About the Book

The Insane Riddle, Code, and Secret Math Book was designed to bring out the inner genius in all of us. Whether simple or hard, riddles immediately engage the mind. This fun process of word play requires the reader to call on prior knowledge, word meaning, and context clues in order to sort out each mental puzzle. This work is a stimulating hook for the brain with adults, and a great educational tool for young learners. What makes this book unique is the addition of codes, ciphers, and mathematics. If the reader wants to know the answer to the riddle, they must take the scrambled numbers, letters, or symbols after the riddle, and decode or decipher them using mathematics. This process is achievable and addictive for anyone ages 7-70+, and is sure to grab the attention of all those who have a curiosity and passion for language arts!

The riddles and codes in this book are broken into four levels. The first level involves an original set of simple riddles needing very little background knowledge to comprehend. These riddles connect to answer keys that require very simple mathematics. As the levels increase, the riddles require more knowledge and vocabulary for comprehension, and the answer keys demand increased mathematical complexity. The final two levels (Level III, and IV) in the book utilize an original set of Quirk Codes, Caesar Shifts, an original Slider Code, and an original Shift-Up Code. While some of these codes and ciphers require no mathematics, answers require recall, number sense, and spatial sense for conversion. These codes and ciphers can quickly become fun and handy tools for those wishing to delve into the art of cryptology.

For the riddle-making enthusiast, there are multiple blank riddle and code-making worksheets included. These allow creative minds to make their own original riddles, codes, or ciphers based on the Western English alphabet. All blank worksheets can be reproduced with unlimited permission of the author. Each riddle worksheet is formatted to help guide the author and focus the structure. The riddle worksheet also contains a section for name, date, key #, and distractor picture so that they can be used in the classroom. The code making worksheets are set up in similar fashion, and include a blank matrix aligned to the alphabet so that authors can create within a set structure.

While it may prove difficult to ascertain a direct relationship between this book and increases in reading or mathematics aptitude, there can be no doubt that this process engages readers in a progressive method of academically structured reading and mathematics practice. With the average US print material (book, magazine, newspaper, web article, etc.) written between a third and fifth grade reading level, the riddles found here are designed to align with the conceptual reading ability of the average 7 – 12 year old (approximately 2nd – 6th Grade). This book was similarly designed for alignment to academic standards for ages 7-12, and all Common Core State Standard Alignments for these grade levels are included at the end of the book.