Huge thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book 😊
"The Mystery of Locked Rooms" by Lindsay Currie was such an incredible read!! 🔑 I am a HUGE fan of Lindsay Currie and have read all of her previous books. When I heard she was coming out with a mystery/adventure middle grade book instead of her usual spooky middle grade books, I knew I had to check it out. Lindsay did not disappoint and I'm really looking forward to reading more of these types of books from her!! 💗

In The Mystery of Locked Rooms, escape room junkies, Sarah, and her two friends, Hannah and West, have honed their unique skills and talents, allowing them to eventually beat every escape room that they've ever attempted. They each lend their individual perspectives to solving the many puzzles and enjoy themselves immensely in the process. When Sarah's dad's illness lands her family in a financial crisis, she is facing an unknown future -- perhaps a future away from her friends. Prompted by a foreclosure notice that is tacked to the front door, she and her friend decide to try something a little daring, and perhaps slightly illegal, to search for a treasure that is rumored to be hidden in a mysterious abandoned escape house.

The adventure brings these three friends closer together as they face puzzles and problems tougher than they imagined. Though I don't fully approve of how the kids went off on a treasure hunt while deceiving their parents, I was definitely rooting for them as they were racing towards the finish, cheering them on as they solve puzzle after puzzle, wondering if they will actually find a monetary treasure... or will their treasure simply (and eloquently) be the deeper friendship that they forge as the many difficulties prompt them to be honest and vulnerable with each other -- a lovely example of being real and accepting your friends just as they are.

A great read! Clean and family friendly. I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOK Kids for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sarah and her friends Hannah and West really like escape rooms. And they're good at them too. When Sarah may have to move due to foreclosure on her home, the trio, known as the Deltas, decide to take on a funhouse built by triplet brothers rumored to have a treasure. Little do they know, this may be the last escape room challenge they ever face! Each new room in the funhouse brings a new theme and new riddles and challenges. Will the deltas make it out of the funhouse?

Book Review: THE MYSTERY OF LOCKED ROOMS by Lindsay Currie

Crack the Codes. Find the Treasure. Escape the House.

From the acclaimed author of SCRITCH SCRATCH and WHAT LIVES IN THE WOODS, THE MYSTERY OF LOCKED ROOMS is an action-packed adventure novel that draws readers into a whirlwind of puzzles, friendship, and emotional growth. Perfect for middle-grade escape room fans, this book offers a unique blend of fun, empowerment, and real-life issues.

Summary
Twelve-year-old Sarah Greene is starting her seventh-grade year with a simple wish: to have a normal school year. However, her plans take a fascinating turn when she and her friends stumble upon an old 1950s funhouse rumored to conceal hidden treasure. The trio quickly finds themselves enmeshed in a labyrinth of codes and locks that they must crack to uncover the treasure and escape the funhouse.

Key Themes and Highlights
• Fun and Empowering Adventure: The book offers readers an exhilarating journey filled with clues to decipher and challenges to overcome. The excitement is consistent, keeping young readers on the edge of their seats.
• Emotional Resonance: One of the book's standout features is its handling of a parent's chronic illness. Sarah's father suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, adding a layer of emotional depth to the story. This portrayal is both sensitive and realistic, shedding light on the complexities families face when dealing with long-term illness. Sarah's feelings about her dad's condition are particularly poignant and relatable, resonating with readers who might have similar experiences.
• Memorable Quotes:
• "It isn't rectangular like a normal door, but instead is shaped and painted like a little house." This one is memorable for me because I have a shed in my backyard painted like a smaller version of my house. In the front yard, I have a Little Free Library painted like a miniature version of my house. After reading this book, I want to do that to my door!
• "I'm learning that sometimes the best way to look at something is the hopeful way—even if it isn't the most practical."
• "Life throws curveballs sometimes. We can't always plan, can't always predict. But maybe, just maybe, with hard work and a little luck, we'll be okay."

Personal Opinion
I give THE MYSTERY OF LOCKED ROOMS four and a half stars, rounded up to five. My only issue was the single line in which Sarah’s friends encourage her to lock her parents out of her laptop. That would not fly in my house, and by this point in the book, these kids should know better. Despite this, it’s a great book. Lindsay Currie masterfully blends thrilling adventure with heartfelt moments, making this book a compelling read from start to finish. The realistic portrayal of Sarah's dad's chronic illness adds a layer of authenticity that many readers, especially those facing similar challenges, will find deeply moving. As a parent with a chronic illness myself, I found Sarah's feelings about her dad's condition particularly touching and wondered if my own daughter has similar emotions.

Conclusion
THE MYSTERY OF LOCKED ROOMS is more than just a thrilling adventure; it's a story about friendship, resilience, and the importance of hope. Lindsay Currie's latest offering is a must-read for middle-grade readers, offering both excitement and valuable life lessons. Whether you're a parent, librarian, or teacher, this book is an excellent addition to any collection.

Join Sarah and her friends on their quest to crack the codes, find the treasure, and escape the house. You won't be disappointed!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebook Kids, Sourcebook Young Readers, for sending this book for review consideration. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheMysteryOfLockedRooms #LindsayCurrie #EscapeRoom #FunHouse #MiddleGrade

An amazing mystery for middle school and upper elementary students. Students will be engaged from the very first day.

Seventh graders, Sarah, West, and Hannah love puzzles. They call themselves the Deltas after the type of
puzzle. Their skills and abilities balance each other well and help them to solve escape room puzzles
together. Because of this, Sarah feels like she finally belongs. Things aren’t going well, however, for her
family. Sarah’s father has been diagnosed with chronic fatigue and can’t work. Her mother is working
two jobs and struggling to make ends meet. When Sarah finds out her parents are facing foreclosure on
their house, the Delta decide to take on their biggest puzzle of all, a decades old mystery. Built in the
1950s, legend has it an abandoned fun house hides a treasure known as the Triplet Treasure. To find the
Treasure, the triplets set up a serious of nearly impossible puzzles and clues to solve. To this date, no
one has ever found the treasure. Can the Deltas make history and find it? Can Sarah save her family
from having to leave their house?

The plot is well-developed, engaging, and full of twists and turns. The characters are likable, authentic,
and relatable to. The world building is well done and easily draws readers into the Deltas’ world. Fans of
adventure, mystery, scavenger hunts, puzzles, realistic fiction, and friendship stories will want to pick
this one up. Recommended for most library collections

Please Note: A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. No other compensation was received.

A fun middle grade story about an escape room and 3 friends who try to find the treasure within. I was expecting this to be like Lemoncello’s Library but with escape rooms. It was a good story with a good message about friendship, doing the right thing, and resilience, but not especially memorable.

Awesome middle grade read with a new theme - escape rooms! Three 12-year-old friends who share a love of escape rooms bond together to help save one friend's house and prevent her from moving. In order to do this, they break in to a long-abandoned, but never opened fun house, which local legend says contains a hidden treasure. They embark on the ultimate escape room, with strategy, treasure and friendship in the fore front of their plans. This is a can't miss!

4⭐️

☠️ The adventure and danger of The Goonies meets the wacky whit of Wonka. The Deltas overcame fears, maximized their strengths and persevered through some major challenges together, all in the name of friendship.

💪🏽 I love the way the characters work together, allowing each one to have their moment and put their skills to work. They uplift each other, balance each other, and best of all never give up on each other. These are the types of friendships we all need. The ones worth fighting for.

📖 While this is definitely a Middle Grade book, I found myself immersed in the escape room adventures as an adult reader. It’s a great book for building middle grade reading stamina, and has a very feel-good “character growth” kind of ending. I highly recommend reading this along with your Middle Grade kiddos as a fun adventure together.

🍿 I love the imagination of each room, and could totally see this concept being made into a movie. Seeing these rooms would be fascinating. Well done to the author. 👏🏼

#LongLivetheDeltas

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebook Kids, and Lindsay Currie for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

What a find and engaging middle grade read!

Three friends who love escape rooms team up in this adventure story about finding hidden treasure in an abandoned 1950's funhouse.

I know this author usually writes horror stories for kids, but I actually really enjoyed this detour into mystery-thriller. It was a really unique concept with some Willy Wonka + Goonies energy that I found smart and engaging. I loved following along as Sarah, West, and Hannah journeyed through the different fun house rooms and worked together to solve puzzles. It was fast-paced and intriguing. And I really admire how well mdidle grade authors -- including Lindsday Currie, handle heavy background topics in their stories, deftly and accessibly handling complicated family situations, health and financial concerns, and other political and world topics.

A really enjoyable read for adults and young readers!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Young Readers and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Sarah and her two friends, together they are the Deltas, love to complete escape rooms. They know exactly how to work together as a team to finish the most complicated rooms. So, when Sarah's family is faced with an eviction notice, it only makes sense to attempt the most challenging escape room ever - a mysterious funhouse that promises a treasure to anyone who solves it. The thing is, the funhouse never officially opened, and everyone who has tried to solve it has failed. One person was even arrested for trespassing! With so much on the line, Sarah knows her crew can solve it because if they don't, Sarah is moving away. Currie knows how to keep readers turning those pages. Each funhouse room is a completely different kind of challenge, and readers will enjoy the description of the rooms, the puzzles they hold, and how the Deltas tackle each new twist and turn. As they work through the puzzles, the weaknesses and fears of each friend come to the surface. Their friendship and understanding of each other will be tested and may determine just how successful they are.

The Mystery of Locked Rooms is a cute middle grade read with a fantastical escape room house with 16 rooms.

Sarah's life is pretty hard right now. Her dad had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Her mom is working two jobs just to try to keep them in their house, and her older brother is reconsidering his college choices to save money. Their home is being foreclosed on. So Sarah and her friends West and Hannah decide to pursue a secret treasure they have read about, The Triplets Treasure.

The triplets built a fun house in the 1950s that involved secret passages, cryptic puzzles, and far more fun than a regular fun house. Unfortunately, one of the triplets died before they could open. The brothers were too heartbroken to continue. But the treasure they had would belong to the person who solved the fun house.

Others have tried to break in and find the treasure, but no one has succeeded. But Sarah, West, and Hannah are the Deltas, three sides of a triangle, lovers of escape rooms, and they know they can solve it.

There is not a lot of story, other than that of the three kids, but it works for this book. Kids will love seeing the kids solving the puzzles and facing their fears.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

I was really looking forward to another horror from this author but got a mystery instead which was still good but not the same.

All about escape rooms and friendship I could see a little bit of the authors lean towards spookier books with some of the ways the MC's had to do dangerous things to get out of rooms.

Overall it was a decent book and I enjoyed I just hope we get another horror book soon.

Sarah, Hannah and West area very close best friends who enjoy solving puzzles and defeating escape rooms. When Sarah's family starts having money issues, the possibility of needing to move gives the kids an idea to find treasure at an abandoned funhouse. Will they be able to defeat this game house from the 1950's and get that reward?

Lindsay Currie has done it again with a fantastic book but it's a mystery novel this time! The beginning was a much slower pace compared to the middle and end of the book. Very happy that the storyline picked up a faster pace once they get to the funhouse. I think the friendship and characteristics of the three main characters is done very well. I found the one chapter where West was talking about his struggle with easily memorizing and knowing things not the greatest. It seems like there was a hint that he might be autistic or have a learning disability but it was not delved into or stated specifically at all and then they all move on. I thought the characters were just okay, we learn more about them along the way which was good but none of them stood out to me. The writing of the different rooms in the house and what the kids have to do to solve each one is done extremely well! I felt that the book was very thought out and overall done well.

As someone who suffers from chronic fatigue, this book made me cry. As someone who loves mysteries and puzzles, this made me immediately want to go to an escape room! I love how detailed the rooms were, it's really clear Lindsay put a lot of time and effort into both the riddles and the book as a whole, and I loved it.

The Mystery of Locked Rooms is such a fun story full of brain-teasers and puzzles that keep the reader turn the pages to solve each task. The three main characters - each with their own talents and fears - are best friends who love solving escape room challenges. This time around the challenge is even more extreme as they set off to find a hidden treasure in an old funhouse near their homes. Finding the treasure could be the only way that Sarah can save her family! They need money and they need it fast - or Sarah will have to move away from her two best friends - Hannah and West. The funhouse may not be quite as fun as they hoped and their courage and knowledge might be pushed to the limits. test of true friendship and determination. Well written with great clues and adventures! Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy to read and review. Would make an excellent read aloud in a classroom.

This was such a fun read! It was a mix of Willy Wonka wild and Mr. Lemoncello’s puzzle challenges. I was amazed by how West, Hannah, and Sarah were able to use their strengths and work as a team to solve the mind-boggling puzzles in the abandoned Triplet Treasure Funhouse. I would definitely want The Deltas with me at an Escape Room! The writing was wonderful and easy to imagine exactly what the characters were seeing and experiencing in the funhouse. I appreciated the closure at the end. It was a perfect ending for the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Kids for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this fast-paced adventure. There were moments in the characters’ search for the “treasure” that reminded me of The Goonies - it was a high-stakes mystery where all of the characters learn about themselves and each other, strengthening their friendship. This would be a great addition to any upper elementary to middle school classroom library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

Wow! This exciting adventure, full of riddles, mystery and suspense, will keep you on the edge of your seat. Three friends who are experts at solving escape rooms together, are determined to solve the mystery of the Delta Game, a house-sized funhouse/escape room full of hidden passages, elaborate puzzles, and potential danger. Sarah, worried about her dad's prolonged illness and the financial problems that go with it, wants to find the treasure said to be hidden in the house. Her friends, West and Hannah are committed to helping her, and together they face the biggest challenge of their lives. Making any mistakes may find the three friend trapped, but the only way out is through.

I LOVED this action packed book! Students who are fans of Stuart Gibbs will also enjoy this fun read!