This was a fun middle-grades book! A great story with themes including teamwork, perseverance, friendship, and the power of adventures. This will surely keep your growing readers interested as they travel through the book and go on a magnificent journey!

What a fun book! Currie's Mystery of Locked Rooms grabbed my attention and kept it throughout the entire book! I loved the puzzles and riddles throughout and also the themes of friendship and that the right friends will love you exactly as you are! I will definitely be recommending this book to my middle school kids.

**4.25 stars

This very fun adventure book is about Sarah, who wants to help her family. She decides the best way to do this is to get her two best friends and try to break into an old fun house that is rumored to have a treasure. This is book is full of puzzles, plot twists, and just plain fun. There are themes of friendship and loyalty and commitment to family. I think the kids are going to love this one.

Instead of a middle grade horror novel centered around historical events, Currie is giving readers a book built around escape room puzzles... though true to Currie's style, there are still historical elements to it. I really appreciated the healthy friendship between Sarah, West, and Hannah. The Deltas for ever!

The puzzles were interesting even if the architectural logistics of the house don't always make sense. Not only to The Deltas have to solve escape room puzzles, but they have to work through their own mental and emotional struggles to accept their strengths and weaknesses (and acknowledge that neither are bad, they're just who they are). The ending is a little convenient, but works for a middle grade novel.

I didn't love this as much as Currie's darker novels, but I can see this being an easy sell at the library and think that kids who like puzzles will enjoy it.

I was disappointed that "that's lame" is used throughout the novel though, while this was a common phrase in the past, it's ableist and there are other words that could be used instead to convey the same message.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Kids, and Sourcebooks Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book appealed to me as an adult reader, & it met its promise of a great mystery! It's totally appropriate for children, too, of course. I'm recommending it to my 4th and 6th grade children, although there are moments that are a little scary if one is not a fan of enclosed spaces...
The protagonists are huge fans of escape rooms, & they find out about an abandoned fun house with a promising prize at the end. Without telling anyone, they go there to solve it. The rooms sounded genuinely mysterious & fun, but the suspense was definitely there too as they worked their way through the house with no easy way out. It definitely kept me reading!

did not finish the book- the story wasn’t pulling me in sadly. it turns out i don’t really care about people solving escape rooms. /: this hurts because i love LC’s middle grade horror novels, but don’t think this type of book is for me!

thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Young Readers, and Lindsay Currie for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lindsay Currie has done it again, and I'm SO glad to see this book getting all the love it deserves! THE MYSTERY OF LOCKED ROOMS felt like an immersive experience, breathlessly following the Deltas as they tackle riddles, puzzles, and their own doubts within an abandoned funhouse. It's the type of book you can't help but devour in a single sitting!

And now, I have the urge to find my town's escape room ...

This book was a fast and fun read. Upper elementary students who are fans of Mr. Lemoncello’s Library or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would enjoy this one.

Sarah and her friends are obsessed with escape rooms, so when Sarah’s family experiences financial trouble, they decide to attempt a long abandoned funhouse with the hope of finding a treasure. While the characters show a little growth along the way, this story is mostly about the puzzles. So there’s not a lot of depth to explore, but it was a good time. I can see students in grades 3-5 having fun with this as a class read aloud.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5mqhnDNgRI/?igsh=MWV5aDk5M3Njc3M5ZQ==

I love the whole idea of an escape room book, and I love the way the three kids need to work together to solve the clues and get to the end. It will be a fun addition to our library!

A middle grade novel about three kids who decide to break into an old "fun house" and see if they can find the treasure that may allow the main character, Sarah, to have enough money to keep from moving away. It is promoted as a book for kids who love escape rooms and that is 90% of the plot. The children are sparsely drawn personalities, the athletic one, the smart one, and the main character. whose financial situation and father's chronic fatigue syndrome is the catalyst for them breaking into an abandoned house. For children who want to project themselves into the adventure this is makes it easy, but it is not a particularly character driven story.

The mystery itself is okay, as the kids progress from room to room with "find and use" items as well as strategy clues. Escape room afficianados have to suspend disbelief as a few of the rooms expect you to break or damage items, or traps that seem more "old guy Indiana Jones" than a fun house. The writing is brisk but doesn't have a lot of suspense for discovering mysteries along with the kids. Compared to the Lemoncello series or Mysterious Benedict Society, this book just tells you that West figured out the pattern for the box room rather than slowing down to explain it for kids interested in the process.

Overall, a book to give to kids who like suspense and already love escape rooms. Those who loved "Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena" would like this, but not necessarily mystery lovers.

As a copy edit note: they used the term Spiderman in the novel when it is Spider-Man. Hopefully it will be fixed later.

When I saw the front cover, I knew I was going to love this book and the content didn't let me down!
The author cleverly made you feel for the characters before they head off on this adventure and you feel yourself willing them through every puzzle!
This could easily be made into a film, the storytelling is so good!!

West, Hannah, and Sarah, referred to as "The Deltas" are a threesome intent on finding a treasure rumored to be hidden in an abandoned funhouse. Of course, the building is off-limits but that doesn't stop the trio from trying to solve the hardest puzzle of them all! Having honed their skills at numerous escape rooms, the friends join forces to do what no one has done before. Why risk life and limb? Because Sarah's family is in dire financial straits and friends do all they can to save the day!

As the friends move through the funhouse, each one has a chance to use skills they are good at and as they learn to appreciate the strengths of each other, they gain a perspective on how differences can be a good thing and weaknesses offer opportunities to show compassion and support. Putting aside the obvious trespassing the children did, the book was an imaginative story that will resonate with middle-grade readers. What child hasn't fantasized about finding a long-lost treasure?! Sprinkled within the pages are logic, problem-solving, and conflict resolution--skills every reader can always improve on! If you enjoy puzzles or mysteries, you'll want to check out The Mystery of Locked Rooms.

On the author's website, readers can take a quiz to see which Delta they are most like. I am hoping the author will write more mysteries of the "not spooky" type. The various challenges within the funhouse reminded me of the Mysterious Benedict Society so fans of that series should love this one. I would have loved to have seen a map of the funhouse layout (even better would be an interactive tour on the author's website with different challenges to try).

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of The Mystery of Locked Rooms from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and the character development, however I felt like some of the detail in writing in order to describe the room got a little confusing. I could picture what the rooms looked like, but couldn't follow how they were all connected. From an escape room lover, this was a fun book though!

A tween learns that her family might lose their home and goes on a quest with her two best friends to help save it. Along the way, the kids will have to rely on one another and help each other face secrets and fears if they want to complete the quest and come home safely. Middle grade author Lindsay Currie returns with another excellent novel about friendship and facing important stakes in the sweet book The Mystery of Locked Rooms.

Seventh grader Sarah Greene has the best friends. West and Hannah love escape rooms as much as she does, and the three of them have made it their mission to crack every one in and around their hometown of Park Glen, Illinois. So far, they’ve done a pretty awesome job and have even come up with a name for their trio: the Deltas. When the Deltas work together, nothing is impossible.

That’s why Sarah goes straight to Hannah and West when she gets the awful news: her family is going to lose their home. Sarah’s dad has been sick with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for a few years and hasn’t been able to work much. Her mom has been doing everything she can to support the family, but apparently it hasn’t been enough. Now the Greenes might have to move to Michigan to be closer to family who can help out, and Sarah’s really scared.

West and Hannah offer to help. Sarah loves her friends for their “can-do” attitude, but what can any of them really do? They’re just kids. They’re not even through middle school yet.

Then Hannah mentions a funhouse that sounds like the ultimate escape room. About a billion years ago—okay, maybe it wasn’t that long—a set of triplets named Hans, Stefan, and Karl Stein made a funhouse that they planned to open to the public. Apparently the triplets lost their parents when they were little kids and were separated for a long time. When they were finally able to bring their family back together again, they promised two things: never to let anything come between them again and to build the coolest, most challenging funhouse anyone had ever seen.

The place sounds cool, but what really gets Sarah’s attention is that the Stein triplets supposedly hid a treasure in the funhouse. Whoever solves it gets the treasure, and Sarah knows right away she has to win. So what if they place is abandoned and probably has creepy-crawlies everywhere? That’s all the more reason to believe the treasure is still there. It’s practically just waiting for Sarah and the Deltas to claim it.

The friends are determined to help Sarah stay in Park Glen and save her family’s home, so they tell their parents they’re headed to the coolest escape room of all. It’s technically not a lie, even if the “escape room” is in a different town and presents the three friends with the hardest challenges they’ve ever run across. Soon enough, they’re not just worried about solving the funhouse’s secret; they’re also wondering if they’re going to get out at all.

Author Lindsay Currie hits all the right notes in this story about friendship and loyalty. Sarah, West, and Hannah balance each other out in their temperaments as well as their strengths and weaknesses. As the three work their way through the Stein funhouse, Currie presents challenges just difficult enough to keep readers engaged without ever threatening the friends with worrisome danger.

In the last third of the book, the pacing starts to lag as some of the funhouse challenges feel a little repetitive in their nature and purpose. The sweet personalities and friendships of the children at the center of the book will keep target audience members involved, however. Even if not all kids are interested in escape rooms, most readers will know what it’s like to watch a friend go through a major challenge and want to help them with it. Currie gives her Sarah’s two best friends the satisfaction of doing just that.

Those looking for a middle grade read that’s full of kindness and gentle reminders about honesty and believing in one’s self will want to pick this one up.

Fun, fun, fun. In the 1950s, a set of triplets built a funhouse with a rumored treasure awaiting the first person to make it through. In the present day, three best friends are determined to reach the end. There are puzzles, riddles, and escape rooms -- while also not shying away from heavier topics (a parent's medical diagnosis leads to losing their job which leads to a potential foreclosure).

Love live the Deltas!

Lindsay Currie is easily my favorite middle grade author and I love her typical ghost stories, so I was very curious when I saw she was going a different direction for this book. The Mystery of Locked Rooms did not disappoint!

The Goonies is one of my favorite movies of all time, so I loved all of the similarities.

This book kept me guessing the whole time! I kept catching myself trying to solve all of the riddles and puzzles along with Sarah, West, and Hannah.

Per usual, Lindsay‘s themes of friendship were very strong throughout this book and I loved seeing the Deltas work together

Sarah, Hannah, and West are best friends. Nicknamed The Deltas, the friends challenge themselves and their abilities in escape rooms, so when the ultimate escape room temps them in the form of an abandoned fun house, they bite. Lying to their parents, traveling by train, and entering an abandoned building, the friends work their way through "The Triplets" funhouse using their brains, some brawn, and a lot of trust, in themselves and one another. The goal: finish the funhouse to win the treasure at the end and save Sarah's house from foreclosure (and her from moving to Michigan). But, a fifty year old abandoned funhouse is very different from a current escape room. Will The Deltas have enough ability to survive and find the treasure, or is it all for naught?

The Mystery of Locked Rooms is not as amazing as its cover art (which is why I read the novel). I received an eGalley through NetGalley and was very excited to read this novel. I loved the cover and the description of the book; that's where my love ends. I found most of the novel to be forced (especially the dialogue). It lacked exposition to connect the reader to the characters and truly develop the story. It felt like The Deltas were in an escape room, heard about a funhouse, Sarah's dad is sick, now we're at the funhouse and solving it. Oh, and Hannah got kicked out of dance, and West doesn't like how he has a photographic memory (or so it seems). I've worked with middle school students for sixteen years, and these middle-schoolers are not relatable or realistic. I truly thought I was in for an amazing novel, but I was greatly disappointed.

Let me just start by saying while this book may be considered middle grade, I’d easily recommend The Mystery of Locked Rooms to readers of all ages. I love how Lindsay Currie’s books (at least the ones I’ve read so far) don’t shy away from serious issues and how she doesn’t talk down to her younger readers.

Things are rough for Sarah Greene. In the years since her father fell ill her mother has done everything she can to keep up with the bills, but it hasn’t been enough and now their home is about to get foreclosed on. Luckily her friends, West and Hannah, may have a solution. According to local legend there’s a secret treasure hidden in an abandoned funhouse. Well it’s a good thing the three of them are so good at escape rooms because in this treasure hunt they’re going to have to work together and use all their skills. I loved this cast of characters and the story is wonderfully clever. As I said at the start of my review this is a book for all ages, and definitely one I’ll be picking up for my nieces. I’d like to thank SOURCEBOOKS Kids, Sourcebooks Young Readers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Mystery of Locked Rooms.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3LN4ME2AX5A62/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Lindsay Currie does it again. After reading What Lives in the Woods by the author, I knew I'd love all her books. The Mystery of Locked Rooms is my new favorite middle-grade read. I can't recommend this story enough to readers.

The book has so many incredible moments, full of suspense, mystery, and friendship. We immediately meet our fantastic protagonists Sarah, West, and Hannah. They like to call themselves The Deltas, and they are the best at escape rooms. Early in the book, we find out that Sarah's father is very ill, and they may be forced to foreclose their home and move away. Until Hannah mentions the existence of a legendary fun house abandoned in the 1950s, filled with treasure. So the Deltas set out to the adventure of a lifetime to try and save their friendship. I absolutely loved this story, filled with adventure, nostalgia, and so many twists and turns.

For readers who love puzzles and riddles and mazes and math problems, The Mystery of Locked Rooms is a thrilling adventure. They’ll enjoy following the kids on their important quest—and joining in each challenge.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.