York: The Shadow Cipher

“The pleasures of the novel go far beyond the crackling, breathless plot and the satisfaction of watching the puzzle fall into place. The book is shot through with humor, both laugh-out-loud and subtle.” —New York Times Book Review

From National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner Laura Ruby comes an epic alternate history series about three kids who try to solve the greatest mystery of the modern world: a puzzle and treasure hunt laid into the very streets and buildings of New York City.

It was 1798 when the Morningstarr twins arrived in New York with a vision for a magnificent city: towering skyscrapers, dazzling machines, and winding train lines, all running on technology no one had ever seen before.

Fifty-seven years later, the enigmatic architects disappeared, leaving behind for the people of New York the Old York Cipher—a puzzle laid into the shining city they constructed, at the end of which was promised a treasure beyond all imagining. By the present day, however, the puzzle has never been solved, and the greatest mystery of the modern world is little more than a tourist attraction.

Tess and Theo Biedermann and their friend Jaime Cruz live in a Morningstarr apartment—until a real estate developer announces that the city has agreed to sell him the five remaining Morningstarr buildings. Their likely destruction means the end of a dream long held by the people of New York.

And if Tess, Theo, and Jaime want to save their home, they have to prove that the Old York Cipher is real. Which means they have to solve it.

"An epic mission to solve one of the greatest mysteries of their time. I loved this book. It is full of twists and turns" (from the Brightly.com review, which named York: The Shadow Cipher one of the best books of 2017).

Can three kids solve a mystery that has stumped the world for over a century, especially when their home depends on it?

• An Epic Treasure Hunt: Join Tess, Theo, and Jaime as they race against time to unravel a puzzle laid into the very streets and buildings of New York City.
• An Alternate History Adventure: Discover a version of NYC built by the mysterious Morningstarr twins, filled with dazzling machines, secret tunnels, and forgotten technology.
• A City-Sized Puzzle: The Old York Cipher has baffled experts for over 150 years. Can this unlikely team of friends crack the code before their home is demolished?
• A High-Stakes Mystery: With a greedy real estate developer threatening their historic apartment building, the stakes couldn’t be higher for this determined trio.