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Code Busters Club Books in Order

Part ofPenny Warner Books in Order

Discover the Code Busters Club series by Penny Warner in order, with book summaries, code-cracking series background, and easy where-to-start guidance.

Last updated: July 13, 2026

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Code Busters Club books in publication order

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12 books

1

The Secret of the Skeleton Key

by Penny Warner

2011

Cody, Quinn, Luke, and M.E. spot a coded message in their neighbor's window and realize it is a cry for help. When the old man disappears and his house burns, the Code Busters race to solve the mystery and uncover hidden treasure.

2

The Haunted Lighthouse

by Penny Warner

2012

A class trip to Alcatraz turns into a real treasure hunt when the Code Busters find a clue linked to a jewel thief's hidden stash. To crack the case, they will need to outsmart the island's secrets and solve a trail of codes.

3

The Mystery of the Pirate's Treasure / Secret Treasure of Pirate Cove

by Penny Warner

2013

On a class trip, the Code Busters uncover clues tied to the pirate Hippolyte Bouchard and a lost cache of treasure. A coded journal and map send them chasing history, danger, and a prize someone else wants first.

4

The Mummy's Curse

by Penny Warner

2014

A school visit to an Egyptian museum turns serious when a theft and a coded message point to something crooked. The Code Busters must use their puzzle skills, and what they learn about hieroglyphs, before the culprit turns the blame on them.

5

The Hunt for the Missing Spy

by Penny Warner

2015

A trip to Washington, D.C. and the International Spy Museum should be a dream for the Code Busters. Instead, strange messages, a shadowy follower, and a missing classmate drop them into a mystery worthy of a real spy novel.

6

The Secret of the Puzzle Box

by Penny Warner

2016

At Angel Island, Mika hopes to learn more about her family's past and a possible clue left by an ancestor. What starts with a puzzle box and hidden messages opens into a deeper mystery that links history to danger.

7

A Disappearance in Magicland

by Penny Warner

2024

A day at a Houdini-inspired theme park turns urgent when Cody's younger sister disappears and a masked stranger starts shadowing the Code Busters. The prize hunt suddenly becomes a race to find a missing child.

8

Clash of the Secret Code Clubs

by Penny Warner

2024

Matt the Brat forms a rival club, and a school scavenger hunt turns into a showdown over who is best at codes. Then the teachers begin disappearing, and the competition becomes a real mystery.

9

The Haunting of Mystery Mansion

by Penny Warner

2024

Luke's birthday trip to the Winchester Mystery House should be all twists and ghost stories. Instead, the Code Busters end up searching for a lost girl while dodging a suspicious security guard in a very confusing mansion.

10

The Science Fair Scheme

by Penny Warner

2024

The Code Busters expect fierce competition at the school science fair, especially from Matt the Brat. When their projects are sabotaged by a mysterious drone, they have a new puzzle to crack before the fair is ruined.

11

Escape from Bigfoot

by Penny Warner

2025

A trip to Gold Country brings the Code Busters face to face with rumors of hidden gold and Bigfoot. What sounds like campfire nonsense starts to look like a conspiracy they may have to outrun.

12

The Search for the Missing Mascot

by Penny Warner

2025

When the school mascot and other items vanish, the Code Busters jump into the case. With blame landing in the wrong place, they have to work with unlikely allies to find the thief and the reason behind the damage.

Code Busters Club books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "The Secret of the Skeleton Key"

    The Secret of the Skeleton Key

    by Penny Warner

    2011Code Busters Club, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Haunted Lighthouse"

    The Haunted Lighthouse

    by Penny Warner

    2012Code Busters Club, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "The Mystery of the Pirate's Treasure / Secret Treasure of Pirate Cove"

    The Mystery of the Pirate's Treasure / Secret Treasure of Pirate Cove

    by Penny Warner

    2013Code Busters Club, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "The Mummy's Curse"

    The Mummy's Curse

    by Penny Warner

    2014Code Busters Club, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "The Hunt for the Missing Spy"

    The Hunt for the Missing Spy

    by Penny Warner

    2015Code Busters Club, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "The Secret of the Puzzle Box"

    The Secret of the Puzzle Box

    by Penny Warner

    2016Code Busters Club, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "A Disappearance in Magicland"

    A Disappearance in Magicland

    by Penny Warner

    2024Code Busters Club, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "The Science Fair Scheme"

    The Science Fair Scheme

    by Penny Warner

    2024Code Busters Club, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "The Haunting of Mystery Mansion"

    The Haunting of Mystery Mansion

    by Penny Warner

    2024Code Busters Club, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Clash of the Secret Code Clubs"

    Clash of the Secret Code Clubs

    by Penny Warner

    2024Code Busters Club, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Escape from Bigfoot"

    Escape from Bigfoot

    by Penny Warner

    2025Code Busters Club, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "The Search for the Missing Mascot"

    The Search for the Missing Mascot

    by Penny Warner

    2025Code Busters Club, Book 12

Series background & context

The Code Busters Club books are middle grade mysteries built for kids who like puzzles as much as plot. The basic idea is simple and very fun: a group of friends keeps running into strange clues, hidden messages, and missing people or objects, and the only way through is to crack the code.

The original club centers on Cody, Quinn, Luke, and M.E., four kids with different personalities and strengths who share a love of puzzles. Later books bring Mika into the group as well, expanding the team without changing the series' core feel. These are not child detectives in a gloomy noir world. They are smart, curious kids on school trips, family outings, and everyday adventures who keep noticing that something is off.

That is the hook.

Each book gives the group a new setting and a new kind of mystery. One story may involve a neighbor's cry for help, another a clue on Alcatraz, another a pirate legend, a museum theft, a spy trail, or a strange disappearance at a theme park. The settings matter because Warner likes places with built-in atmosphere: old prisons, historic sites, museums, mansions, camps, and landmarks tied to California history or broader American history.

The codes are not just decorative. Readers are invited to solve them too, which makes the books interactive in a way many mystery series are not. Morse code, sign language, symbols, spy tricks, and puzzle-box style clues all become part of the reading experience. That gives the series a strong game element, but it never completely takes over. The characters still need to make decisions, trust each other, and figure out who is lying.

The tone stays brisk and kid-friendly. There is suspense, but the stakes are usually about rescue, theft, treasure, or stopping a bad plan before it gets worse. Warner keeps the books moving and uses the club dynamic well. The friendships feel central, and the mysteries work because the kids bounce ideas off one another instead of solving everything alone.

If you are looking for a mystery series that rewards curiosity, this is an easy one to recommend. The Code Busters Club combines adventure, history, teamwork, and hands-on puzzle solving, which is a pretty good recipe for turning readers into armchair detectives.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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