Genre - Fiction (Tween)
Rating - 5/5
Age group recommendation - Grades 3-6
The Scoop - Winston Breen sees puzzles everywhere, in everything. When Winston buys an antique box for his sister for her birthday, he has no idea that the puzzles pieces hidden in the secret compartment will lead him to solve a twenty-five year old puzzle.
The Story - This book is a lot of fun. The story is interesting in several different ways - the mystery of the puzzle pieces, the mystery of the treasure hunters and other characters involved in the hunt, and the puzzles Winston creates for the reader to solve. The plot always moves the story in a very natural way. Even though puzzles unrelated to the overall story are interspersed throughout the text, the puzzles never detract from the pacing of the book. In fact, the break of the puzzles tends to heighten the tension related to the mystery. If this were part of my collection, I would keep copies of the puzzles in the book to give to students who check out the book.
Educational applications
Georgia Performance Standards
ELA4W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.
ELA4LSV2 The student listens to and views various forms of text and media in
order to gather and share information, persuade others, and express and understand ideas.
ELA4C1 The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of
the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application
of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats.
ELA4W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing.
Rating - 5/5
Age group recommendation - Grades 3-6
The Scoop - Winston Breen sees puzzles everywhere, in everything. When Winston buys an antique box for his sister for her birthday, he has no idea that the puzzles pieces hidden in the secret compartment will lead him to solve a twenty-five year old puzzle.
The Story - This book is a lot of fun. The story is interesting in several different ways - the mystery of the puzzle pieces, the mystery of the treasure hunters and other characters involved in the hunt, and the puzzles Winston creates for the reader to solve. The plot always moves the story in a very natural way. Even though puzzles unrelated to the overall story are interspersed throughout the text, the puzzles never detract from the pacing of the book. In fact, the break of the puzzles tends to heighten the tension related to the mystery. If this were part of my collection, I would keep copies of the puzzles in the book to give to students who check out the book.
Educational applications
Georgia Performance Standards
ELA4W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.
ELA4LSV2 The student listens to and views various forms of text and media in
order to gather and share information, persuade others, and express and understand ideas.
ELA4C1 The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of
the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application
of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats.
ELA4W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing.
Working collaboratively with the classroom teacher, the media specialist introduces the students to the genre of mystery prior to reading the book or excerpts from the book. They are given a list of questions to think about while reading -
* What do you think a mystery should be?
* When you think about mysteries, what comes to mind?
* What is your favorite mystery book, movie, or TV program?
* What do you find suspenseful?
* How did the author make you curious?
* What do you think makes a good mystery?
* When you think about mysteries, what comes to mind?
* What is your favorite mystery book, movie, or TV program?
* What do you find suspenseful?
* How did the author make you curious?
* What do you think makes a good mystery?
After reading, students are asked to create their own mystery story using the information from their answers to the questions. Students may also use web sites to research further ideas like Mystery Net Kid's Mysteries. Student may work individually or in assigned groups.
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin
New York : Putnam, 2007
Copy from Atlanta Fulton County Library
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