by Penny Warner
“I didn’t steal them!” Matt protested. “I just borrowed them.”
“So your plan was to mess up the clues at each waypoint?” Quinn asked.
“It would’ve worked,” said Matt, pouting. “I almost beat you to the first few stops. And I got here first!”
“You scared us half to death,” M.E. said, scowling at Matt. “We thought you were some kind of spy who was stalking us!”
Luke shook his head. “I wasn’t really scared.”
“Me, either,” Quinn added. “We figured it was you all along.”
Cody knew they were trying to act like they hadn’t been fooled. “Well, we were a little weirded out by you. Not cool.”
Matt shrugged. “Admit it. I’m a better spy than all of you put together. I made up my own secret codes. And I’m going to join the FBI someday and be a real Code Buster.”
Cody frowned and shook her head. Mika was right about why Matt the Brat had done all of this—spied on them, tried to ruin the game. He hadn’t just wanted to win the prize.
Matt the Brat really wanted to be a Code Buster.
* * * * *
Cody texted Ms. Stad and Mr. Littlefield to let them know where they were—and that they had finally found Matt. Since the Spy Museum was only two blocks away from the FBI building, Ms. Stad and Mr. Littlefield arrived there minutes later, relieved to see the missing boy and the Code Busters safe and sound.
Matt started to explain to her why he had gone off on his own, but Ms. Stad made it clear he was in big trouble. Furthermore, he would not win the prize because he had broken the rules. While the Code Busters told the teacher and chaperone what had happened as they walked back to the Spy Museum, Matt pouted every step of the way.
“Why didn’t you answer our texts?” Cody asked Mr. Littlefield.
“What are texts?” the chaperone answered.
The kids giggled. Mr. Littlefield was a computer engineer who knew LEET code but didn’t know what a text was? “Never mind,” Cody said.
When they arrived, Ms. Stad escorted Matt onto the bus, and had Mr. Littlefield sit next to him to make sure nothing else happened.
“Well, you didn’t follow my orders to wait until the chaperone came, but I understand why you did what you did, and I’m grateful you found Matt,” Ms. Stad said, giving each one a hug as they stood by the bus. “I just wish you’d told me in case you got into trouble. But thank you for saving the trip for the rest of the students—except for Matt, of course. Tomorrow morning he’ll be flying back home with Mr. Littlefield.”
Cody couldn’t help feeling sorry for Matt the Brat. He was always doing something to get himself in trouble. What he had done—going off on his own—could have been really dangerous, so he deserved to be in trouble. Still, it was too bad that he would miss the rest of the trip. Cody had a thought.
“Ms. Stad,” Cody said to her teacher.
“Yes, Cody,” Ms. Stad replied.
“I was thinking. Maybe instead of sending Matt home, he could just miss one of the other sites. That way he’d still get to learn about history and stuff, but also learn a lesson about leaving the group. Maybe you could have him help you prepare for the next hunt. He’s a really good artist. I’ve seen some of his drawings. He could draw some of the codes.”
Ms. Stad frown turned to a soft smile. “Not a bad idea, Cody. He’ll learn a lot more by staying than he will be being sent home. I’m sure I can come up with some things for him to do to help me while you all are at the Cherry Blossom Festival.”
Cody smiled back at her teacher. Ms. Stad was firm, but she was also fair. And maybe Matt really would learn something this time.
“How’s Mrs. Takeda?” M.E. asked.
“She’ll be fine,” Ms. Stad said. “I talked to Mika and she said her mother has a cast on her ankle, but they’ll both be joining us on the rest of our site-seeing tour. Mrs. Takeda will use crutches to get around. She’s a trooper.”
“Are they still at the hospital?” Cody asked. She was eager to see her new friend Mika and tell her what had happened.
At that moment, a taxicab pulled up in front of the Spy Museum. The back door opened and a girl with short dark hair stepped out, along with another one of the chaperones. As soon as the girl turned to face the group, the Code Busters burst out with laughter.
Mika was wearing a fake mustache!
“Mika!” they all said, rushing up to meet her while Ms. Stad paid the cab fare.
“You’re back!” Cody said. “We missed you!”
Mika smiled. “Just for a few minutes. The doctor is still taking care of my mom, but I wanted to come back and thank you for your help,” she said.
“We’re glad she’s going to be all right,” M.E. said.
“Guess what?” Quinn said. “We found Matt!”
“That’s great!” Mika said.
“That’s not all,” Ms. Stad said, returning to the group as the cab drove away. “They also won the Spy Hunt.” She turned to the Code Busters. “You found all the clues, solved all the puzzles, and made it all the way to the end—without cheating. I think you’ve brought a whole new meaning to the word CODE in Code Busters. Clever—you were smart. Optimistic—you never gave up. Daring—you were brave. And Enterprising—you were creative in the way that you solved the puzzles and found Matt. I’m very proud of you. You deserve to have the special meeting with my nephew, the FBI agent.”
“Sweet!” Luke said.
“Awesome!” Quinn agreed.
M.E. just squealed in excitement and clapped her hands.
Cody turned to the others and finger-spelled a question:
Code Busters’ Key and Solution found on pp. 151, 157.
They all gave Cody a thumbs up—the universal code for agreement. Cody smiled at the new girl. “Mika, how would you like to join the Code Busters Club? You’re really good at cracking codes and you’d make a great member.”
The others nodded and smiled warmly.
Tears formed in Mika’s eyes. “I’d like that,” she said softly. “This is the best birthday ever.”
“Today’s your birthday?” Cody said, surprised Mika had kept it a secret.
Mika nodded shyly.
“Wow. How do you say Happy Birthday in Japanese?” Quinn asked.
“Tanjoubi omedetou,” Mika said.
“Tanjoubi omedetou!” the four Code Busters said together. They gave the birthday girl a group hug.
“Arigato gozaimasu!” Mika said, grinning. “I’m so glad to be a member of the Code Busters Club!”
Cody was glad too. She wondered what new adventures—and codes—awaited them when they returned home. Although their next field trip wasn’t for several weeks, she was looking forward to the ferry ride to Angel Island, called the “Ellis Island of the West.” Ms. Stad had told them there were coded messages carved into the walls of the abandoned immigration station, left by people seeking a new life in America, just like Mika. She’d even given them a Japanese haiku to study on their flight home.
Ferry to the shore,
Scavenge for some hidden finds,
Snap, but do not take . . .
CODE BUSTERS’
Key Book
&
Solutions
Japanese Kanji Numbers:
George Washington’s Code:
Alphanumeric Code:
International Morse Code:
Pigpen Code:
Key Version 1
Key Version 2
Finger Spelling:
Semaphore Code:
LEET Code:
A = 4
B = 8
C = (
D = |)
E = 3
F = |=
G = 6
H = #
I = !
J = _|
K = |<
L = |_
M = //
N = //
O = ()
P = |*
Q = (,)
R = |2
S = $
T = +
U = (_)
V = /
W = //
X = *
Y = |/
Z = 2
Phonetic Alphabet:
A = Alpha
B = Bravo
C = Charlie
D = Delta
E = Echo
F = Foxtrot
G = Golf
H = Hotel
I = India
J = Juliet
K = Kilo
L = Lima
M = Mike
N = November
O = Oscar
P = Papa
Q = Quebec
R = Romeo
S = Sierra
T = Tango
U = Uniform
V = Victor
W = Whisker
X = X-ray
Y = Yankee
Z = Zulu
Chapter 1 Solutions
Pig Latin: Is it time for recess?
Acronyms:
APB: all-points bulletin
AWOL: absent without official leave
BLT: bacon, lettuce and tomato
BOLO: be on the lookout
BRB: be right back
DIY: do it yourself
EMT: emergency medical technician
FAQ: frequently asked questions
FYI: for your information
LOL: laugh out loud
OMW: on my way
PBJ: peanut butter and jelly
P.I.: private investigator
S&R: search and rescue
UFO: unidentified flying object
Cartoon Drawings:
Eye (I) Watch Ewe (You) Mat (Matt)
Chapter 2 Solutions
Washington Code:
What is your code name?
EMME (M.E.)
Kuel Dude
Lock & Key
Code Red
I want a decoder ring
Spies are cool
Can you read this?
Let’s wear disguises
Japanese numbers:
23 – 8 – 15
23 – 1 – 14 – 20 – 19
20 – 15
7 – 15
15 – 14
1
19 – 16 – 25
8 – 21 – 14 – 20
Japanese number code message: Who wants to go on a spy hunt?
Chapter 3 Solutions
Washington Code:
Create a legend (background) for your cover (secret identity).
I spy you.
Chapter 4 Solutions
Morse Code:
Welcome to the Spy Museum!
SOS
Chapter 5 Solutions
Washington Monument coordinates:
38° 53' 22.08377" N 77° 2' 6.86378" W
Acrostic code: FATHER OF OUR COUNTRY
Chapter 6 Solutions
Pigpen: The castle has trap doors, hidden tunnels, and secret rooms.
Morse Code: Don’t look now, but I think we’re being followed.
Chapter 7 Solution
Confederate Code: House divided cannot stand
Chapter 8 Solutions
Cartoon Message: Matt the Master Spy Was Here
Semaphore: Let’s go find Matt
Chapter 9 Solutions
Phonetic Alphabet Code: Stad coming this way
Phonetic Alphabet Code: Think fast!
Finger Spelling: Matt
LEET Code: Allosaurus medius, Ceratosaurus nasicornis, Stegosaurus stenops, Triceratops alticornis
Phonetic Alphabet Code: Here you’ll find: Moon Rock, Lunar Module, Spirit of St. Louis, Pioneer Space Probe, and Mercury Friendship Spacecraft.
Chapter 10 Solution
LEET Code: Sorry, we had to leave. Will explain later.
Chapter 11 Solutions
LEET Code: At the air and space museum, one more waypoint to go, then we will be back.
Washington Code: Fidelity, bravery, integrity
Chapter 12 Solutions
Finger Spelling: Can Mika join the Code Busters Club?
Chapter Title Translations (Finger Spelling):
Chapter 1: DIY Codes in the Classroom
Chapter 2: Washington Code FYI
Chapter 3: A Spy or UFO at the Door
Chapter 4: OMW to the Spy Museum
Chapter 5: An APB for Mika
Chapter 6: Race to the Waypoint ASAP
Chapter 7: BOLO for a Spy
Chapter 8: Matt the Brat is MIA
Chapter 9: AWOL Student
Chapter 10: Call the EMT
Chapter 11: SOS—Stop Our Stalker
Chapter 12: A New Code Buster
For more adventures with the Code Busters
Club, go to www.CodeBustersClub.com.
There you’ll find:
1. Full dossiers for Cody, Quinn, Luke, and M.E.
2. Their blogs
3. More codes
4. More coded messages to solve
5. Clues to the next book
6. A map of the Code Busters neighborhood, school, and mystery
7. A contest to win your name in the next Code Busters book.
Suggestions for How Teachers Can Use the Code Busters Club Series in the Classroom
Kids love codes. They will want to “solve” the codes in this novel before looking up the solutions. This means they will be practicing skills that are necessary to their class work in several courses, but in a non-pressured way.
The codes in this book vary in level of difficulty so there is something for students of every ability. The codes move from a simple code wheel—Caesar’s Cipher wheel—to more widely accepted “code” languages such as Morse code, semaphore and Braille.
In a mathematics classroom, the codes in this book can easily be used as motivational devices to teach problem-solving and reasoning skills. Both of these have become important elements in the curriculum at all grade levels. The emphasis throughout the book on regarding codes as patterns gives students a great deal of practice in one of the primary strategies of problem solving. The strategy of “Looking for a Pattern” is basic to much of mathematics. The resolving of codes demonstrates how important patterns are. These codes can lead to discussions of the logic behind why they “work,” (problem solving). The teacher can then have the students create their own codes (problem formulation) and try sending secret messages to one another, while other students try to “break the code.” Developing and resolving these new codes will require a great deal of careful reasoning on the part of the students. The class might also wish to do some practical research in statistics, to determine which letters occur most frequently in the English language. (E, T, A, O, and N are the first five most widely used letters and should appear most often in coded messages.)
This book may also be used in other classroom areas of study such as social studies, with its references to code-breaking machines, American Sign Language, and Braille. This book raises questions such as, “Why would semaphore be important today? Where is it still used?”
In the English classroom, spelling is approached as a “deciphering code.” The teacher may also suggest the students do some outside reading. They might read a biography of Samuel Morse or Louis Braille, or even the Sherlock Holmes mystery “The Adventure of the Dancing Men.”
This book also refers to modern texting on cell phones and computers as a form of code. Students could explain what the various “code” abbreviations they use mean today and why they are used.
—Dr. Stephen Krulik
Dr. Stephen Krulik has a distinguished career as a professor of mathematics education. Professor emeritus at Temple University, he received the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
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