The Potato Chip Puzzles: The Puzzling World of Winston Breen Paperback – May 13, 2010

This is the second of the three books in the "The Puzzling World of Winston Breen" series, by Eric Berlin. They are nominally "Young Adult" books, but as an "Older Adult" , I still enjoyed them a lot. They remind me just a little of the Encyclopedia Brown books, in that the main character is an expert that is called upon by both kids and adults, though in this case he needs to solve actual puzzles, not just mysteries.Each book is a single story that leads the characters through many puzzles. The writing is good, and the puzzles are well-constructed. Some are easy, and others took me a while. There are a wide variety, and in the course of the books the characters discuss both how to solve different puzzles and how to construct new ones. You can tell that Eric is an experienced puzzler/puzzle constructor."The Potato Chip Puzzles" is about a puzzle hunt that Winston's school is competing in to win money from a wealthy potato-chip tycoon. They have to drive around and solve puzzles, while avoiding interference from a mysterious figure. I think this one was my favorite of the three, though I enjoyed all of them.I highly recommend them as an introduction to puzzling for any young adults you may know, and you may enjoy them yourself, too.

This is the second in what I think is a far-too-overlooked series of young adult books. In a world of yet another "Diary of a ____" or "Adventures of a Middle-School ____" knockoff (not to mention vampires and zombies), the Winston Breen books are a refreshing change.The 'gimmick' (if you will) is that Winston is a puzzle fanatic, so the books are filled with them, presented so that readers can try their hand as well. Sure, there are times when the author has to stretch reality a bit to squeeze one in, but that's OK. It works, and my nine-year-old son loved them.Maybe if Winston was a wizard or a demigod or a werewolf these would get more attention, and that's a shame. This series is terrific.

I thought it was a great story it could have been a lot shorter though. It can get a little dumb on parts and for you parents who want your children to read the book it does say bad words.

Grandson and I are bonded together when reading this book and solving problems. Great times.

I saw these when I was working on my Education degree. I love puzzles and enjoyed this story line. I only wish someone would have supported my puzzle habit when I was a kid. :-)

Eric Berlin's a serious puzzler - google 'MIT Mystery Hunt' and prepare to lose several days, even weeks, if you're into insanely hard puzzles. Here he provides an entry-point to puzzling for bright ten year-olds; ideal for encouraging a habit you *want* them to acquire :).

This was not my favorite book but it was very suspensefulI could barely put this book down and I didn't stop reading until it was over

This book is a very good book. There are some funny parts, but there is also good suspense and mystery.