KREISFIRTH: CODE 1

Number 12, you are my last chance. The countdown is spinning.
Tell No One.

Seventh-grade boarding student Peter McCleery loves mechanisms, fonts, and "The Daily Code." He knows he’s smart. His archenemy, Maggie, has everyone at Kreisfirth calling him “Peter-the-Brain.” Still, he worries he’s not good enough—destined to fail, just like his father.

When a clandestine Cryptology Quest arrives on the first day of school, Peter assumes it’s a hoax—courtesy of Maggie. But the archived Journals of Cordelia Altruist—daughter of Kreisfirth’s eccentric founder, Augustus B. Altruist—prove him wrong: The Quest is real. And the countdown is spinning!

Twelve covert Quest Challenges propel Peter across the clock-shaped campus—twelve extraordinary forests, gardens, museums, and schools seemingly frozen in time, each concealing an encrypted clue. But research alone can’t right Kreisfirth’s imbalance. Maggie is determined to solve the Quest before him. Devious forces are intent on stopping them. And complicated family connections continue to unravel and ensnare. Leaving Peter to decide: Tell NO one. Or trust his friends—and enemies—combining their skills to save the circular island he calls home.

Adventurous middle-grade readers and researchers will join a crew of quirky characters, surrounded by natural wonders, fanciful architecture, and extraordinary objects—as, together, they solve puzzles, riddles, and codes and discover the true meaning of friendship and family.