When Sam Rivera starts at Pinecrest Middle School in April, he has no idea that four students have been disappearing every twelve years. What begins as a quiet introduction to a new school turns into a high-stakes race to uncover the truth before the next four vanish for good. Sam only has three days to put the pieces together, following a trail of clues that link the school’s history to his father’s mysterious disappearance.
But what if you could solve the puzzle before he does? This blog invites you to step into Sam’s shoes. Below are a series of puzzles and riddles inspired by The Vanishing at Pinecrest. Some are based on wordplay, others on logic, and all connect to the kind of thinking Sam and his friends use in the story.
Puzzle 1: The Twelve-Year Pattern
Four students disappear every twelve years in April. The first recorded case happened in 1977. Using this pattern, in which years would the disappearances have taken place? Which year is Sam investigating?
Hint: Add twelve years each time until you reach the present day.
Puzzle 2: The Bronze Key
Sam finds an old bronze key with four symbols: a star, a book, a paintbrush, and a crown. These match the archetypes Scholar, Artist, Leader, and Healer. The order of the symbols is the order the students vanished.
If Sofia (the Artist) disappeared second, and Caleb (the Leader) vanished third, in which order did the other two go missing?
Hint: Start with the first missing student.
Puzzle 3: The East Wing Map
A blueprint of the East Wing has rooms marked with letters: S, A, L, and H. Sam suspects each letter stands for an archetype. He also knows that each letter is in the corner of the room where sunlight hits at a certain time of day: S in the morning, A at noon, L in the afternoon, and H in the evening.
If you had to visit all four rooms, starting in the morning and ending in the evening, in which order would you go?
Puzzle 4: The Journal Cipher
Sam discovers part of his father’s journal written in code. Each letter is replaced by the letter three places earlier in the alphabet (for example, D becomes A). Can you decode this message?
“Wklv lv qrw mxvw d vfkrrobdug.”
Hint: Work backward in the alphabet.
Puzzle 5: The Final Clue
The ritual is performed under a specific alignment of the moon and stars. Sam has narrowed it down to three dates in April: the 3rd, the 15th, or the 27th.
The principal says, “The date is a multiple of three, and it is not in the first half of the month.” Which date is it?
Now, it is your turn to investigate. These puzzles are a small taste of what Sam faces inside Pinecrest Middle School. In the book The Vanishing at Pinecrest, clues are hidden in old photographs, dusty storage rooms, coded notes, and even in the school’s architecture. Each step brings him closer to the truth, and closer to danger.
Solving mysteries like this requires patience, observation, and the ability to connect seemingly unrelated details. It is about noticing the star-shaped stain on the floor, the way a painting is slightly crooked, or the fact that a teacher avoids certain questions.
If you enjoyed working through these puzzles, you might enjoy following Sam’s journey in The Vanishing at Pinecrest. The question is, will you be able to spot the clues before he does?
Read the book to know more.