Codenames and spy books for kids

I was first introduced to Codenames, the original word version of the game, but my family members and I loved it. Two teams of players select one person to give clues to which words on a grid are theirs. The goal is to correctly identify your words before the other team, without accidentally selecting the assassin. Each game is usually about 10-15mins, then you rotate who in the team is giving the clues.

The creators cleverly brought out a version that uses images instead of words, Codenames: Pictures. This means that kids who aren’t yet readers can join and contribute to the game. Kids from about 4 years old can start to get involved with guessing, but they probably need to be at least 6 or 7 to fully participate. We love playing this with our kids and we even played it online with extended family during lockdowns. I love to see how their minds work to try to find similarities between images so they can create one-word clues for their team.

I see that there are a few different versions: Codenames: Duet, Codenames: Disney, Codenames: The Simpsons, Codenames: Harry Potter, Codenames: Marvel, and Codenames: Deep Undercover, which is an adults-only version. (I’m obviously not recommending this one for children, but want to make you aware so you don’t accidentally gift the wrong version.)

The Harry Potter one could obviously be paired with a box set of the books. But if you’ve got a bookworm sleuth, below are a few books that have a detective/spy theme that could be matched with the game for a great gift.

What Really Happened to Humpty and The Crown Affair: From the Files of a Hard-Boiled Detective, by Jeanie Franz Ransom and Stephen Axelson

For books that play on stereotypes and well-known fairytale characters, these books are unique in the picture book landscape. The language, while very age-appropriate for a 4-9-year-old audience, is mature. Sounding like hard-boiled detective novels from the 1950s, these books are unique, funny, and filled with puns. Joe Dumpty is on the case to solve the crimes in his neighbourhood. On the way, he meets characters kids will be familiar with, like Jack and Jill, the Three Pigs, and Mother Goose.

The Crown Affair was a book I reviewed early in my blog, and now I realise we should try to get our hands on it again. My kids love to search for clues and play the detective with picture books.

Mac B. Spy Kid series, by Mac Barnett and Mike Lowery

Mac is an unlikely undercover spy who gets to travel the world as he solves crimes. He is funny, confident, and capable. Each book sees Mac embark on a new adventure, but it still might be better to read them in order (at least read the first one first). The most recent book in the series is Mac Saves the World.

There are action-packed illustrations on almost every page. These are ideal for 6-10-year-old kids who have graduated from junior chapter books. So if your young person is reading Anh Do’s Ninja kid series, the Treehouse series, or the Bad Guys series, this is certain to be a winner.

Spy School series, by Stuart Gibbs

My oldest, Jude, has just kicked off this series and here is his review:

“Ben is requested to go to a school named St. Smithen’s Science Academy for Boys and Girls which is secretly a spy school that trains teenage kids to be spies. Ben is surprised to be recruited but when he is attacked by an assassin on his first night, he and another student, Erica, go on an adventure to find out the school’s secret. What they find will turn their understandings about the school upside down. There is some mild violence but no deaths. This book is aimed for ages 10 and over.”

The box set contains the first 7 books, and 2 more were released in August 2021. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a book match so well with a game or toy. I mean look at the box for Codenames and the covers of these books. They are absolutely made for each other.

Code Name Bananas, by David Walliams and Tony Ross

Set in 1940s London during the time “when England was versing Germany” (as one of my kids put it), Eric is a lonely young boy trying to survive. He loves the zoo and his eclectic Uncle Sid is a zookeeper and keeps his own personal zoo at home. Eric is determined to save his favourite animal is a gorilla named Gertrude and of course, hilarious hijinks ensue.

Not so much a spy novel, this book does see the characters trying to achieve a seemingly impossible mission. Be sure to have some posh, strict English accents when you’re reading aloud.

Alex Rider series, by Anthony Horowitz

These are now becoming slightly vintage books, the original book, Stormbreaker, was published in 2000. As such, unlike in the recent Amazon Prime series, Alex uses some technology, but it’s much more limited than a spy book that would be written today.

Best described as a 14-year-old James Bond, Alex Rider is an orphan who grew up in his uncle’s house. Unbeknownst to Alex, his uncle was a spy and his untimely death throws Alex into the same world. He goes on missions, sometimes goes rogue, and always comes out alive.

Best suited to a 10+ audience. There is some violence, mystery, and thrills that will keep young readers on the edge of their seats.