{"id":38762,"date":"2021-03-25T22:32:18","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T02:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38762"},"modified":"2021-03-25T22:32:18","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T02:32:18","slug":"review-of-code-cracking-for-kids-by-jean-daigneau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38762","title":{"rendered":"Review of Code Cracking for Kids, by Jean Daigneau"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Code Cracking for Kids<\/p>\n

Secret Communications Throughout History, with 21 Codes and Ciphers<\/em><\/p>\n

by Jean Daigneau<\/p>\n

Chicago Review Press, 2020. 129 pages.
\nReview written December 29, 2020, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

This is a nice solid book on codes and ciphers for upper elementary through middle school kids. It\u2019s got activities \u2013 the 21 codes and ciphers from the subtitle \u2013 but it\u2019s also heavy on the history of how secret communication has developed, all the way up to talking about how cryptography works today and how important it is in computer applications.<\/p>\n

The library got three new books on codes at the same time, and together they make a nice picture of how kids can use codes but also how the world around us uses them. This one doesn\u2019t have any cartoon illustrations, but uses historical photographs, so it\u2019s got a less playful approach, while still full of ideas for how kids can try out what they\u2019re learning.<\/p>\n

In fact, the first activity this author suggests is making a cryptologist\u2019s kit \u2013 assembling materials used in making and breaking codes into a backpack. As more activities are presented, they usually suggest something to go into your cryptologist\u2019s kit.<\/p>\n

The codes and ciphers presented here are rooted in history. They begin with spies and the codes they used, as well as thinking of other languages and writing systems as a kind of code. Some of the historical items the reader gets to make are an Alberti Cipher Disk, invisible ink, a Jefferson Cipher Wheel, a message hidden inside an eggshell, a St. Cyr Slide Cipher, semaphore flags, and a secret book compartment.<\/p>\n

When I was in junior high, I\u2019d read about the tap code used by American POWs in Vietnam and used it to send messages with my friends. This is the first book I\u2019ve seen that includes that cipher. In general, this one has more to say about codes in the present day than the other books I\u2019ve read for kids.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of good information here, and lots of ideas that interested kids can take much further.<\/p>\n

chicagoreviewpress.com<\/a>
\nipgbook.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Nonfiction\/code_cracking_for_kids.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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