Customer Reviews

The Crypto-Capers: The Case of the Missing Sock

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What could be better than a great story mixed with fun puzzle clues to solve throughout?! That is exactly what you get with The Case of the Missing Sock. This is the first in a new series titled The Crypto-Capers in which a brother, sister, grandma and good friend team up to solve seemingly unsolvable crimes. Sister Mia is a whiz at solving puzzles, brother Max is incomparable when it comes to matters of reason and deduction, good friend Morris is a computer whiz and hard to miss Granny is in a field all her own. Together they are unstoppable and there is no crime that they cannot solve.

In The Case of the Missing Sock, an antique sock (supposedly worn by Elvis's grandmother) comes up missing - but the worst part is that inside that sock is an outrageously expensive pair of Prada sunglasses. Mr. Delacomb hires the Crypto-Capers to solve the crime and find the missing sock. This leads the group to different locations and the need to solve each clue that pops up. Will they be able to weed out the true criminal from the vast array of suspects or will that antique sock remain missing, leaving Mr. Delacomb all shook up?

Readers will love this story as they try and piece the clues together and solve the cryptograms and puzzles throughout. The Case of the Missing Sock is truly a delightful book and one that will keep boys and girls busy - and happy! I cannot wait to read the second in the series titled The Crypto-Capers in The Case of Red Rock Canyon! This is a very unique series of books and one that is sure to be a hit!

Are You A Puzzle Solver? You know those crossword puzzles, then there are word scrambles. Well, now you will find cryptograms to work on to help solve mysteries along with a group of young children plus their Granny!

Right from the beginning Renee's award winning style of writing draws you in. The author is able to create an atmosphere of mystery and wonder through likeable and well-known characters such as Sherlock Holmes. Throughout the book you will follow Max and Mia, young detectives who are asked from a rich man in Florida to help find his wife's stolen birthday present. It seems an antique sock with a specially made pair of sunglasses tucked inside is missing.

I must warn you from the beginning, you will not want to put this book down because it is that good. One book can easily be read in a day. Basically the plot revolves around Max and Mia easily solving clues using cryptograms. The Crypto -Capers are a team of young siblings Max and Mia from London, plus their lovable Granny Nellie Holmes who is always forgetting something or wandering off and the sibling's best friend, Morris a computer genius.

What I especially like about the Case of the Missing Sock is how these youngsters go about finding solutions through their great deductions and reasoning skills. Children will get involved with reading this book on any level and will have fun figuring out the paper clues. Of course if you get stumped, Renee easily provides answers to the cryptograms at the back of the book... but wait, no peeking. You'll discover and solve the clues right along with Max and Mia throughout these wonderful children's mystery series. My rating is 5+ stars. I loved this book. The price $12.95

We purchased the book for our 7 and 9 year old children. They both loved it. The story is fun, and solving the cryptograms engaged them. The kids can't wait for the next books in the series. Highly recommended.

If you had your choice, would you prefer a dirty, smelly old sock that purportedly belonged to Elvis Presley's grandmother or a pair of diamond-studded, gold and onyx designer sunglasses? Maxwell Sherlock Holmes, age fourteen, and his sister Mia, age twelve, live in London, England. Their mother and father are ace detectives with Scotland Yard, and the brother and the sister seem to have inherited their parents' abilities to solve crimes. Therefore, with their Granny, Nellie Holmes, and Max's fourteen-year-old friend Morris Weedlesom, a computer whiz, Max and Mia have formed the Crypto-Capers and unravel mysteries by solving cryptograms that criminals leave behind.

In this first volume of Renee Hand's series, wealthy cereal company owner Charles Delacomb of Naples, Florida, had bought an expensive new pair of sunglasses as a birthday present for his wife and hidden them inside one of a pair of socks that was once owned by Elvis Presley's grandmother. He had purchased the socks at an auction the year before and kept them in his library in a locked cabinet. However, both the one sock and the sunglasses were stolen, and since the thief left a cryptogram, Delacomb seeks help from the Holmeses. As the Crypto-Capers investigate, some of the evidence points to Mrs. Delacomb, while other bits of evidence point to the groundskeeper, Tom Kemper. In fact, on one occasion, Mrs. Delacomb had even given Mr. Kemper a ride. Will Max and Mia be able to figure out the mystery, identify the thief, and retrieve the stolen items?

Most youngsters enjoy reading mysteries, and this is good because solving mysteries helps to develop critical thinking skills. In the Crypto-Capers books, there is the added benefit of language arts-related exercises in working on the cryptograms. On top of this, The Case of the Missing Sock is just a fun story that keeps the reader turning the pages. As the excitement and suspense build, inquiring minds want to know who did it and why! Also, I especially liked the scene at the end where Mr. Delacomb and his fifteen-year-old son, Robert, learn some important lessons about their relationship with each other. If you like mysteries, you will not want to miss the Crypto-Capers.

What do you get when you cross an accident prone computer genius, an expert puzzle solver, a flamboyant grandmother who loves knitting, and a young detective who can solve crimes that stump senior members of Scotland Yard?

A great new interactive mystery series that your children will love!

Sibling detectives Max and Mia Holmes reside on Baker Street in London. Along with their Granny Nellie Holmes and their technology wizard best friend, Morris, they make up the Crypto-Capers.

In Book 1 of this series, "The Case of the Missing Sock", the Crypto-Capers travel to Florida, where Mr. Delacomb hires them to locate a stolen antique sock with a specially made pair of Prada sunglasses tucked inside. With new suspects popping up everywhere they turn, the Crypto-Capers must use Max's great skills at reasoning and deduction, Mia's ability to solve puzzles, and Morris's penchant for technology, to help them solve the crime. And just in case you think Granny has wandered off for no good reason, you'll discover her wanderings are usually very productive.

My daughters--ages 7 and 5--are already bugging me to get done reviewing these books so that they can have them. I have both Book 1 and Book 2 - "The Case of the Red Rock Canyon", and Granny is definitely a favorite character based upon the cover art from Book 2. My girls are starting to make up their own stories without having even read these; so illustrator Alla Dubrovich deserves a huge nod for creating attention-grabbing covers.

"The Case of the Missing Sock" actually opens in London, with Max in the middle of something good. I don't want to destroy the surprise, so I won't say much more on that, but Hand wastes no time in getting right to the action.

Then we get to meet the rest of the team and get some backstory on the family. The backstory is trickled in between the current day happenings, so it doesn't have a chance to take over the storyline or distract the reader. Hand does an excellent job of sharing just the right amount of detail to make the reader feel like he is experiencing everything along with the Crypto-Capers, while not overloading him with unnecessary junk that weighs the story down.

What I enjoyed most about this book and the plans for other books in the series, is that it gives readers, especially reluctant ones, a reason to pick up a book. By having the reader decipher cryptograms along with the team, "The Case of the Missing Sock" becomes more than just a book; it becomes an interactive adventure.

The Crypto-Capers by Renee Hand is one series of children's books that I plan to keep an eye on!

The Crypto-Capers in the Case of the Missing Sock is a fresh and new mystery that all children will love. It is filled with suspense and adventure. It is unique then other mysteries because it is interactive. In order for the reader to solve the case they must solve the cryptograms and puzzles. The reader is actually participating in the story. It is written for all abilities and can be used by teachers as well as the parents in many ways to help encourage reading and to work on reading comprehension. It is a fabulous book and highly reccomended as a great read.