MMGM: Pencils Ready! A Sibling Hunt for Ms. Pennypickle’s Prize

I come from a long line of puzzlers. My grandfather did crosswords and loved word play. When I was growing up, we read from Donald Sobol's Two-Minute Mysteries almost every night. My mom still does crosswords, and my oldest son loves mental puzzles of all kinds. When he was in middle school, the Winston Breen Puzzle books were his favorite, because you could solve the puzzles right along with the main characters.

If you have a puzzler or a treasure hunt fan at your house, I think you’re going to love Chris Grabenstein’s new book. Think Amazing Race meets The Westing Game.

Synopsis: 

Unlike the perfect puzzle, brothers Benji and Ethan just don’t fit together. When their parents order them to go on a cross-country road trip to work on their “relationship,” they expect disaster…until the opportunity of a lifetime comes along.

 
If the boys can solve a puzzle left by Ms. Pennypickle, an eccentric master puzzler, they could win a million dollars! The catch? They’re not the only family competing for the prize. As they race along Route 66, unraveling clues and dodging opponents, the brothers find a lot more than just answers to a few riddles. With so much at stake, can Benji and Ethan team up long enough to win Ms. Pennypickle’s final prize? (from the jacket copy)

Why this story stayed with me:

 1.    Two brothers with a complex relationship. It’s not often that you find middle-grade books with boy protagonists, let alone two boys. The interactions between Ethan, who loves puzzles and video games, and his college-bound athletic brother, were very believable. I loved the theme of strong family connections throughout.

 
2.    Puzzles you can solve along with the characters! Like with Winston Breen books, I really enjoyed trying to solve the puzzles with Ethan. I can see this being so fun for kids. This book should be read with a paper and pencil nearby to see if you can outsmart Benji.

  
3.    Fun travel notes and facts for Route 66. Having never been on this famous drive, I so enjoyed reading about fun locations like Cadillac Ranch, the Painted Desert, and Petrified National Park. The Pops Soda Ranch with its unusual flavors reminded me of a local store where we like to get interesting soda flavors. Illustrations of many of the locations added to the fun.

 
4.    A surprising but believable twist. A last-minute reveal that completely upends your expectations is hard to pull off, but this one made sense and added a lot to the theme of the story (no spoilers!)

 
5.    Very fun secondary characters. The close sister relationship of Kaitlyn and Lily, with whom Benji and Ethan ally through the game, provided a nice contrast to Benji and Ethan’s initial animosity. And the boo-hiss villains, the McDimsey brothers, Ms. Pennypickle and her numerous costumes, and Benji and Ethan’s large extended family were so entertaining.

Reading Level: The language felt accessible to many late second- and third-grade readers, while the puzzles, travel setting, and sibling story should appeal to ages 8–12. It would work well as an independent read for confident younger readers or as a family read-aloud.

Notes for the Classroom or Home: This story offers so many natural openings for discussion—from the geography of the American West to the social-emotional lessons of sibling teamwork. IIf you’re looking for a "hook" for reluctant readers or a fun morning read-aloud, Benji and Ethan’s journey is a fantastic choice.

Content Notes: Mild peril and suspense, plus a little gross-out humor involving unusual soda flavors.

Max’s take (out of a 5 bone scale)

Max, the Reading Dog

 

 

 

 

 

 🦴🦴🦴

No dogs! (Again). But I would like to go to The Pancake Palace. I’m all in for free pancakes—and a good road trip mystery.

 

 

 

Notes from the Front Porch:

Have you read any interesting mysteries lately? Are you a puzzler—or do you have one in your family? Whether you are reading with your students or your own kindred spirits at home, I'd love to hear what's on your nightstand.

P.S. for my writer friends: Especially if you write middle grade, J.J. Johnson is sharing a 12-week series on our assumptions about writing middle grade. The first article, “The Attention Economy Changed the Rules,” gave me much to think about, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

P.S.S. The second book in this series comes out on October 13th. It looks fantastic as well!

 

From the New York Times–bestselling author of the Lemoncello series comes Ms. Pennypickle’s next laugh-out-loud puzzle adventure! When she launches a reality-show contest for a million-dollar prize, two kids must outwit cheaters and solve her epic riddles to win.

When Ethan and Benji won Ms. Pennypickle’s epic quest, they weren’t supposed to tell anyone…so when Benji makes a viral video, Ms. Pennypickle is in trouble! Luckily, her head of advertising, Jack has a plan! It’s time to create a Pennypickle reality show and give a few teams a chance to follow in Benji’s footsteps and win the ultimate prize. Jack’s son, Jackson is a master puzzler…and when one of the contestants, Hope, is without a team member, Jackson steps in to help her race across the country. 

With Hope’s mom as their driver, the pair solve riddles, anagrams, word scrambles, and more as they cross the USA hitting sights like a giant Paul Bunyon statue and the St. Louis Gateway arch. But as the two learn to work together and solve the puzzles…another team is determined to cheat their way to the finish. Can Jackson and Hope find their way to a triumph fair and square?  

 

Check out other fabulous middle grades at Always in the Middle!  

  

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