WORDOMO - The Nostalgic Shoebox

No word list here: you work the words out yourself. 117 puzzles from the 60s to the 90s, a Secret Letter hidden in each, and one Final Secret to crack at the end of the book.

The Nostalgic Shoebox is not a word search. Each puzzle gives you a theme, such as Jump Rope Fun or Video Games, and the length of every word. You recall the words from your own childhood, trace them through the grid and reveal the one letter left over. Twelve chapters, twelve Secret Words, one Final Secret: a mystery you solve step by step, at your own pace, with no timer.

How to play

Each puzzle is a grid of 20 letter tiles (5 rows of 4) under a theme title such as Report Card Day, Sweet Nicknames or Roadside America. The words are not listed: a row of blank lines for each word tells you how many words to find (5 or 6) and how long each one is. Link letters that touch, up, down, sideways or diagonally, to trace each word. A word never uses the same tile twice. Small dots sit under every letter: each time a word uses a tile, you shade one of its dots, and a tile can serve several words. When every word is found, exactly one dot is still white. Its letter is the Secret Letter of the puzzle. The Secret Letters of a chapter spell its Secret Word, in order at level 1 and scrambled at level 2. The first letters of the 12 Secret Words spell the Final Secret. A worked example teaches the rules in two pages, and a practice puzzle is waiting on the cover.

What's inside

• 117 puzzles in 12 chapters and 2 levels of difficulty
• 12 retro themes: recess and school days, the movies, groovy words, candy and snacks, prime-time TV, the house we grew up in, Saturday morning TV, songs and singers, the open road, the dance floor, toys and games, fashion through the decades
• 12 Secret Words and a two-word Final Secret
• 12 treats from those years, one per chapter: 5 recipes in US measurements (stovetop popcorn, fruit juice pops, Salisbury steak TV dinner style, the party cheese ball, silver dollar pancakes) and 7 things to do (four square, a groovy slang quiz for the grandkids, your own Top Ten countdown, the license plate game, a living room sock hop, homemade play dough, a tie-dye T-shirt)
• In the solutions, the decade or year of more than 240 words (1960s, 1970s-80s…), so you know when it all began
• A row of instant photos to color on every chapter opener, one for each puzzle you finish
• To close the book, a short story about a shoebox on the top shelf, to read with a cup of coffee
• Nudges at the back for every puzzle (the length and first letter of one long word), plus all the solutions
• Black-and-white illustrated interior, 188 pages, 6 x 9 inches

Who it's for

For fans of word searches and crosswords who want a fresh game that is easy to learn. For baby boomers, Gen X and anyone who was a kid in the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s. The words come from American life in those years: TV shows, songs, candy, cars and toys. The slang quiz and the countdown are made to share with children and grandchildren.

A gift for every age

A thoughtful gift for a 50th, 60th or 70th birthday, a retirement, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents Day or Christmas. Keep it on the coffee table or take it on a road trip. With 117 puzzles, it lasts a long time.

The WORDOMO collection

The Nostalgic Shoebox joins Cozy Christmas, Pull Up a Chair and Winter at the Chalet in the WORDOMO collection. Same game, same rules, a new theme in every book.

Lift the lid, grab a pencil, and let the Secret Letters lead you back to the Final Secret.