Book title – Hacking the Code: The Ziggety Zaggety Road of a Dyslexic Kid by Gea Meijering, Illustrated by Mads Johan ØGaard
Publisher: iCare Press (April 11, 2021)
ISBN: 10: 1736626108 | 13: 978-1736626108
Language : English
Paperback : 190 pages
For kids ages: 6 – 12 – Middle grade
Shenanigans, struggles, strengths, and special friends! Revealing the heart of an upbeat, boisterous fifth grader working hard to hack the reading code.
Hacking the Code is a relatable, illustrated chapter book that brings to life the journey of a dyslexic kid in a story that highlights perseverance, creativity, and, the power of true friendship.
About Hacking the Code: The Ziggety Zaggety Road of a Dyslexic Kid by Gea Meijering, Illustrated by Mads Johan
Kees, a fifth-grader is intelligent and good at science, art, puzzle solving, and fixing things. However, he is not good at reading and writing and hates spelling. He makes friends easily and enjoys pulling pranks with his best friend Pete.
Although the two have their own personalities and are very different, they complement each other. They often get into trouble because of their pranks. The story traces all the hilarious ways Kees deals with school and life. He has the brilliant idea to form a secret friends group called NADMIL with Pete as co-founder, with a long list of conditions for inclusion. The secret group’s members are eclectic and each one has a special strength.
After a particular prank on their teachers, Pete and Kees end up in the principal’s office and as punishment, they are asked to write an essay about the hardest thing they’ve ever done. While Pete finishes writing it, Kees just can’t get around to it despite his supportive secret friends, his teachers and his parents. A conversation with his grandpa motivates him. But can he actually pull it off? How does he, a dyslexic kid, win the highest honor at school?
Hacking the Code: The Ziggety Zaggety Road of a Dyslexic Kid – My book review
I thoroughly enjoyed the story. As a parent, it also got me reflecting on my son’s childhood when he enjoyed sketching far more than writing and I wondered if we should have paid more attention to his learning style. I especially liked the strong and compassionate relationships throughout the book at school and at home.
Communication is so important when it comes to understanding children. The humor in the story and the language are ideal for the targeted age group, who will love the pranks and fun.
The book emphasizes the value of friendships and family. It is empowering, relatable and eye-opening about what someone with dyslexia experiences. The writing style makes it easy to read with plenty of charming and visually appealing illustrations that complement the story.
When Kees struggles with writing his essay, his teachers and friends are supportive and understanding, and a chat with his grandfather gives him perspective. He goes on to write an essay using text-to-speech that inspires the school principal to create a special award during the awards day that year.
It was interesting to see the world of dyslexia through a child’s eyes—and how he perceives how things work. Kees categorizes people’s brains into Android brains and Apple brains based on certain characteristics.
An absolutely delightful narrative from the voice of a dyslexic fifth-grader, Hacking the Code is a fun and humorous read that explores how everyone’s brain works differently and how we all have unique skills and talents. It is a compassionate story that will help understand children with special learning needs, making them confident and strong and help them believe in themselves.
While the book is targeted at middle-graders in the age group 6-12 adults—parents and educators will love it just as much.
The title of the book comes from the idea that for children with dyslexia, words and letters look like a code that they must hack each time they must read and write. The author weaves in fun scenarios that children who struggle with dyslexia can identify with and beautifully showcases the struggle and challenges of dyslexia, and how our educational systems need to recognize and value neurodiverse children. We need to understand that dyslexia is not a disability but a learning difficulty.
I really am doing the best I can, but unfortunately for me, there’s no grade for “trying” in my report cards.
Must read for not just middle graders but also parents and schools. Great for gifting. Highly recommended.
Hacking the Code is available as an audiobook to make it accessible to all types of learners.
There is also a free lesson plan & activity guide available for Hacking the Code and you can download it on the iCarepress website.
Gea is a passionate creative and original ideas give her a jolt of energy.
A storyteller, marketeer, parent mentor and artist with a passion and a mission. As the mother of a dyslexic son, she researched dyslexia better than an FBI agent would, and witnessed the dyslexia struggle and gift it can be, upfront and personal. Gea volunteered as a parent mentor for the special education department of her local school district and is a dynamic dyslexia advocate. Over the years she saw many kids and their parents struggling to find out why school wasn’t going well. Reason to write a children’s book that offers kids and families the opportunity to identify with the different characters, make visible the learning struggles some students go through and bring dyslexia awareness to the community.
Gea grew up in the Netherlands, and is now living in SoCal.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book as a gift to read and review for Read Your World Day 2025. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
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