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gigiinzim's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun book for children. This book is exactly what it says it is and will capture the minds of any curious child. I loved this book more that I thought I would. I think any child could enjoy it and would like to find this in their classroom or library!
The publisher provided an ARC through Netgalley. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts
The publisher provided an ARC through Netgalley. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts
aedgeworth27's review against another edition
5.0
@kidlitexchange #partner-- I received a copy of this book as part of the #kidlitexchange network in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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This book releases Next Tuesday, March 26.
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What a fun book! "Can You Crack the Code?" by Ella Schwartz is a fascinating look inside the codes that have stumped many people for all of history. With stories from all over the world, readers are shown the system for decoding ancient codes, and the work that some people are still doing to decode various documents! It was interesting to see how, even with all the technology and man power we have now, there are still certain secrets we just can't break.
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Interspersed throughout the stories are a variety of activities readers can do to crack or create their own codes. I found myself, even, getting stumped and having to work and rework the codes. This book was so fun while still learning a great deal. I highly recommend this book to middle grade readers. It would be a great book to put in the hands of a reader who is interested in spy stories or languages!
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This book releases Next Tuesday, March 26.
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What a fun book! "Can You Crack the Code?" by Ella Schwartz is a fascinating look inside the codes that have stumped many people for all of history. With stories from all over the world, readers are shown the system for decoding ancient codes, and the work that some people are still doing to decode various documents! It was interesting to see how, even with all the technology and man power we have now, there are still certain secrets we just can't break.
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Interspersed throughout the stories are a variety of activities readers can do to crack or create their own codes. I found myself, even, getting stumped and having to work and rework the codes. This book was so fun while still learning a great deal. I highly recommend this book to middle grade readers. It would be a great book to put in the hands of a reader who is interested in spy stories or languages!
choirqueer's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great book for learning about ciphers and cryptography. It's more than just a history, it really goes in-depth into how they work, giving readers an opportunity to try encoding and decoding messages in different ways. It was a little "good guys / bad guys" focused for my preference, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it on that basis. I would love to have learned about some examples of nonviolent/nonmilitary usages.
backonthealex's review against another edition
5.0
I love ciphers, codes and puzzles and have ever since I was a young girl. What I didn't know was the history of coding, and it is a fascinating one. Ella Schwartz has put it all together in this book along with some fun and challenging examples that kids can solve and use in their lives. Coded messages are known to have been used over two thousand years ago when the Roman emperor Julius Caesar used the Caesar cipher, which simply substituted one letter for another. Of course, with any code or cipher, the recipient must know the key in order to understand the message. This is a well-written history by an expert in the field of cybersecurity. Today's kids will be interested in what she has to say about computer coding. When I was a classroom teacher, I always taught my kids a few coding basics and we would make a cipher wheel like this one (head over to Randomly Reading for complete instructions and a template for making your own cipher wheel).
Pair Can You Crack the Code? with Explorer Academy Codebreaking Activity Adventure. Even if your kids aren't into the Explorer Academy series, this is a fun scavenger hunt based on different codes, ciphers, and puzzles.
Pair Can You Crack the Code? with Explorer Academy Codebreaking Activity Adventure. Even if your kids aren't into the Explorer Academy series, this is a fun scavenger hunt based on different codes, ciphers, and puzzles.
scostner's review against another edition
3.0
Let me just say that the subtitle is not kidding. This books covers codes from the ancient Greeks, through Caesar, Samuel Morse, Alan Turing, and up to the current day. Each chapter discusses the methods used to keep messages secure over the ages - from writing them on paper to be swallowed, sharing special code words, supercomputers using prime numbers to create encryption, and even biometric security. There are activities throughout the book that challenge readers to try their own skills at the various forms of deciphering and code breaking.
Photos of figures like Morse and Turing, as well as devices like cipher disks, the Enigma machine, and Bletchley Park's Bombe (the machine that cracked the Enigma code), add interest and reinforce that these are historical facts. There are also jokes such as, "Why don't Vikings send emails? They prefer Norse Code."
Sidebars provide information on the Code Talkers of WWII, as well as the women and African Americans who served as cryptoanalysts during the war. There is also information on the coded telegrams that Abraham Lincoln used to communicate with the Union Army. Readers may visit https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/zooniverse/decoding-the-civil-war to volunteer their help to decode Civil War telegrams and add them to archives.
If you have middle grade readers who are interested in mathematics or codes, this is the next book you need to show them. I read an ARC provided by the publisher for review purposes.
Photos of figures like Morse and Turing, as well as devices like cipher disks, the Enigma machine, and Bletchley Park's Bombe (the machine that cracked the Enigma code), add interest and reinforce that these are historical facts. There are also jokes such as, "Why don't Vikings send emails? They prefer Norse Code."
Sidebars provide information on the Code Talkers of WWII, as well as the women and African Americans who served as cryptoanalysts during the war. There is also information on the coded telegrams that Abraham Lincoln used to communicate with the Union Army. Readers may visit https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/zooniverse/decoding-the-civil-war to volunteer their help to decode Civil War telegrams and add them to archives.
If you have middle grade readers who are interested in mathematics or codes, this is the next book you need to show them. I read an ARC provided by the publisher for review purposes.
ssejig's review against another edition
3.0
Schwartz introduces a number of different ways that people could hide messages using numbers, switching letters, or even creating machines. Each chapter focuses on one way to create a code and then provides examples for the reader to try. Weaving a bit of fun with history, this is a book I would have devoured as a middle schooler.
aubrooke's review against another edition
5.0
Such a cool book!!! I love spy books and this non-fiction book is now a favorite!! All the stars!
maidmarianlib's review against another edition
4.0
Such a great overview of codes, some great history, love the context of real stories that engage the specific topics.
kateteaching7and8's review against another edition
4.0
@kidlitexchange #partner
Thank you to the publisher @bloomsburypublishing and the author Ella Schwartz for sharing an advance copy of Can You Crack the Code? with the #kidlitexchange network. All opinions are my own.
This book is perfect for readers who love codes, puzzles, ciphers, and secrets. The book details different ways people have tried to hide their messages throughout history. It includes stories of hidden treasures, different plans and machines created to encode messages, and information on modern day hacking. Puzzles to test the readers skills are peppered throughout the book and it will culimnate with one large final puzzle that will call on the reader to use all of the skills they learned about throughout the book.
I really enjoyed learning about cryptography and how it has changed over the years. The stories are engaging but informative. The puzzles given throughout the book are fun and challenging. I also like that the author offers a couple opportunities for the reader to continue their work/research. For example, she lists the address to a website where you can help decode messages from the Civil War and another where you can learn about white hat hacking. The fact that the author is also an expert in her field is also a selling factor for me as a teacher. I'm always trying to remind my students to check where their information is coming from to ensure it's validity and authenticity. This is an educational and fun nonfiction book sure to engage middle grades readers.
Thank you to the publisher @bloomsburypublishing and the author Ella Schwartz for sharing an advance copy of Can You Crack the Code? with the #kidlitexchange network. All opinions are my own.
This book is perfect for readers who love codes, puzzles, ciphers, and secrets. The book details different ways people have tried to hide their messages throughout history. It includes stories of hidden treasures, different plans and machines created to encode messages, and information on modern day hacking. Puzzles to test the readers skills are peppered throughout the book and it will culimnate with one large final puzzle that will call on the reader to use all of the skills they learned about throughout the book.
I really enjoyed learning about cryptography and how it has changed over the years. The stories are engaging but informative. The puzzles given throughout the book are fun and challenging. I also like that the author offers a couple opportunities for the reader to continue their work/research. For example, she lists the address to a website where you can help decode messages from the Civil War and another where you can learn about white hat hacking. The fact that the author is also an expert in her field is also a selling factor for me as a teacher. I'm always trying to remind my students to check where their information is coming from to ensure it's validity and authenticity. This is an educational and fun nonfiction book sure to engage middle grades readers.