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April 17, 2009 by Travis Jonker

Book Review: The Potato Chip Puzzles: The Puzzling World of Winston Breen

April 17, 2009 by Travis Jonker   11 comments

potatochipcov

The Potato Chip Puzzles: The Puzzling World of Winston Breen
By Eric Berlin
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
ISBN: 9780399251986
$16.99
Grades 4-6
In Stores

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*Recommended*

A Choose Your Own Review

You pick up The Potato Chip Puzzles, sequel to The Puzzling World of Winston Breen.

If you have read The Puzzling World of Winston Breen, go to blue.

If you have not read The Puzzling World of Winston Breen, go to green.

Having read The Puzzling World of Winston Breen, you’re familiar with the characters and format of the book.

If you liked The Puzzling World of Winston Breen, go to orange.

If you didn’t like The Puzzling World of Winston Breen, go to purple.

You have not read The Puzzling World of Winston Breen, but you are intrigued by this new installment. You read the first couple pages and learn that the titular Winston is a middle schooler and first-rate puzzle solver.

The story hits the ground running. After Winston helps solve a puzzle that enters his school in a one day, $50,000 puzzle contest sponsored by local snack food company owner Dimitri Simon, a team is assembled to take home the prize. Working together with math teacher Mr. Garvey and friends Mal and Jake, Winston is hopeful about their chances. The day arrives and the various schools begin to compete. The first team to solve the 6 puzzles Simon has scattered around town will win the giant check. Things start off on the wrong foot when Winston’s team promptly gets a flat tire. After they recover, it soon becomes clear that there is a saboteur. Who is this person, and which team does the cheater belong to? A simple puzzle contest takes on a whole new dimension.

While the storyline itself involves solving puzzles, there are also smaller brain-teasers thrown into the mix. The story doesn’t depend on you solving them, but the answers are in the back for those who would like to give them a shot.

Overall, The Potato Chip Puzzles is a thoroughly entertaining read, even for people who have not read the first book. You’re looking forward to what Winston Breen does next.

The End.

You enjoyed the original, so you dive into this new installment. You soon discover that the elements that you loved in the first book (fast-paced plot, mystery, puzzles everywhere) make a welcome return. When you finish the book, you decide that The Potato Chip Puzzles absolutely lives up to its predecessor, and are looking forward to recommending it to friends.

The End.

You didn’t like the original, but you decide to read the first few pages anyway. After learning that The Potato Chip Puzzles has many of the same elements of the first book, you put it back on the shelves. Replacing the book triggers a trap door in the floor and you find yourself locked in a room where Milli Vanilli’s Blame it on the Rain is played on repeat.

The End.

Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.

Filed under: *Best New Books*, Reviews

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Terry Doherty says

    April 17, 2009 at 9:44 am

    Great review! and clever, too. I admit I haven’t yet met Winston Breen, so I think I better add my name to the library’s version of a receiving line: the wait list.

  2. Abby says

    April 17, 2009 at 9:50 am

    Bwa ha ha 🙂 Nice review!

  3. Jen Robinson says

    April 17, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    I love the choose your own adventure review idea! This is great. (And I ended up happily in orange).

  4. Kelly says

    April 20, 2009 at 2:26 am

    What a fun review to read! Thank you for that. 🙂

  5. improvement Tips everyone says

    July 7, 2014 at 6:50 pm

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Trackbacks

  1. Eric Berlin » Blog Archive » Yet more book stuff says:
    April 20, 2009 at 9:15 am

    […] I also loved this review over at 100 Scope Notes, set up as a Choose Your Own […]

  2. 100 Scope Notes Book Giveaway: May ‘09 « 100 Scope Notes says:
    May 31, 2009 at 3:36 am

    […] The Potato Chip Puzzles by Eric Berlin. ARC. 100 Scope Notes Review. […]

  3. The Potato Chip Puzzles | Book Discussion Guides says:
    June 25, 2013 at 10:15 am

    […] Kirkus Reviews. Blogs: . 100 Scope Notes. Kidliterate. Miss Oppelt’s Reading Adventures. Books For Kids […]

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