The Secret Cipher

The Secret Cipher is the sequel to The Secret Box, a rollicking adventure full of family rivalry, magic, questing, and laugh-out-loud humor that's perfect for fans of Dan Gutman, Wendy Mass, and Trenton Lee Stewart.

Jax Malone and her cousin Ethan Hoche were not expecting one of Jax's birthday presents to contain a dangerous magical object from a mythical past: an urn with the dark power to suck hope out of the world.

Though the first urn is safely hidden, there are two more urns that could rid humanity of both faith and love. And powerful enemies who want to find them and use them to control the world. Now, even though they were never meant to open the present and discover its secret, Jax and Ethan must race to find and destroy the two remaining urns before it's too late.

• An Unlikely Partnership: Impulsive Jax and fact-obsessed Ethan couldn't be more different, but this bickering duo is the world's only hope.
• Dangerous Magical Objects: Three ancient urns created by Zeus himself hold the power to destroy hope, faith, and love. Two are still missing—and in the wrong hands, they could be used as the ultimate weapon.
• A Puzzle-Solving Quest: From deciphering cryptic messages to outsmarting powerful enemies, this fast-paced adventure will keep young readers guessing.
• Family Secrets: Their mysterious Great-Aunt Juniper has disappeared, and Jax and Ethan are about to discover that the secrets she kept are more dangerous than they ever imagined.