3 Star!
This book was an average read for me. It was good for the target audience and I enjoyed all the different locations and the historical / cultural information. I think the content of this book is for an older middle grade reader. I have to say I didn’t see the ending coming and it did take me by surprise!
Overall, I think this was a good middle grade book and I would be interested in picking up other things from Christopher Edge in the future.

Christopher Edge does it again! This was a fast-paced adventure centred around the idea of an 'escape room' exploring a whole host of issues around humanity, history and our impact on the planet. Really enjoyed this - a quick but enjoyable read for adults but one I will definitely recommend to Year 6!

It's safe to say that this book didn't turn out as I expected when I started reading it. There were so many fantastic twists and turns in the story that I couldn't stop reading. Far from being the simple narrative of 5 young people entering an escape room, there is depth in this book. It is a lot darker and more sophisticated than I was imagining. Though I can still see any younger readers enjoying it.

This is the kind of book that sticks with you once you've read it and I can see it starting a few conversations. It deals with some big issues and important topics that will provoke further discussion. I think the twist is quite clever and would certainly work for a younger reader.

It is a very fast-paced read which makes sense considering the intended reader but I found it a bit too quick for my liking. It didn't leave you with much time to get to grips with one section of the Escape before you were in the next one. Although, as I say, I think this will help keep younger readers engaged with the story.

Well what an awesome read that was! An exciting adventure through a complex escape room with an interesting group of characters you are hoping will get through. Lots of gentle storytelling about climate change. And then a great twist. Beautifully written, fast-paced and a real page turner for this age group. Buy it. And Christopher’s other books as they are all totally different and pretty fabulous!

I have enjoyed other Christopher Edge books in the past and they are always popular in my classroom, so I was keen to read this latest offering.

Ami is treated to an escape room experience where she meets her 4 teammates. Together they are tasked by The Host to find The Answer. However, this is no ordinary escape room. The team soon finds itself battling technology, travelling through time and even into space. Will they be able to find The Answer and make their escape?

This was an action-packed book and the pace was full-on throughout. Just when you thought the team had got somewhere, another fiendish puzzle appeared.

It is hard to go into too much detail without giving anything away, however this was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I have no doubt that children in my class will devour it.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers, Nosy Crow, for this advance copy in exchange for my review.

That Christopher Edge is some kind of genius. His Escape Room swallowed me whole and threw me out with a big “whaaaaat just happened??”. A fast-paced action-packed edge-of-your-seat MG adventure. Amazingly original too.

What first drew me to this book was the escape room concept. I love the idea of escape rooms in general: solving puzzles, thinking logically and connecting the dots, and this book certainly had all of those wonderful aspects. What also struck me about this book was the pace - it moves incredibly quickly from one room to the next within the game and this kept me hooked all the way through. It’s not overly descriptive but enough to help you visualise what each room looks like. Some really great twists and turns that I feel younger audiences would love! A great read!

A new Christopher Edge book is always something to celebrate and Escape Room provides the mix of edge-of-seat adventure, mind-bending conundrums and heart that we are used to. Ami has been gifted the ultimate Escape Room experience for her birthday, but it soon becomes evident that this is no ordinary escape room. The stakes are much higher and the wrong move could be deadly. As each room pushes her and her companions to their absolute limits, it becomes more apparent that the people who run the room (the Host) are trying to get the group to solve more than just the individual puzzles. Why are they being asked to 'save the world', and why has Ami been joined by this particular group of players? As the book progresses, the themes of the room offer challenges to Ami and her new friends and to the reader, to solve the mystery at the heart of the room. The final reveal is deeply satisfying and challenging.

Escape Room is packed with brilliant descriptions of the themed rooms that Ami and her companions have to beat. The scale of them is breathtaking.. There is genuine peril for the players, which lifts the stakes (and, at times, the heart rate of the reader), and it works because the characters are so well drawn that it's impossible not to care for their fate. Exciting, fun and ultimately thought-provoking, this is classic Edge.

Any book by Christopher Edge is usually a treat, blending a great story with something to encourage discussion. Escape Room is no different.
Ami is treated to an Escape Room experience by her father, and she is keen to show her skills. Upon entering the room she is surprised to have to join with four other children, each of whom seems to have their own set of skills. Their Host tells them that, in fact, they have been chosen to save the world and that they need to find the answer.
From the outset we see Ami plunged into some horrific scenarios. Each room has a distinctive environment, and it was fascinating to watch them try to work out exactly what was needed in order to get to the next stage. My personal favourite was the library of dust, but the group also experience a Mayan tomb, a deserted shopping mall overrun by extinct animals and a space mission to Mars. I was stunned as we watched the scenarios progress, realising quite quickly that there was a lot more to this than we first thought.
By the end of the book the message was clear. This will certainly be of interest to readers on a number of levels, and I’m definitely going to recommend this to a number of students who have an interest in environmental issues.
Huge thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this before publication.

Wow ! I didn't expect that twist at the end. A story full of puzzles to solve what more could a reader want.

Unexpected twists and turns aplenty in a fast-paced thriller that keeps you guessing right up to the end. Christopher Edge is as original and mind-bending as ever, ultimately leaving the reader feeling challenged, yet hopeful for the future of humanity.

Another book by Christopher Edge that I have enjoyed. On finishing the book I was reminded of another that I had read years ago but giving the title would be a plot spoiler. The comparison of the two books would be a good discussion point with readers.

Five teens start an Escape Room challenge to save the world. What follows are some wonderful descriptions of rooms to escape from that show the resourcefulness and knowledge of those taking part. The characters of the five are developed quickly. The selfish one, the natural team leader, the girl whose general knowledge is phenomenal, the girl who has clearly played many video games and the boy who quietly looks in and observes then contributes. It would be possible for readers to identify with the individual characters and this could lead to very interesting discussions. The descriptions of the different rooms are also excellent.

The book has a strong conservation message and the sense of jeopardy in each room is immense and could be seen as a metaphor for the world today. Along the way there are clues which the reader could solve. The denouement at the end is quite a twist and totally believable, giving the reader plenty to think about regarding the future of he earth.

Another great read from Christopher Edge! I always look forward to Christopher's books and this one did not disappoint! I loved the inclusion of all the educational facts woven into the story and, as has been the case with other Christopher Edge books, did not see the ending coming! Will definitely recommend to my class when I receive the book in February!

This is the story of Ami Oswald who is highly intelligent, and is able to see things using her imagination yet for her she is in reality and is being watched by her so called father, who is trying to control her. This book is full of adventure, twists and surprises.
Ami is smart snd kind, a great role model for children. She makes friends easily and is helps others trapped in the escape room with her. She and her friends solve puzzles to get out of the escape room. A deeper book for 10-13 year olds.
My 11 year old boy loved this book, awarding it four stars.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

Ami is excited to get the chance to play The Escape, as she absolutely loves escape room games. There she meets four other kids to team up with and find The Answer, though none of them even know what the question is. However, as they play it seems to get more and more dangerous and less like a game at all.
Some lessons on awareness and environment but they didn't feel preachy at ll.
I could feel the excitement, intrigue and suspense right from the first page. I thought I knew what was going to happen at one point but I was so wrong, I definitely didn't expect what actually happened!

When Ami arrives at The Escape, she is excited for an evening of adventure at the ultimate escape room. Working alongside four others, she quickly finds out that this is no ordinary game: the challenges are perilous, the rules unclear and the ultimate goal a seemingly-unaccomplishable feat. Can they find the Answer?

There’s a lot to love about Christopher Edge’s latest offering, Escape Room. It’s incredibly fast-paced, full of suspense and utterly unpredictable. It’s a modern quest story, with a twist. It’s quick to read and would engage many readers, who will be desperate to find ‘the answer’.

I raced through the book, absolutely enthralled - as an escape room fan myself - by the different rooms and the cryptic clues. I found the characters believable, the protagonist likeable and the storyline quite unique. The ending came as a complete surprise for me and, if I’m honest, I’m not sure I loved it. It felt a little jarring and perhaps a little too clever for me. I did enjoy the book in its entirety and I thought the messages about our impact on the environment and the future of our planet were well woven into the story. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Working on the premise that it’s better to be late to the party than not attend at all, I have only managed to read one title –Space Oddity – by Christopher Edge up until now and I was several months behind everyone else reading that. Having learned my lesson there, when this new title was offered up on Net Galley, I immediately requested it – determined to be ahead of the game this time around.

And what a wise move that was, because here is another winning middle grade story – a fast-paced tale crammed full of danger and puzzles to solve as we follow our protagonist Ami and her new friends as they try to work their way through the escape room of the title in order to return to their family and friends unscathed.

We first meet Ami as she arrives at The Escape for an evening of adventure – her reward for working hard. Unsure if gaining access to the building is her first task, she eventually spots a revolving door through which she enters. Wondering where everyone is, she finds a badge with her name on and pins it to her top as she ponders whether or not she will have to play on her own. Before this possibility can take place, another girl joins her – introducing herself as Adjoa – and then a couple of boys, Oscar and Ibrahim, before a girl called Min completes the group.

With everyone now assembled, the group watch excitedly as the face of a man appears on the wall next to them and welcomes them, telling them he is the Host and that they have been chosen to save the world and that they need to find the Answer. After explaining that everything that they encounter can be a part of the game, he sends them on their way to the first room to start playing. Presented with what initially seems to be a simple game of chess, the children start to play along but the game is far from simple and does not end as any of them might have envisaged.

With no option but to continue on to the next task, Ami and her companions soon realise that nothing is as it seems and that they appear to be playing for their lives. Can the five of them work together to find and solve the puzzles that they find themselves facing? And can they escape from The Escape, or are they doomed to remain trapped forever more within its walls?

For such a short book (208 pages), an awful lot of action is packed into the story. As Ami and the others are thrown together in their attempts to find their way out safely, their efforts to work out what exactly is being asked of them and then to complete their tasks become more and more frantic the further into the game they go. With no prior knowledge of one another and no friendships to glue them together, they have to swiftly appraise not only what is going on but who is best placed to take on which roles -something with which they struggle at times as the dangers they face threaten to engulf them all.

Although there were short sections of the story that reminded me of the fairly recent titles Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell and The Ten Riddles of Eartha Quicksmith by Loris Owen, this is a fresh take on the quest story format and one which contains twists and turns aplenty, including one towards the end which I had absolutely no idea was coming. This will appeal greatly to both the author’s current fans and also to fans of those other titles who are looking for something else to pick up.

I thought this was a great read. Yes, it’s quite a bit shorter than many middle grade titles but I would always choose quality over quantity and that is exactly what the reader gets here. I would also add that for those children in Years 5 and 6 who want a cracking book to read like their more confident classmates, but do not as yet have the stamina for longer reads, this is perfect.

As always, enormous thanks must go to publisher Nosy Crow and to Net Galley for my read in advance of publication on February 3rd 2022. A fantastic 5 out of 5 stars.

I have a ten year old who has wanted to do an escape room for AGES so when an escape room themed book arrived on Netgalley, I had to request it for him.

He engaged with the book immediately and seemed to zoom through it. We discussed the book together and he said “I liked the tension which kept me on the edge of my seat. Also, the mechanical chess player because that was very clever”.
He’s a boy who doesn’t scare easily but he
rated the fear factor as 7/10 and was unnerved by some of the events in the book. Nevertheless it didn’t stop him reading on and he is keen to read other books from Christopher Edge.

There are salient messages about environmentalism and saving our earth which provoked a discussion at the dinner table, and that can only be a good thing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

We really enjoyed this book. It is an exciting escape room story (or is it ?). There is mild threat and apparent death but not so frightening that middle graders would find too scary. Very different from this authors previous books. Great for awareness of ecological issues and would certainly inspire conversations. A very good modern topical read.

I have really mixed feelings about this book.
I generally really enjoyed it, It was fast paced, exciting, thrilling. all that good stuff. But then the ending hit and without spoiling it for people, it was a very profound ending, very meaningful...but left me feeling really disappointed that that was what the whole story had been leading up to,
I completely get the point the author was trying to make, and it was a truly excellent point. But at the same time, it felt a tad preachy.
I think it was just so unexpected after the way the rest of the book went to have such a different ending, such an unexpected ending, that it felt really jarring to me. Like I really wanted the ending to be completely different. Though I have no idea what i wanted that to be.

As for the rest of the book (until the final chapters), it did really enjoy it. It was a super quick read (i think it took me less than an hour), the characters were all very different and interesting (though oscar was a complete pain the whole way through). The challenges that the kids are put through in the escape rooms are brilliantly thought out, and sometimes a little creepy. Overall it was a pretty good book.
I feel like i would have rated it a lot higher had the ending not bothered me so much. It just didn't really feel like it fit with the rest of the story, that it was forced in there to make a point.

(slight spoiler: i'm an environmentalist, and i do believe we should be doing all we can to help the environment. that people have failed miserably to protect our planet and too little has been done. so the points the author makes are excellent and poignant. I just...dont feel like they fit with the book at all, and that's what has bothered me so much.