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    York: The Shadow Cipher
    York: The Shadow Cipher
    York: The Shadow Cipher
    Audiobook10 hours

    York: The Shadow Cipher

    Written by Laura Ruby

    Narrated by Adam Verner

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    “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).

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 16, 2017
    ISBN9780062682789
    Author

    Laura Ruby

    Laura Ruby is the Michael L. Printz Award–winning author of many books for adults, teens, and children, including Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All and Bone Gap, both National Book Award finalists; the ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection York: The Shadow Cipher and its sequels; the Edgar Award nominee Lily’s Ghosts; and the Book Sense Pick Good Girls. She is on the faculty of Hamline University’s MFA in writing for children and young adults program and lives in the Chicago area. You can visit her online at lauraruby.com.

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    Reviews for York

    4/5

    106 ratings14 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I checked out this book from the local library to read. Although I must give credit to Kathy @the_neverending_stack (Instagram) because it was her that posted it as her favorite cover and just look at it......its gorgeous. ?The Shadow Cipher (Book 1) by Laura Ruby. ???? This middle grade mystery keeps the pages turning with puzzles and adventures and you can't help but to want to know what's next. Set in NYC but a whole different SciFi level of NYC specifically Five Points. Tess and Theo (twins) and their new friend, Jaime, set out on a quest to solve a more than 150 cipher puzzle that may save their home. The lesson learned at the end is the most valuable thing either one will take away from it. Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Go Read, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Amazon, Twitter @jason_stacie and my blog at readsbystacie.com
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this audiobook. It is well narrated & the author introduced us to a well developed cast of main characters. This is a novel for young adults that would be great for a long family car trip. There is minimal foul language and there is no gratuitous violence. The story touches on some young adult issues, like parental death & absence, but these are only sideline topics that are dealt with sensitivity. The main focus is on eviction & the main characters trying to find a long hidden treasure. The action will keep all ages 6 & up listening, & although younger listeners may not understand the story fully, they should enjoy the teenager’s antics during the treasure hunt. Definitely recommend for reading by ages 11 & above, and listening as a family for younger ages. There is a second book that continues this treasure hunt & I will certainly listen to it when I hunt it down.
    • 3/5
      Good, but not great. A little too slow moving and tedious at times. A number of very good moments, but not enough of them. Not enough steam punk, would have liked more mechanical creatures and such.
    • 5/5
      Very very interesting story.. can't wait to read Book 2!
    • 5/5
      Great read, I'm really excited to see how the story unfolds in the next volume. Volume. There have been so many clues along the way to unravel the big main mystery. I also appreciate that the main conflict in the story wasn't exactly resolved, but I wasn't mad about it.

      This is a great take on the steampunk AU New York vibe
    • 4/5
      I give this 4.5 stars. I enjoyed this so much that I immediately ordered the next book in the series and I can't wait to read it!
    • 4/5
      Tess and Theo Biedermann and their friend Jaime Cruz like where they live. Not only is there a community in their apartment building, but it is one of the five remaining Morningstarr buildings, part of the architectural vision of the mysterious Morningstarr twins who built much of early New York City. But the Morningstarrs did more than just build magnificent buildings before they disappeared; they built a puzzle, the Old York Cipher, into their design of the city. And legend has it that the one who solves it will find an untold treasure waiting at the end. Tess, Theo, and Jaime set out on a mission to solve a puzzle that no one has been able to solve for nearly 200 years. They hope doing so will prove the cipher is real and save their building. And they also know that once the remaining buildings are destroyed, the likelihood of anyone ever solving the puzzle will go from slim to none. Their journey involves solving a mystery, but it is not one that is without danger. For where there is talk of treasure, there will always be people with less-than-honorable intentions sniffing around...

      This is a fun urban fantasy story with some hints of steam punk that I really enjoyed reading. Following these amateur sleuths on their adventure was even a bit exhilarating at times. This is billed as a middle grades book, and it has a spirit and energy that fits for that audience (but also audiences of all ages) quite well. It is a bit on the hefty side for middle grades, both in terms of length and some aspects of the plot, but I think it would be a great choice for earlier advanced readers or older students looking to jump into reading longer novels.

      [Disclaimer: This review is based on an advance reading copy received from the publisher.]
    • 4/5
      In a New York a few parallel worlds toward steampunk from ours the July following 7th grade is becomes a quest for twins Tess and Theo and neighbor Jaime who share an unusual apartment building, once the home of the Morningstarr twins, inventors who reshaped the city in the early 19th century and left behind a scavenger hunt that has still not been completed in 160 years to which Tess and Theo's grandfather dedicated his life. Because a developer has purchased their building and they will be evicted at the end of July, finding the treasure has real urgency. Fun, with better than usual juvenile characters, dragged a bit, and the puzzles/solutions mostly seemed arbitrary which was temporarily annoying.
    • 4/5
      I enjoy a good middle grade adventure, especially with children who are smarter and kinder than adults:-) And it takes place in an alternate NYC! And it is a series!To me, this one had shades of The Westing Game and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, with a steampunk-ish fantasy bent. Lots of quirky side characters who I hope show up in the rest of the series.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in the York series. I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and creative. It would be an excellent read for middle grade and older readers who enjoy mysteries in a futuristic setting.The story is set in an alternate New York that has better technology than our New York because of the Morningstarr family of geniuses. Some kids band together to solve the Old York Cipher in an effort find the Moringstarr treasure. They hope to use the treasure to save their apartment from a evil developer named Slant who is trying to buy out old Morningstarr buildings and replace them with condos.I loved the alternate world and really enjoyed the puzzles and mysteries throughout. I loved all the talk and information about cryptography and ciphers; it was fascinating. The characters are well done and the mystery is really what drives the story. I read this out loud to my 11 year old son and the whole family really enjoyed it.Overall I really enjoyed this mystery set in an alternate high tech New York City. Not much is resolved in this book, but it does stop at a good place. I am eager to continue with the series.
    • 4/5
      A delightful puzzle mystery set in an alternate New York City filled with automatons and other assorted mechanical marvels. The puzzles and ciphers will appeal to fans of The Westing Game and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, there's a villain who feels eerily similar to a certain real estate developer, and there are a couple of henchmen who feel lifted straight out of a Neil Gaiman book. Fun, clever, thrilling, and just the right amount of creepy, this is a great start to what promises to be an addictive new Middle Grade series.
    • 3/5
      Book one is a steampunk mystery.Twins Tess and Theo Biedermann are unusual. They are super smart and live in a famous apartment building although they are not rich. They live in modern day New York, but the past was different from our past. The Morningstarrs were amazing people who disappeared over a century ago, leaving machines that still work. There is no subway but an underway instead. Machines are not fueled by oil and gas as our machines are. The Morningstarrs are also famous for a mystery they’ve left behind. If one follows the clues, one will find a treasure. For over a century no one has been able to solve the clues. Now the clues must be solved or Tess, Theo, and the other tenants will have to move.Jaime Cruz also live in the apartment building with his grandmother who is the landlord, so to speak, for she fixes everything that breaks. The apartment building is very unusual. The elevator goes every direction and meanders before it drops you off where you’ve requested. In all likelihood, no one has ever seen the entire building. A real estate developer has now purchased the building and plans to tear it down. The tenants have 30 days to vacate, which means Tess, Theo, and Jaime have 30 days to solve the cipher and stay in their apartments. There are forces, however, against them. With unusual characters throughout the novel, Jaime, Tess, and Theo, embark on an adventure that could save them or destroy them.If you like a true mystery, this book is for you. The clues and surprises come regularly, and it’s fun to see a re-imagined New York. There are twists and turns and weird characters to keep you interested as well. Bear in mind, there’s more to the mystery because this is only book one.
    • 4/5
      Ruby has created an alternate New York City, one in which they mysterious Morningstarr twins built a city to their liking, complete with animal/machine/robot hybrids and buildings. In the present day, the City still bears the evidence of their inventions. Progress, though, is at work, and someone is trying to purchase and tear down 354 W. 73rd St., the home of twins Tess and Theo. One of the original Morningstarr buildings, it houses secrets, ones their family have been trying to unravel for years. The Cipher Society, along with other New Yorkers, have been trying to decipher Morningstarr clues for decades. Tess, Theo and Jaime make great protagonists for the story. They all have their own strengths and at times, I found myself reminded of Gregor, with the alternate New York setting. I really liked this, but wasn't prepared for quite so an abrupt ending. I wonder how long we will have to wait for the next story.
    • 5/5
      Once you start this book you will not be able to put it down. Every twist and turn in the plot kept me involved and tearing through each page to solve the cipher with Tess, Theo, and Jamie. Sci-fi fans will like the twist author Laura Ruby puts on New York City's past and present day. The Morningstarr Twins invented never before seen technology for the city of New York in the late 1700's and disappeared fifty-seven years later leaving behind the Old York Cipher that can only be solved by the right people. It just so happens that seventh-graders in the present-day are the right fit for the job. This book will not disappoint.