Blue Avenger Cracks the Code [Hardcover]

Norma Howe (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blue Avenger | Publication Date: September 1, 2000

"Unless and until someone can convince me otherwise, it's goodbye, Mr. Shakespeare--hello, Oxford!"

Rue is blue as Blue can be. A reporter can't get his name right; the city council is putting bullets back in guns; an unscrupulous software manufacturer has stolen a good friend's plans for a computer game; and worst of all, Omaha Nebraska Brown, the love of his life, has suddenly gone cold. Only setting out on a new quest can right these wrongs.

A wonderful English teacher gives Blue the challenge that sends him to meet a devious merchant in Venice, decode a mysterious cipher, and devote himself to the cause of Edward deVere, the Earl of Oxford (and, Blue is sure, the true and long-hidden author of the greatest plays in English). After desperate measures to avoid being alone in a gondola under the moon with a beautiful girl, true Blue returns to Omaha's waiting arms, and he finds a clever way for his friend to get credit for his inventions. But whether he can prove Oxford really wrote Shakespeare's plays is up to the reader.

Blue Avenger Cracks the Code is a great stand-alone book that will please Blue lovers grateful to see him back in action, and will give teachers and parents a whole new way to interest young readers in Shakespeare.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Who can crack complicated ciphers faster than a speeding bullet? Or leap tall gondolas in a single bound? It's a supercomputer, it's an Olympic athlete, no, it's Blue Avenger, a.k.a. David Schumacher, Norma Howe's 16-year-old self-made superhero. Blue is back for another round of everyday miracle making in Howe's deliciously clever sequel to The Adventures of Blue Avenger. This time our hero is on the hunt for the true author of Shakespeare's plays--was it really William Shakespeare? Or could it have been the obscure 17th Earl of Oxford, Edward De Vere? While he searches for clues to the history mystery, Blue also manages to score a trip to Venice, foil the foul dog-napping of his grammy's beloved Shih Tzu, and discover a sure-fire way of securing the copyright of his friend Louie's stolen video game idea. But even as he saves the world bit by bit, Blue can't help but wonder what it will take to finally win the trust and love of his friend and crush, the fair Omaha Nebraska Brown. Cracking the code of her heart may end up becoming Blue's biggest challenge.

Like its predecessor, Blue Avenger Cracks the Code is full of engaging, interlocking plot lines that Howe juggles nimbly and matches up neatly by book's end. Has learning through fiction ever been so fun? Full of facts and factoids, Code will have teens running out to research the 17th Earl of Oxford and trying their hands at Francis Bacon's Bi-Lateral Cipher. As always, the Avenger's adventures are true Blue, and very cool. Stay tuned for the next installment! (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

Less philosophical than The Adventures of Blue Avenger, this sequel is just as eccentric and intellectually engaging and very nearly as much fun. In her breezy, iconoclastic style, Howe begins with a hyperbolic note that brings newcomers up to speed even as it throws down the gauntlet: "Now that we've smoked out the bubble heads and goof-offs who think the highest praise they can give a book is I finished it in one day!Anow that we understand each other, we can get on with the adventures at hand." Persuaded by his English teacher that the author of the plays attributed to Shakespeare is instead Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, Blue quickly sets to work decoding Elizabethan anagrams and ciphers, and starts compiling a Shakespeare Mystery Notebook. A trip with his friends to Venice gives him an unparalleled opportunity to test his detective skillsAhe overhears a shady antiquarian and a furtive Englishman (possibly someone "dependent on the continued prosperity of a certain multi-billion-dollar tourist industry") discussing a manuscript in which de Vere (who visited Venice in 1575) mentions Verona's Romeo and Giulietta. Howe makes a virtue out of implausibility by demanding readers' ironic laughter: "That [scenario] is beyond comic books! That is pure Hollywood!" While the narrative is uneven in its techniques (e.g., Howe's cross-cutting slows down once Blue is in Venice), the scale is a grand oneAhere is a comic novel unafraid to challenge its audience. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805063722
• ISBN-13: 978-0805063721
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,808,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue Avenger Strikes Again, September 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Blue Avenger Cracks the Code (Hardcover)

In this book, the sequel to The Adventures of Blue Avenger, Blue continues his exploits to save humanity from crime and corruption. His adventures take him from Oakland, California, to Venice, Italy, and along the way he meets many new friends. This book has many more characters than the first, which makes it even more interesting. The entire plot is intertwined with the mystery of whether or not William Shakespeare really wrote the famed Shakespearean plays. Many conjecture that Edward De Vere, an English earl, was actually the author of Shakespeare's plays. Although this book wasn't as funny as the first, the mystery makes it an even better book. Both books in the series are quick reads, but well worth the time for anyone, especially teenage readers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It makes Shakespeare much more interesting. And its fun to read. Wow!, July 27, 2008

By 

EMI - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Avenger Cracks the Code (Paperback)

This book works well as a sequel to 'the Adventures of Blue Avenger,' it picks up more or less where 'adventures' ended, but is clearly its own story. I'm not going to give much away, but it involves a trip to Europe, a historical mystery, Shakespeare, and yes, a code to be cracked. Part of the story is based on 'the Merchant of Venice.' The themes of personal integrity and helpfulness are still strongly present, which I was pleased about, and this time the undercurrent is more academic and historical than philosophical.

I am a huge fan of the Blue Avenger series, I first read them when I was in high school, and I can still appreciate them at 25. This particular book would be perfect for a high schooler who is studying Shakespeare at school. It would make the work much more interesting, I think.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue Avenger Cracks the Code, July 29, 2004

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Avenger Cracks the Code (Hardcover)

In Norma Howe's first book, THE ADVENTURES OF BLUE AVENGER, her main character David Schumacher changes his name to "Blue Avenger" and becomes a self-made hero. In the sequel, BLUE AVENGER CRACKS THE CODE, the adventure continues.

The book opens as Blue is reading through his father's old books, which have remained untouched since his death three years before. The last book on his list is THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, and Blue begins to wonder who the real Bard was. Could it have actually been Shakespeare or was it Edward De Vere, the relatively unknown 17th Earl of Oxford? Blue, his best friend Louis DeSoto, and Louis's sister Drusie all travel to Venice in order to solve this enigma.

The three friends navigate through many mysteries on this fateful trip. When the time comes for them to board the plane for their long journey home, you wonder if they will be able to resume their normal lives --- or will author extraordinaire Howe treat us to yet another installment? One can only hope that Blue will have more codes to crack in the near future.

--- Reviewed by Audrey Marie Danielson