Book Scavenger

Emily and her family are on a project to live in all 50 states. They move to California. Emily is an avid player of a game called Book Scavenger. The founder of the game is Garrison Griswold. He is shot in San Francisco on the day Emily moves there and as he is about to launch his newest treasure

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hunt.
Emily and her new friend, James, work together to try to solve the mystery. And face increase danger along the way.
A fun, smart adventure that includes codes.

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I am over the universe in love with this book!!!! As a fan treasure hunts, puzzles, mysteries, and more, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this ARC copy and then devoured it in one day. The author has created a perfectly paced book that refuses to be put down until the mystery comes to full light.

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I loved the multiple threads woven in about Edgar Allen Poe, Jack Kerouac, The Beats, the history of San Francisco, and gaming. And, as a sucker for a book with a rich setting, the author did a fantastic job of describing the scene/locations so well that I felt I was actually there with Emily and James. I really hope there will be a follow up to this, perhaps in a different city. Move over, THE WESTING GAME. There's a new book on the shelves!

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Emily Crane’s parents pull up stakes every year and move their family to a new state, working virtually and indulging their love of travel to gather material for a book, 50 Homes in 50 States. Their teenaged son seems happy enough with this routine, but twelve-year-old Emily dreams of staying

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someplace long enough to make friends, to create an emotional anchor in a life filled with detachment. The Cranes next stop is San Francisco, and although Emily dreads the move, this one offers at least one promise of pleasure: San Francisco is the home and literary playground of Garrison Griswold, the originator of what Emily considers “the coolest book-hunting game in existence.”

Alas, the same day Emily and her family drive into town, thugs attack Griswold in a BART station, beating him severely. Now the literary world awaits daily updates from the hospital: Will Griswold survive to reveal his newest book-hunting venture?

James Lee, Emily’s new neighbor, seems familiar with every one of San Francisco’s hidden stairways and twisty streets, and he loves puzzles as much as Emily. They quickly become friends, and James takes Emily—and Matthew, her older, rock-loving brother—on their first foray around town. When they venture into a BART station, Emily finds a copy of Poe's The Gold Bug jammed behind a trash can, a discovery that plunges her into danger from Griswold's attackers.

Emily quickly realizes The Gold Bug contains clues about a treasure Griswold has hidden somewhere in the city. She and James set out to crack a series of clever ciphers, only to find that each success raises the risk they will be found by Griswold's attackers. Emily's fears are heightened by a growing realization an even more complex and important puzzle confronts her: Having made a friend, how does she keep him?

Bertman paints such a delightful picture of San Francisco that, as I read, I began to think it’s time I revisited that city. Emily is nicely drawn, a girl of realistic strengths—tenacious, clever, and cheerful—and weaknesses—impatient and self-involved, perhaps the result of too much aloneness in her young life. James’s talent lies in solving ciphers, highlighted by a contest he enters with sharp-tongued classmate Maddie, but his strongest (and most endearing) quality is his insistence upon friendship’s mutuality. Emily’s big brother, Matthew, is absorbed in the rock band Flush, much to Emily’s dismay, but this obsession isn’t allowed to override (entirely) his essential kindness. Other characters are drawn much more sparely, which weakens the story. Clyde and Barry, the two thugs searching for The Gold Bug (and Emily), are inept and mildly humorous moments, but their voices are virtually interchangeable. Social Studies teacher, Mr Quisling, is almost a complete blank; Bertman seems to think using the name excuses her from character development, yet I wonder how many readers will grasp the historical reference. Ditto Mr Remora; he is peculiar, but hardly sinister, and once again Bertman has chosen a name that is almost laughably on-the-nose, a reminder to all writers that what worked for Charles Dickens doesn't necessarily translate well in modern middle-grade fiction. Hollister, bookstore owner and former friend of Garrison Griswold, stands in for the de rigueur voice of (mostly) wise, if occasionally oblique, guidance. And the abrupt about-face made by Emily’s parents at the end of the book reduces these already-thin characters to little more than paper dolls being manipulated to force a happy ending. Surprisingly, the least well-drawn character is the most essential—Garrison Griswold—but as his puzzle is the critical issue, this superficiality doesn’t affect the story.

I imagine many readers will be sad the Book Scavenger game doesn’t exist beyond Bertman’s nicely-designed book-promotion efforts. Some, I hope, will be inspired to explore further the scandal-ridden history of Masquerade, a 1979 picture book that induced many to search the book’s illustrations for clues to a treasure hidden by the author, Kit Williams.

Is Book Scavenger perfect? No. Early on, when Emily and James query a potential online ally about the scavenger game, they receive repetitive non-answers; I recognized these immediately, and I imagine most will recognize the frustrating computer response. And, most important, because the book's villains are so flimsily drawn and possess barely an ounce of the sinister, the story’s climax--replete a lone cavalryman-to-the-rescue--is disappointingly weak. I was left wondering if Bertman was in a rush to meet a deadline or wasn’t quite sure how to end this otherwise delightful story. Emily, James, Matthew, and their puzzles deserve better.

The good of Book Scavenger, however, far outweighs the so-so. Overall, the writing is solid and justifies the reader's immersion, the mystery nicely complex, the ciphers and puzzles are pure fun, and the main characters appealing and resourceful. Highly recommended.

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I am over the universe in love with this book!!!! As a fan treasure hunts, puzzles, mysteries, and more, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this ARC copy and then devoured it in one day. The author has created a perfectly paced book that refuses to be put down until the mystery comes to full light.

Show More

I loved the multiple threads woven in about Edgar Allen Poe, Jack Kerouac, The Beats, the history of San Francisco, and gaming. And, as a sucker for a book with a rich setting, the author did a fantastic job of describing the scene/locations so well that I felt I was actually there with Emily and James. I really hope there will be a follow up to this, perhaps in a different city. Move over, THE WESTING GAME. There's a new book on the shelves!

Show Less

Emily Crane’s parents pull up stakes every year and move their family to a new state, working virtually and indulging their love of travel to gather material for a book, 50 Homes in 50 States. Their teenaged son seems happy enough with this routine, but twelve-year-old Emily dreams of staying

Show More

someplace long enough to make friends, to create an emotional anchor in a life filled with detachment. The Cranes next stop is San Francisco, and although Emily dreads the move, this one offers at least one promise of pleasure: San Francisco is the home and literary playground of Garrison Griswold, the originator of what Emily considers “the coolest book-hunting game in existence.”

Alas, the same day Emily and her family drive into town, thugs attack Griswold in a BART station, beating him severely. Now the literary world awaits daily updates from the hospital: Will Griswold survive to reveal his newest book-hunting venture?

James Lee, Emily’s new neighbor, seems familiar with every one of San Francisco’s hidden stairways and twisty streets, and he loves puzzles as much as Emily. They quickly become friends, and James takes Emily—and Matthew, her older, rock-loving brother—on their first foray around town. When they venture into a BART station, Emily finds a copy of Poe's The Gold Bug jammed behind a trash can, a discovery that plunges her into danger from Griswold's attackers.

Emily quickly realizes The Gold Bug contains clues about a treasure Griswold has hidden somewhere in the city. She and James set out to crack a series of clever ciphers, only to find that each success raises the risk they will be found by Griswold's attackers. Emily's fears are heightened by a growing realization an even more complex and important puzzle confronts her: Having made a friend, how does she keep him?

Bertman paints such a delightful picture of San Francisco that, as I read, I began to think it’s time I revisited that city. Emily is nicely drawn, a girl of realistic strengths—tenacious, clever, and cheerful—and weaknesses—impatient and self-involved, perhaps the result of too much aloneness in her young life. James’s talent lies in solving ciphers, highlighted by a contest he enters with sharp-tongued classmate Maddie, but his strongest (and most endearing) quality is his insistence upon friendship’s mutuality. Emily’s big brother, Matthew, is absorbed in the rock band Flush, much to Emily’s dismay, but this obsession isn’t allowed to override (entirely) his essential kindness. Other characters are drawn much more sparely, which weakens the story. Clyde and Barry, the two thugs searching for The Gold Bug (and Emily), are inept and mildly humorous moments, but their voices are virtually interchangeable. Social Studies teacher, Mr Quisling, is almost a complete blank; Bertman seems to think using the name excuses her from character development, yet I wonder how many readers will grasp the historical reference. Ditto Mr Remora; he is peculiar, but hardly sinister, and once again Bertman has chosen a name that is almost laughably on-the-nose, a reminder to all writers that what worked for Charles Dickens doesn't necessarily translate well in modern middle-grade fiction. Hollister, bookstore owner and former friend of Garrison Griswold, stands in for the de rigueur voice of (mostly) wise, if occasionally oblique, guidance. And the abrupt about-face made by Emily’s parents at the end of the book reduces these already-thin characters to little more than paper dolls being manipulated to force a happy ending. Surprisingly, the least well-drawn character is the most essential—Garrison Griswold—but as his puzzle is the critical issue, this superficiality doesn’t affect the story.

I imagine many readers will be sad the Book Scavenger game doesn’t exist beyond Bertman’s nicely-designed book-promotion efforts. Some, I hope, will be inspired to explore further the scandal-ridden history of Masquerade, a 1979 picture book that induced many to search the book’s illustrations for clues to a treasure hidden by the author, Kit Williams.

Is Book Scavenger perfect? No. Early on, when Emily and James query a potential online ally about the scavenger game, they receive repetitive non-answers; I recognized these immediately, and I imagine most will recognize the frustrating computer response. And, most important, because the book's villains are so flimsily drawn and possess barely an ounce of the sinister, the story’s climax--replete a lone cavalryman-to-the-rescue--is disappointingly weak. I was left wondering if Bertman was in a rush to meet a deadline or wasn’t quite sure how to end this otherwise delightful story. Emily, James, Matthew, and their puzzles deserve better.

The good of Book Scavenger, however, far outweighs the so-so. Overall, the writing is solid and justifies the reader's immersion, the mystery nicely complex, the ciphers and puzzles are pure fun, and the main characters appealing and resourceful. Highly recommended.

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Fun search and book styled tale.

Emily's family moves often in her parents' quest to live in all 50 states, and Emily plays Book Scavenger wherever she goes. When they move to San Francisco, she and her new friend James (+ Steve) must solve the clues to win the game.

Book Scavenger is a great middle school book. The story is about Emily and her eccentric family that moves repeatedly around the country in order to live in 50 homes in 50 different states. On their move to San Francisco, Emily meets James and finds a friend with the same interests in books and

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games as she has. Emily and James become involved in a game created by Garrison Griswold, the creator of a variety of games for book lovers around the country. This game, however, becomes deadly when Griswold is mugged and sent to the hospital on the way to revealing his new game. Emily and James stumble onto the game and find themselves trying to solve the puzzle at the same time they are being pursed by unknown assailants who want a book by Edgar Allen Poe called The Gold Bug. There are lots of twists and turns in this story and Emily learns a great deal about herself and her family. This is a wonderful book for middle grade readers as well as anybody who likes a good mystery, puzzle, or treasure hunt.

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What's more fun for me than reading a middle grade book? Reading books about books of course. I find I like a bit of irony and to me this is kind of ironic. I also expect to be taken on an adventure and get a fascinating mystery to solve along with the characters. In a middle grade book I get just

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a punch more fun and sweetness.

I loved this book and how smart the kids were, and I was surprised how elements of the story was a little dark and macabre, just a bit. Edgar Allan Poe and his life and career as a writer was a big part in this book, and that's where the dark elements came about. I learned a lot about his life and I'm now curious to know more about him and read his stories. Just shows, it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks as the saying goes. Something that I notice about middle grade books today is how more edgy, dark and honest they are. Makes me think this is because the kids today are smart enough to know they don't want to be write down to or lied to. I like where this genre seems to be heading, I love middle grade books, it's my go to genre when feeling a little burned out on other genres.

I recommend this book to the kid that loves solving puzzles, adventure, and solving a mystery with real bad guys.

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AMAZING!!!!!! If you are a bibliophile you MUST read this book. So many fascinating stories about bookshops and book people around the world. I will have two copies, one to write in and take notes and one to cherish. My book loving friends will be getting this for Christmas!!!

A fun adventure/mystery story set in San Francisco and full of literary references. Kids will enjoy extensive use of codes and puzzles.

Had I read this book when I was 9-12 I think I would have given it 5 stars. The children’s mysteries available to me then were nowhere near as good, and none that I can remember took place in San Francisco.

This story is great for both boys and girls, and will likely also be appealing to many

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reluctant readers. Even though this is a children’s book I think many older people (13 and all the way up) can also enjoy it. I particularly loved the San Francisco setting and that this is a book about books. I thoroughly enjoyed the real San Francisco portions. The fictional San Francisco parts felt a bit jarring to me (though likely not true for readers who didn’t/don’t live in the city) but they were still gratifying and a hoot.

This was a fun, light, enjoyable book. At times I found it scary, with a tad more feeling of menace that I prefer, but given that this book is for middle grade children I knew it wouldn’t get too dark, and it didn’t. There were a couple times I had to suspend disbelief, but not so much that it took me out of the story. Some smartly done red herrings too!

Interestingly, the instructions that start the story, although short, were a bit of a drudge for me (I have a story about the exercise my wonderful fifth grade teacher gave us about the importance of carefully reading instructions and they reminded me of that.) But they made the book’s story feel all that more authentic, and I think many readers will enjoy them.

I was left feeling love for the main characters and happiness for them. I felt invested in their lives: the three kids, the parents and some of the other adults, and properly scornful of the villains.

This is a lovely friendship story and a great romp. Lots of fun, with heart. Perfect for children who are fans of mysteries, puzzles, codes, and definitely children who’ve lived in or visited San Francisco or who have some interest in the city.

The author’s notes at the end are wonderful, and I learned a lot about Poe and some other subjects related to this story.

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Twelve-year-old Emily is an enthusiastic participant in Book Scavenger, an online game in which people hide books and leave clues for them to be found by others. And when her family relocates to San Francisco as part of their eccentric quest to spend time living in all 50 US sates, she's excited to

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participate in a local book-scavenging contest to be held by the site's creator... until an attack by would-be book thieves prevents him from announcing the contest. But Emily's found the book that was to be the key to the game, and is determined to follow the clues where they lead.

This is a decent kid's book, although it's one of those that I think I would have enjoyed a lot more if I'd read it at the appropriate target age. (Well, no, OK, if I'd read it when I was at the appropriate target age, I'd have just been confused, because I'd have no idea what this strange "internet" thing might be. But you know what I mean.) I especially would have enjoyed it because I went through a phase where I was fascinated by puzzles and ciphers, and there's certainly a lot of that in here. Adult me, however, mainly just appreciated the literary references.

Rating: 3.5/5, but I recommend it a bit more highly than that for puzzle- and book-loving kids.

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A fun mix of the Caulder books by Blue Balliett. Willy Wonka, and Mr. Lemoncello. It’s a mystery, but it’s a treasure hunt. Garrison Griswald is very excited about his new game. It will be a treasure hunt with real treasure at the end. But one day on his way to the office he is gunned down and

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the only version of clue number one gets hidden behind the trash in the BART station by accident. However serendipity ensures when the book is found by Emily who soon realizes that she holds a golden ticket in the form of the Golden Scarab.

Emily is new to San Francisco. Her parents have this crazy idea to live and work in all 50 states, but this new location is different. She has her first real friend in James, the kid in the apartment above hers, and the nomadic life is wearing thin. They find common ground in puzzles both mathematical and literary, and a crazy adventure ensues.

I really liked how the author used real events such as the book Masquerade and its treasure hunt, as well as real characters like Poe, Hammett, and Karuack. This fun romp was not as fast paced as Lemoncello, but allowed itself to be funny in ways that are missing from Blue. Overall this was a fun book that would make for great classroom activities or book club discussions. I look forward to reading the sequels.

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Emily is part of a family of wanderers who is ready for her family to settle down. She's made a friend who loves puzzles as much as she does and they are smack in the middle of the most exciting book scavenger adventure she has ever had. But Emily needs to learn about friendship and loyalty just as

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much as she needs to solve this puzzle

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A great adventure through San Francisco in search of both friendship and books. What's not to like? :)

I especially liked reading this as the characters make their way through and around the
San Francisco landmarks. If, an Edgar Allan Poe fan, you will enjoy the novel's tie in to some of Poe's lesser known work.

When Emily Crane, a lover of books and puzzle-solving, moves, once again, into her new

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apartment, she is faced once again with the task of starting over. Her parens move often due to their common goal of living in all fifty state. This has become wearisome for Emily, as she never has the chance to make lasting relationships before moving away. In San Francisco, she meets James Lee, a cipher-solving whiz with a cowlick he’s named Steve. Given her background, Emily won't allow herself to get attached, James, on the other hand lives with his Chinese-American family in the same apartment building for decades. Emily is following a game created by Mr. Griswold, a Willy Wonka type of guy and author. When Griswold is attacked in the BART station, Emily fears for his life and the future of Book Scavenger, which is an exciting online geocachinglike game for books. After a disappointing book hunt at the Ferry Building, Emily finds an unexpected hardcover, The Gold-Bug, near where Griswold was attacked. Believing the book is Griswold’s pre-launched game, she becomes obsessed with solving its hidden messages while dodging two thugs and risking her friendship with James.

There is an actual book scavenger game one can participate in where books are hidden all over the U.S.

Ages 8-12

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Twelve-year-old Emily’s family moves more frequently than the average family. After all, her parents are on a quest to live in all 50 states for their blog. When they move to San Francisco, the home of Emily’s book idol, Garrison Griswold, she is beyond excited to be in the city where her

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favorite game Book Scavenger was created. She can’t believe it when she finds out her idol has been attacked and is in the hospital. Who would do such a thing? Her new neighbor, James, becomes fast friends with her after they realize that they both love puzzles. James has never played Book Scavenger (a game where people hide books in cities all over the country and leave clues online leading the cleverest people to find them) and when he goes with Emily and her older brother, Matthew, to look for a book they find a special one, The Gold-Bug. The book looks different from any Emily has ever seen, and the weirdest part is even though it's written by Edgar Allen Poe, it's full of mistakes. Are all the copies wrong? Are the mistakes clues? Finding The Gold-Bug makes Emily and James believe they may have stumbled on Garrison Griswold’s latest game, one he never got to announce because he was attacked. Unfortunately, the people who injured Mr. Griswold want the book that Emily has, and they will stop at nothing to get it back. Will Emily and James be able to figure out what the clues they find in The Gold-Bug mean? Can the bad guys actually find Emily and James? Did Garrison Griswold create a game he was never able to announce? Now that Emily has made her first real friend, will she have to say goodbye before she gets to really know him? You'll have to read this fabulous literary adventure in order to find out!

I didn’t know anything about Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman when I started reading. I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the fun book scavenger game that the story centers around, and I think it will appeal to a lot of kids and adults. I also think Emily would be an interesting friend because she loves books like I do and she has lived in a lot of places that I would like to talk to her about. I think Emily’s friend, James, is funny and I appreciate that he is comfortable being who he is and that he doesn’t try to impress others. Reading about Emily and James’s friendship could help kids see that being a friend means listening and doing things your friend likes to do too. The story also included many details about books, the publishing industry, and Edgar Allen Poe’s works. I know this will be a book that kids in fourth grade and up will get into (and people of any age who love books). I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

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A grand adventure for bookworms and puzzle-lovers alike. I'm not the type of reader to stop and try to figure out all of the cyphers and codes myself, but you could if you wanted to. The premise is great, the plot is well-paced and with enough danger to be exciting, but the characters' emotional

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arcs are strong, too; particularly Emily and Matthew. James is a bit flat, and Steve is just stupid. I think this will be a bit hit with all the nerdy reader kids.

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This book was really good! Inspired by one of my favourite activities, bookcrossing, I've wanted to read this for a while now.
Emily & her family have just moved to San Francisco, home of Garrison Griswold, creator of the the game Book Scavenger. But Emily learns that Garrison was attacked

Meh. It's a chapter book for middle grade readers. I think one of my kids might quite like it.

Pluses: enthusiastic about books and ciphers, may get kids engaged with those things. And there is now a real Book Scavenger site online where you can play the game from the book, a kind of mashup of

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Bookcrossing and geocaching.

Minuses: two things about the plot REALLY bug me. First, Emily apologizes to James, but she doesn't actually make amends or change her behavior. Their interactions continue to be all about her interests, not his. Second, Griswold has taken a priceless, previously unknown original manuscript, and BURIES IT IN THE GROUND!?!? I don't care that he put it in a plastic bag, Remora is completely right about this one: people who love books don't do that. And third, minor nit, big brother suddenly gives up his awesome concert to adventure with his kid sister because she was feeling left out? Really?

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Book Scavenger is a great middle school book. The story is about Emily and her eccentric family that moves repeatedly around the country in order to live in 50 homes in 50 different states. On their move to San Francisco, Emily meets James and finds a friend with the same interests in books and

Show More

games as she has. Emily and James become involved in a game created by Garrison Griswold, the creator of a variety of games for book lovers around the country. This game, however, becomes deadly when Griswold is mugged and sent to the hospital on the way to revealing his new game. Emily and James stumble onto the game and find themselves trying to solve the puzzle at the same time they are being pursed by unknown assailants who want a book by Edgar Allen Poe called The Gold Bug. There are lots of twists and turns in this story and Emily learns a great deal about herself and her family. This is a wonderful book for middle grade readers as well as anybody who likes a good mystery, puzzle, or treasure hunt.

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If you love San Francisco, books and cryptology, this one is right up your alley!

New fast friends Emily and James work together to solve a book mystery.

Lots of cool references to other books which deal with puzzles and treasure hunts, like Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, The Westing Game and

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short stories by Edgar Allan Poe.

It sort of reminds me of The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby which takes place in New York City and also deals with kids solving puzzles with a promised treasure while baddies chase them.

And Book Scavenger is the first in a series, but it can be read as a standalone.

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