Synopses & Reviews
"The author's upbeat, positive tone is refreshing and his enthusiasm about his topic is contagious." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)Pssst! Do you know the difference between a code and a cipher? Can you tell a St. Cyr slide from a Cardano grille? Did you know that the discovery of a substitution cipher caused Mary Queen of Scots to lose her head? Don't look now, but packed into this practical field guide is everything a young person needs to know about the art of concealment - making and breaking codes, mastering cipher systems, and experimenting with secret writing. Offering plenty of hands-on practice sessions, tips for creating a code-making kit, sidebars on secret codes in history, and an amusing pair of spies to illustrate techniques, Paul B. Janeczko's tantalizing TOP SECRET won't stay a secret for long.
Review
"Declaration of truth in reviewing: I have never wanted to make a code in my entire life. Truth of reading experience: This book made me want to start my own codemaker's field kit....This book could convert the unconverted, and for those singers in the choir, it offers months of fun." Chicago Tribune
Review
"For all those kids who love a good puzzle, Janeczko provides tips on making and breaking codes and throws in lots of exercises for practice." Washington Parent
Review
"Janeczko gives aspiring codemakers and codebreakers everything they need for staging their own information exchanges....Fascinating historical anecdotes keep things lively, as do LaReau's stylish black-and-white illustrations." Booklist
Synopsis
Do you know the difference between a code and a cipher? Can you tell a St. Cyr slide from a Cardano grille? Did you know that a substitution cipher caused Mary Queen of Scots to lose her head? Dont look now, but packed into this practical field guide is everything a young person needs to know about the art of concealment making and breaking codes, mastering cipher systems, and experimenting with secret writing. Offering plenty of hands-on practice sessions, tips for creating a code-making kit, sidebars on secret codes in history, and an amusing pair of spies to illustrate techniques, Paul B. Janeczko's tantalizing
Top Secret won't stay a secret for long.
Pssst! Inside these Top Secret files is everything sneaky young agents need to know about making and breaking their own secret codes.
Synopsis
"The author's upbeat, positive tone is refreshing and his enthusiasm about his topic is contagious." -- School Library Journal (starred review)
Pssst Do you know the difference between a code and a cipher? Can you tell a St. Cyr slide from a Cardano grille? Did you know that the discovery of a substitution cipher caused Mary Queen of Scots to lose her head? Don't look now, but packed into this practical field guide is everything a young person needs to know about the art of concealment -- making and breaking codes, mastering cipher systems, and experimenting with secret writing. Offering plenty of hands-on practice sessions, tips for creating a code-making kit, sidebars on secret codes in history, and an amusing pair of spies to illustrate techniques, Paul B. Janeczko's tantalizing Top Secret won't stay a secret for long. Back matter includes suggestions for further reading, an author's note, an answer key, and an index.
About the Author
Paul B. Janeczko is a poet and teacher and has edited numerous anthologies for young people, including A POKE IN THE I: A COLLECTION OF CONCRETE POEMS; VERY BEST (ALMOST) FRIENDS: POEMS OF FRIENDSHIP; and SEEING THE BLUE BETWEEN: ADVICE AND INSPIRATION FOR YOUNG POETS. He is also the author of LOADS OF CODES and SECRET CIPHERS.
Jenna LaReau is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York. TOP SECRET is her first book with Candlewick Press. She lives in Massachusetts, where she works as an illustrator and designer.
From the Hardcover edition.