THE SECRET CIPHER

Book 2 in the middle-grade Secret Box mystery series (The Secret Box, 2014).

Cousins Jax and Ethan and Ethan’s older brother, Tyler, are off on another adventure propelled by Greek mythology. At home in New Jersey, Jax has been contacted by a Boston convalescent home telling her that a woman who had suffered a stroke was admitted with no identification beyond Jax’s home phone number written on her bandanna. Jax is convinced it’s great-aunt Juniper and that the Greek mythological urn of Hope, rescued by the children in Book 1 and now in Juniper’s possession, is in danger. Impetuous Jax and nerdy Ethan entice Tyler, geeky gamer, to drive them to Boston. Once there, they discover that there is not just one urn in peril, but three—Hope, Faith and Love—and that a villain already has Faith in his possession and seeks the other two. With the help of a mysterious girl and Jax’s incarcerated father (whom Jax meets for the first time), the children begin the race to keep the urns of Hope and Love from the villain’s clutches. Ringwald repeats her successful Book 1 narrative structure as Jax, Ethan and Tyler each narrate chapters in their distinctive, hilarious first-person voices. Twists abound, and the ending will leave readers demanding the third installment immediately.

Suspense, humor and sparkling narrative voices combine to deliver an engaging adventure.