Author(s): Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Senior Fiction | Adventure | Detective

Mr. Quisling is definitely up to something mysterious, and Emily and James are on high alert.

First, there's the coded note he drops at a book event.
Then they uncover a trail of encrypted messages in Mark Twain-penned books hidden through Book Scavenger.
What's most suspicious is that each hidden book triggers an arson fire.
As the sleuthing friends dig deeper, they discover Mr. Quisling has been hunting a legendary historical puzzle: the Unbreakable Code.
This new mystery is irresistible, but Emily and James can't ignore the signs that Mr. Quisling might be the arsonist. The clock is ticking as the arson fires multiply, and Emily and James race to crack the code of a lifetime. 

REVIEWS:
"Full of heart and replete with challenging ciphers for readers to decode, Bertman's debut is literary cousin to classic puzzlers like The Westing Game, and a story that values books and reading above other pursuits . . . Sure to be popular with voracious readers." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"How I adored this book! It's a page-turning thriller, a valentine to the storied city of San Francisco, an exploration of the nature of friendship and family, a feast for puzzle aficionados and code breakers, and a celebration of the community of book lovers everywhere. It's off the charts wonderful." --Claudia Mills, author of Kelsey Green, Reading Queen and Zero Tolerance

"Book Scavenger is that flashlight-under-the-bedcovers book that would have gotten me into serious trouble when I was a kid." --Jody Feldman, author of The Gollywopper Games

"Book Scavenger is the book I dreamed of when I was young. Adventure! Ciphers! Hidden treasure! And it's all for the love and celebration of books! This book nerd couldn't put it down, and you won't be able to either." --K.A. Holt, author of Rhyme Schemer

Author Biography: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds an MFA in creative writing and has worked for literary agencies, magazines, and educational publishers, and as a freelance copy editor and proofreader. She is the author of Book Scavenger.