Chester Keene Cracks the Code

Kekla Magoon's Chester Keene Cracks the Code is a funny, tender mystery for 9 year olds about a boy who lives by his routines and is sure his dad is a spy.

What happens

Chester is eleven. He gets up at 6.35 every day, five minutes after his alarm, because he needs five minutes to stare at the ceiling. Cereal, bus, school, bowling alley. Friday is laser tag, which is the best thing in his week.

He also keeps a spy notebook. Observation, conclusion. Mrs O'Leary's car has gone on the wrong day. Marla has new colours on her braces. The bus driver is being very slowly trained to stop at Chester's own driveway (it works!).

That's because Chester has worked out that his dad is a real spy. They haven't seen each other in eight and a half years, but the birthday presents keep getting more spyish and Chester has finally found an email address. Now Dad hasn't written back for two weeks.

It's all told in Chester's voice, and he's a joy. He's precise and a bit fussy (Skye's grimy mittens on the lunch table nearly finish him off) and quietly hilarious. He keeps a numbered list of the things he likes about his mum's boyfriend, Christopher, and it keeps getting longer.

There's a lot of loneliness under the jokes, though. Chester sits by himself at lunch and tells himself that suits a spy. He tries very hard not to worry his mum, who's raising him on her own.

It's worth knowing that he's bullied. A big lad called Marc knocks his books flying and, after laser tag, punches him hard enough to leave a black eye. Chester hides it from his mum and says a kid bumped him into a wall. It's handled gently and it isn't dwelt on, but a child going through something similar may find it hits close.

Then one Monday there's an envelope tied to the front door with a red ribbon. Inside are two puzzle cards numbered 1 and 4 and a message saying he isn't alone. At lunch a girl in a woolly hat sits down at his table and asks, "Are you him?"

Who do you think left it? Chester has no doubt at all.

If you've got a reader who likes codes, lists and noticing things, they'll feel very at home here.

What to read next

The League of Unexceptional Children would be a good one next. It's about two perfectly average kids nobody ever notices, which turns out to be exactly what the Secret Service needs.