There seems to have been an outbreak of question and answer puzzle books over the last few years and the space is very crowded. However I was pleasantly surprised by this newest addition to the multitude. It's certainly one of the more thoughtful puzzle/question books out there in this genre.

Instead of reeling off a list of either-or questions, this book makes you work a bit harder for the aha moment, with a combination of whimsical questions, secret codes and mischievous picture hints. Some of the questions are pretty out-there, and not a few are surprisingly philosophical.

The how to play pages are pitched well for 9+, and offer extra tips including looking for words that appear frequently in the questions. I thought the inclusion of a decent vocabulary and definitions section was particularly creative as a stealth learning technique and offers a glimpse of a slightly Douglas Adamsy sense of humour.

The final challenge is an anagram which pulls together letters from some of the secret codes. This could be a bit too hard for some 9-10s (unless die-hard fans of brainteasers) but will be a good challenge for older readers.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a copy of the book!

Would You Rather Secret Codes is a delightful puzzle for tweens and teens, but I feel like anyone who loves puzzles would enjoy this book. The instructions are clear and accessible from the beginning, and I had an easy time understanding what to do. The art is very fun and abstract, and the accompanying questions once solved are quite unique. I liked how progressively difficult the puzzles got, as well as the various letters, numbers, and symbols incorporated into each one. It kept me engaged and challenged my problem-solving skills as I worked through it. Overall, I think this book is a great way for readers to hone their pattern recognition, creativity, and critical thinking, and I would definitely recommend it!

This is such an adorable, creative puzzle book! Definitely not so easy that you could breeze through them all in one sitting. Perfect for kids who love sci fi, because some of the puzzles go with the theme of the author's published books. I would absolutely recommend picking up this puzzle book to go along with her other published works as a gift for your kids!

One of those would-you-rather poser books, but also a puzzle book with it, as they're all in code. It does help pad the page out a lot, seeing as by the time a creator has filled a couple hundred pages with "would you prefer seven fingers on each hand, or three?" type quandaries you've probably scraped more than the barrel. We get a friendly approach to these puzzles, of course, with instructions and solving tips – mind you, the most bleedin' obvious tip, about looking for the OR to get two free letters every code, is left out. But we get one puzzle per page, with a pictorial clue on the flip, so we know what cosmic hair and a brain leech might actually look like.

The tests get nicely harder as we progress, with codes becoming numerical at one point, or wing-ding type symbols as opposed to mere letter-swaps. That said, I do wonder if the ability to solve the problems puts you in a mindset where the questions themselves aren't a touch too daft, and the options a mite too silly. But enough kids are both clever enough for this and happily zany enough to be on its wavelength too, so this should count as a success. It certainly occupies you for more time than the straightforward, code-free version. Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to picture myself with naked mole rat teeth...

A “guess the secret code” puzzle book, perfect for school aged children’s and teens.

Most of us are familiar with the “Would You Rather?” game and in this book, you have to decode the secret messages that are wacky and fun, with silly cartoons to helps us along and once it’s figured out - then would you rather question can be answered and boy are they funny.

As you go through each one, they get a little more difficult and even crazier and even I had fun decoding these and found them hilarious.

It encourages critical thinking, concentration, literacy, creativity, pattern recognition and just having loads of fun!

I will be purchasing multiple copies of this for Christmas gifts this year - so thank-you NetGalley, Quixar Press and Loris Owen for the Digital ARC in exchange for an honest review and also for giving me some Christmas/Gift inspiration!