My name is Emma, and I'm figuring out that our mom has some untold secrets. Finn, Chess, and I got our first hint of them when the news reported the kidnapping of two brothers and a sister. We thought it was really strange that the kids had the same names and birthdays as us. I love math, but even I couldn't figure out the odds of that coincidence. Our mom seemed a disturbed by the story and then she announced she needed to leave on a business trip. Well, to make a long story short, we now believe she may know more about those kids than she said. We've discovered a coded message she left for us in the Boring Room and a secret passage behind a hidden door. We have no idea what it all means, but we're sure going to find out. Overall, this book didn't work for me, although it may appeal to others. The big secret was interesting and creative, but the plot moved too slowly. The information regarding the kidnapped kids and the mother's past were too vague, and there wasn't much clarity until the book's halfway point. The story became more engaging once Emma and her brothers started to decode the mother's message. A curious twist was the mother didn't expect them to discover anything until years had passed. She never imagined her kids would be capable of decoding her message. I felt Emma and Finn's characters were more well-developed. Emma brought systematic, mathematical logic to the problem-solving, while Finn's thoughts were more trusting and simple. Chess was the oldest child, but he didn't seem to fit the leadership role, until later in the book. My feelings are obviously subjective, and I can see how someone else might totally disagree with me. I don't plan on reading the sequel, but I won't be surprised if you love the series.
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