old sister at his favorite store, Penrose’s Curio Shop. Used to his puzzling ways Katie assumes that there is a puzzle hidden in her gift. Even though Winston didn’t provide a puzzle this year Katie still finds one. This puzzle created by a local inventor decades ago, is going to send them on a wild goose chase with an odd group comprised of two treasure hunting enthusiasts, the town librarian, and an ex-policeman. Can a puzzle that is very intricate and very old be solved by this group? With Winston and Katie’s help it can.
I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and mysterious from the very beginning. From the beginning it demonstrated that the best way to solve a problem is through teamwork. In addition it is chock full of puzzles for you to solve. I like crosswords, word searches, and I’ll do the occasional number puzzle so it gave me the opportunity to test my smarts. Some of the puzzles were easy and others were hard. I’ll be honest and admit I couldn’t solve some of them and others I didn’t even try. However I tried enough of them that it really did get me into the puzzling spirit of the book.
While I recommend this book for pleasure reading, the connection between puzzles and school is obvious. Puzzles help teach logic, reasoning, and observation; they fit in well in math and language arts classes. Here is a little puzzle of my own, see if you can find the Encyclopedia Brown connection as you read this book. While the writing style and story lengths are different, both Brown and Breen rely on knowledge and deduction. I think Eric Berlin has written a timeless character, maybe not quite on par with E.B., but a nice homage to him.
Winston Breen is a 12 year old puzzle aficionado. He breathes, eats, and sleeps puzzles. He sees puzzles in the oddest places like on a piece of wrapping paper or on a pizza. Oddly enough the biggest puzzle he has ever come across is one that he did not know was there.
Winston buys a last minute birthday gift for his 10 year old sister at his favorite store, Penrose’s Curio Shop. Used to his puzzling ways Katie assumes that there is a puzzle hidden in her gift. Even though Winston didn’t provide a puzzle this year Katie still finds one. This puzzle created by a local inventor decades ago, is going to send them on a wild goose chase with an odd group comprised of two treasure hunting enthusiasts, the town librarian, and an ex-policeman. Can a puzzle that is very intricate and very old be solved by this group? With Winston and Katie’s help it can.
I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and mysterious from the very beginning. From the beginning it demonstrated that the best way to solve a problem is through teamwork. In addition it is chock full of puzzles for you to solve. I like crosswords, word searches, and I’ll do the occasional number puzzle so it gave me the opportunity to test my smarts. Some of the puzzles were easy and others were hard. I’ll be honest and admit I couldn’t solve some of them and others I didn’t even try. However I tried enough of them that it really did get me into the puzzling spirit of the book.
While I recommend this book for pleasure reading, the connection between puzzles and school is obvious. Puzzles help teach logic, reasoning, and observation; they fit in well in math and language arts classes. Here is a little puzzle of my own, see if you can find the Encyclopedia Brown connection as you read this book. While the writing style and story lengths are different, both Brown and Breen rely on knowledge and deduction. I think Eric Berlin has written a timeless character, maybe not quite on par with E.B., but a nice homage to him.
April 20, 2010
Plot: Winston buys a last minuete birthday present for his sister. The present is a fancy box. Opening the box Winston's sister discover a false bottom in which four puzzle tiles with words have been hid. Winston, a master puzzle solver, can't make anything out of the words until he discovers that other people have more of the tiles. Winston, his sister, and the others have to join forces to solve the puzzle and begin a treasure hunt for a missing ring.
A very different book. This book contains puzzles that you can solve as you read the book. Problem is that some of the puzzles require you to write them out. The author does include a web page where you can print out the puzzles. I do have a concern that as a library book someone is very likely to write in the book. It would had been better if the puzzles were think puzzles and not the type that require pencil and paper.
That some of the puzzles do require pencil and paper makes for another problem. At times I found the puzzles annoying as they stop the flow of the story. I ignored most of them and just went on reading. I wouldn't mind a puzzle that I could paused and try to reason it out. Like Ecyclopedia Brown or the Mysterious Bendict Society. In this story though the puzzle were often just planted and didn't have anything to do with the story. I skipped most of them and went on with the story. Granted with many of them you could read the book and then do the puzzles.
As the treasure hunt picked up the story became better. At this point most of the puzzles were puzzles you reason out and they all were tied to the plot. Other people may enjoy this book but, I perfer to read when I pick up a book. When I went to do puzzles I pick up a puzzle book.
A very different book. This book contains puzzles that you can solve as you read the book. Problem is that some of the puzzles require you to write them out. The author does include a web page where you can print out the puzzles. I do have a concern that as a library book someone is very likely to write in the book. It would had been better if the puzzles were think puzzles and not the type that require pencil and paper.
That some of the puzzles do require pencil and paper makes for another problem. At times I found the puzzles annoying as they stop the flow of the story. I ignored most of them and just went on reading. I wouldn't mind a puzzle that I could paused and try to reason it out. Like Ecyclopedia Brown or the Mysterious Bendict Society. In this story though the puzzle were often just planted and didn't have anything to do with the story. I skipped most of them and went on with the story. Granted with many of them you could read the book and then do the puzzles.
As the treasure hunt picked up the story became better. At this point most of the puzzles were puzzles you reason out and they all were tied to the plot. Other people may enjoy this book but, I perfer to read when I pick up a book. When I went to do puzzles I pick up a puzzle book.
February 5, 2019
I needed a book that revolved around a puzzle for my reading challenge, and this was perfect. The whole story revolved around a puzzle/treasure hunt/mystery, and there were individual puzzles scattered throughout. It made me nostalgic for Encyclopedia Brown. Definitely planning to check out the sequel!
March 31, 2021
Fun middle-grade mystery! I loved that the puzzles were presented in a way that allowed the reader a chance to solve along with Winston and the other characters!
June 2, 2024
This has been my absolute favorite book series since I was 9 and boy does it still hold up. I all but have the chapters memorized and yet, immersing myself into the Winston books never gets old.
February 29, 2016
I believe the book The Puzzling World of Winston Breen which is a mysterious suspense novel by Eric Berlin should be rated 4 out of 5 stars because the book was a little childish. I also believe that parts of the story are kind of ridiculous. The main character in the book is Winston he is a 12 year old that loves solving puzzles. He has never seen a puzzle that stumped him until his sister Katie’s birthday. He bought her a box and she finds a secret compartment in it. It has 4 wooden tiles in it. He goes on an epic adventure to solve the puzzle. He finds out the puzzle pieces lead to clues that will help them find a treasure. There are other people that have puzzle pieces and they have to work together to find it. I was always worried about what would happen to the characters in the novel as they solved their various puzzles. I felt like the author did a very well job with his diction because he was using words that children of the age group in the book use. The characters are very well developed and throughout the story they stick to their personalities. Jake and Male, Winston’s best friends, joke around alot and in the story they are always cracking jokes.The plot was moving at a good pace. There were plenty of twists that I was not expecting at all. I believe this book is focused more for 9-12 year olds to read. This book is very good and I would definitely recommend it. There is also a sequel which I can hardly wait to read.
January 3, 2010
Winston Breen loves puzzles...any and all kinds of puzzles! He loves them so much, he gives presents that require solving puzzles to find them. Unfortunately, his family does not share in his enthusiam. So, when his kid sister, Katie's birthday rolls around, he decides to merely give her a present. He finds a beautifully carved decorative box at a secondhand store to put 'girly things' into. Katie's puzzled, 'where's the puzzle?' she wants to know. Lo and behold, she finds one, even though Winston didn't plant it. The box had a secret compartment and out drops four wooden stips with mysterious codes on them. Now, Winston is intrigued... and he MUST solve this puzzle. The journey takes him to the town's librarian (Mrs. Lewis), getting acquainted with two petty criminals, being accused of breaking and entering, and solving a very complicated, complex puzzle put forth by Mr. Walter Fredericks, the town's richest resident, long since deceased, who also happens to be Mrs. Lewis's father.
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen is a great book for fans of puzzles, clues, and mysteries. Enjoyment comes from not only reading the reasoning to the solution, but being a part of it too, as the numerous puzzles are strewn throughout the book for the reader to solve. A first in a series of Winston Breen books...#2 is The Potato Chip Puzzles.
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen is a great book for fans of puzzles, clues, and mysteries. Enjoyment comes from not only reading the reasoning to the solution, but being a part of it too, as the numerous puzzles are strewn throughout the book for the reader to solve. A first in a series of Winston Breen books...#2 is The Potato Chip Puzzles.
March 1, 2016
Book Review
The book The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin is an okay book. I would give it a 2 star because I felt like I got a little lost/ bored. I got bored because all the author would talk about is how Winston could solve puzzles, but for some reason he got stumped on this one. This book didn't keep me entertained the whole way. I have to admit, in the first 4-5 chapters I was hooked, but after that it was an uphill battle just to open the book. It got so boring because all the main character would talk about was how he could solve puzzles. The characters are pretty believable. I could relate to them in some ways, but the characters overall were fine. The main conflict of the story was that there was a puzzle in this vintage box, but no one knows how to solve this weird puzzle, so the main character and his family, and friends start looking for clues. Through time they realize that their puzzle has connections and there are more than just 1 puzzle, but the goal was to solve all 3 puzzles, and the answer would be a map to a really expensive ring. Like I said before, it was an okay book. There is not really anything that will get a reader above the age of 10 hooked. There are parts here and there in the book that are good, but overall I give The Puzzling World of Winston Breen a 2 star.
The book The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin is an okay book. I would give it a 2 star because I felt like I got a little lost/ bored. I got bored because all the author would talk about is how Winston could solve puzzles, but for some reason he got stumped on this one. This book didn't keep me entertained the whole way. I have to admit, in the first 4-5 chapters I was hooked, but after that it was an uphill battle just to open the book. It got so boring because all the main character would talk about was how he could solve puzzles. The characters are pretty believable. I could relate to them in some ways, but the characters overall were fine. The main conflict of the story was that there was a puzzle in this vintage box, but no one knows how to solve this weird puzzle, so the main character and his family, and friends start looking for clues. Through time they realize that their puzzle has connections and there are more than just 1 puzzle, but the goal was to solve all 3 puzzles, and the answer would be a map to a really expensive ring. Like I said before, it was an okay book. There is not really anything that will get a reader above the age of 10 hooked. There are parts here and there in the book that are good, but overall I give The Puzzling World of Winston Breen a 2 star.
December 10, 2007
Perfect for fans of The Westing Game or Chasing Vermeer, this mystery story is all about puzzles. Winston Breen is a young puzzle enthusiast. He's always looking for puzzles in the world around him and exchanging puzzles with his friends. So when he gives his sister Katie a wooden box for her birthday and she finds four wooden sticks with random words on them hidden in the box's false bottom, everyone has a hard time believing that Winston didn't leave that puzzle there for her. The fact is, he didn't. Winston has never seen it before. And try as they might, no one in the family can solve it.
Winston finds out that there are three more sets of clues that go along with Katie's puzzle pieces. They were left by the founder of their town, a very rich man with only one surviving child. There is a potential fortune at the end of the treasure hunt, but will they be able to solve the clues? Will the puzzle be unbroken after all these years?
A neat mystery story very similar to The Westing Game, this book also contains puzzles that Winston and his friends make up. You can solve them as you go (and the answers are provided in the back of the book) and even print them from the website http://www.winstonbreen.com so you don't have to write in your book.
Winston finds out that there are three more sets of clues that go along with Katie's puzzle pieces. They were left by the founder of their town, a very rich man with only one surviving child. There is a potential fortune at the end of the treasure hunt, but will they be able to solve the clues? Will the puzzle be unbroken after all these years?
A neat mystery story very similar to The Westing Game, this book also contains puzzles that Winston and his friends make up. You can solve them as you go (and the answers are provided in the back of the book) and even print them from the website http://www.winstonbreen.com so you don't have to write in your book.
September 5, 2011
This is a summer read I didn't think I'd like too much since it involves puzzles (word, number, what have you) and I'm not a big puzzling fan. I don't even like Wheel of Fortune. I'm more of a Jeopardy! trivia type guy. There are kids who will and do love this and this book is for them! A mystery, which is full of puzzles to work out (all the answers are provided in the back, so you can read it straight through or pause for a while and work in the puzzles). The sequel is out and is on order.
June 12, 2009
One of my favorite video games is Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I haven't found any other game like that and I was so happy when I discovered these books. They remind me a lot of games in the fact that you are on a discovery while you solve puzzles. The book is great even if you do not solve the puzzles but the puzzles give you a little extra twist. There are not very many books like this and it is a great addition to the juvenile fiction genre.
August 30, 2012
I love puzzles and mysteries! Some of my favorite books are Encyclopedia Brown (the OLD ones are the best!), Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys.... and now Winston Breen. I didn't realize this was a series until I just added this to my read shelf. I'll be looking for the other two soon and can't wait.
January 28, 2011
Winston and his sister stumble across a puzzle divided into 4 parts - created by a father in an effort to reunite his 4 quarreling children. As they work with three others to find the ring, Winston shows how you can make a puzzle out of almost anything. Highly engaging book.
March 11, 2014
Tremendously engaging young adult mystery that contains quirkiness that keeps you turning the pages.
January 25, 2025
Read out loud as a family (kids aged 10 and 8.) We loved the puzzles and the story of a scavenger hunt for a hidden treasure. There are several twists in the story, and this realistic fiction takes an uncomfortable turn when Winston and his family face real danger. All is well that ends well, however, and this was a clever and well-told tale that combined story with a variety of puzzles that engaged our whole family. (Be sure to print out copies of the puzzles from the website!)
The only odd thing—and this is small—was that the author often referred to the protagonist’s 10-year-old sister as “little” or “young.” The author could have chosen to make Katie a full-fledged character in the book with different strengths and personality from her brother: Magic Treehouse style! Instead, she was portrayed as tagging along, scared, tired, insecure, or tearful. She does solve a crucial part of the puzzle, but doesn’t seem to become one of the team. Perhaps this was the author’s way of showing Winston’s “older brother” perspective that didn’t see Katie as being a valuable contributor? Even so, this characterization is an odd one and awkward, considering the many ten-year-olds who must be reading this book.
The only odd thing—and this is small—was that the author often referred to the protagonist’s 10-year-old sister as “little” or “young.” The author could have chosen to make Katie a full-fledged character in the book with different strengths and personality from her brother: Magic Treehouse style! Instead, she was portrayed as tagging along, scared, tired, insecure, or tearful. She does solve a crucial part of the puzzle, but doesn’t seem to become one of the team. Perhaps this was the author’s way of showing Winston’s “older brother” perspective that didn’t see Katie as being a valuable contributor? Even so, this characterization is an odd one and awkward, considering the many ten-year-olds who must be reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2017
I personally really enjoyed this book. I seen a few reviews calling it childish but I don't think you understand. This is a CHILDRENS/MIDDLE GRADE novel. What did you expect?
I only skipped one puzzle (The one with the famous Americans) as I am Canadian, so I didn't know any of the answers. I like how you can print out the puzzles so you don't have to write in your book. For some of the wooden strip puzzles, I cut them out from the printable, so I could rearrange them. I've never read a book like this, and I think it was really cool. I was recommended this book by Goodreads, because I enjoyed The Secret Series, but I felt more similarities in this book, to another favourite book,
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (Which I just learned has a third book. Yay!!)
I only skipped one puzzle (The one with the famous Americans) as I am Canadian, so I didn't know any of the answers. I like how you can print out the puzzles so you don't have to write in your book. For some of the wooden strip puzzles, I cut them out from the printable, so I could rearrange them. I've never read a book like this, and I think it was really cool. I was recommended this book by Goodreads, because I enjoyed The Secret Series, but I felt more similarities in this book, to another favourite book,
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (Which I just learned has a third book. Yay!!)
April 18, 2019
Solid read. Majority of puzzles we're stimulating and fair and it was nice having solutions in the back and some multiple answers. I like the theme of reconciliation of friends and family, enjoyed North and Glowaka becoming friends, eventually warmed up to Marietta despite his initial assholeness and appreciated his matter of factness, Winston is likable believable and smart, would have liked to see Penrose or Henry more but sequel may have the two I suppose, predicted the end of Brenda being a bad but liked how it was done with her as traitor with Dilmer. Jake and Mal were fine and Mal was entertaining.
Overall solid fun mystery read that integrated puzzles in a fun ish way with map at the start of story plus stuff like the white envelope clue showing it wasn't as aged as it should've been, and nice twist with the son of a clue holder being an antagonist.
Reminds me if Mysterious Benedict Society a bit too. Good fun read and gonna try more in the series I think.
Overall solid fun mystery read that integrated puzzles in a fun ish way with map at the start of story plus stuff like the white envelope clue showing it wasn't as aged as it should've been, and nice twist with the son of a clue holder being an antagonist.
Reminds me if Mysterious Benedict Society a bit too. Good fun read and gonna try more in the series I think.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2020
I'm a mood reader and a couple weeks ago I needed something light to balance out the other books I was reading.
This was perfect for that. A breezy, mystery that did keep me guessing. It's a little predictable on one hand, but on the other it's still interesting because of how the mystery is set up. The book is rife with puzzles. It's literally built on a giant one with other additional ones woven throughout. And it was a lot of fun to try my hand at figuring them out. I was out of my depth more often than not, but I digress.
The message is nice without being cloying. It's a pro being cool to your siblings book that doesn't act like it's super easy to do so which is always nice.
I took off one star because I felt that the ending was kind of abrupt and I think that there could have been more to the central puzzle. I think it was too basic in hindsight and thus, all the characters weren't used effectively.
But, I really enjoyed it and it was exactly what I needed.
This was perfect for that. A breezy, mystery that did keep me guessing. It's a little predictable on one hand, but on the other it's still interesting because of how the mystery is set up. The book is rife with puzzles. It's literally built on a giant one with other additional ones woven throughout. And it was a lot of fun to try my hand at figuring them out. I was out of my depth more often than not, but I digress.
The message is nice without being cloying. It's a pro being cool to your siblings book that doesn't act like it's super easy to do so which is always nice.
I took off one star because I felt that the ending was kind of abrupt and I think that there could have been more to the central puzzle. I think it was too basic in hindsight and thus, all the characters weren't used effectively.
But, I really enjoyed it and it was exactly what I needed.
April 28, 2021
Winston Breen not only solves puzzles, he creates them. Winston sees puzzles everywhere, from wrapping paper to baseball uniforms. So when Winston’s birthday gift to his little sister mysteriously contains four wooden puzzle pieces Winston is compelled to try solving it. He soon learns that his pieces are part of a larger puzzle. A puzzle with a valuable prize. A puzzle someone would do anything to solve. The main characters are well developed within this delightful mystery. The plot moves steadily along with several twists and turns as he offers readers the opportunity to pause their reading to solve a puzzle or two. Answers are found in the back of the book, although having them all together makes it harder not to peak at the next answer.
April 30, 2020
Found this book from “similar to..” It is probably geared for preteens. The puzzles in the book are likely too hard for all but the best young puzzler though. I figured most out without checking the back but I have lots of experience with puzzles and am an adult. The story is as much a tale of sibling relationship as it is a puzzling adventure. Not a “sweet” book and a bit more modern than I prefer but mildly entertaining. I gather there are more in this series although I Don’t plan on investing more time in this series. Not a page-turner.
December 2, 2020
The puzzles were ok, so was the story. I think it mentions that Winston is a teenager, but honestly he gives me more little kid vibes. Some of the puzzles I felt like some people would never guess, but most of them were fun. I appreciate that there was PG rated action at the end, even though it wasn't the best, it was still something. Throughout the whole book, I was honestly kind of bored and it was a chore to read.
July 26, 2022
A novel with puzzles that the reader can choose or choose not to solve on their own is a fun concept. Answers are revealed within the story or in the back of the book. Plot plausibility is akin to a Scooby Doo episode, but you just have to go with it! I would have rated this 4 stars, but Eric Berlin chose to include the words "damn" and "ass" a few times. Absolutely no reason for this in a middle grade novel.
February 2, 2023
It’s an ok book. I finished it in a day and was a bit more impressed as I thought I would be. The cover was horribly drawn and was unappetizing but you can’t judge a book by it’s cover ig. But what I hated was Zach Dilmer. He was an irrelevant character, and easily could’ve been replaced by another protagonist. Brenda could have Been the main one a by herself. It would make a lot more sense.ZD just added confusion. Overall ok book, just lots of irrelevant characters and details.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2025
This book was okay as Juvenile fiction. It would be good to have your own copy, so you can work out the puzzles in the book as you read if you wish to. Or you could copy them and work them out that way. There are puzzles sprinkled throughout that have the solutions in the back, and other puzzles more integral to the plot that have the solution as part of the text.
It was a pretty good read, and I think it would be a good book for readers in middle grades.
It was a pretty good read, and I think it would be a good book for readers in middle grades.
July 23, 2017
This is a fun book!
It reminds me of "Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein and "The Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.
I loved the plot and characters... the only thing preventing it from being 5 stars is the fact that most of the puzzles seemed too hard... there is an answer key in the back, though!
It reminds me of "Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein and "The Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.
I loved the plot and characters... the only thing preventing it from being 5 stars is the fact that most of the puzzles seemed too hard... there is an answer key in the back, though!
December 17, 2018
I think this book was great. It was a nice story. The only thing I still feel eating at me was how David North and Micky's personalities were so bland. I liked how the book was sprinkled with puzzles and how it was going back in forth with its puzzles. I suggest for this to be 4th grade and over. Since in a part it says "You Horse" and then it had one bad word they are mature enough to skip it.
March 9, 2021
When I started this book, I didn't think I would like it. It reminded me too much of Chasing Vermeer, which I did not enjoy. I was totally wrong! It is well-written, intriguing, fast-paced, and I loved the characters and mystery. It is full of puzzles, which you can solve on your own or look at the answers provided in the back. A very fun book!
May 25, 2025
This is on my son’s summer reading list and I love MG books so I wanted to give it a try. I’d never heard of this series or author! I really enjoyed doing the puzzles along with Winston and there was a great twist at the end that I never saw coming. I’m interested in reading the rest of the series and hope my son is, too!
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