Fans of mystery/thrillers with puzzles, such as Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s The Inheritance Games, will devour this book.
…definitely a story that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. It kept me engaged from beginning to end with plot twists everywhere along the way.
It was a page turner until the very end and I was convinced that there were some more duplicitous people hiding in the wings. Definitely one that my students would enjoy.
BOOM! Everything changed with one simple sentence and I was off on a crazy life-and-death mystery! Young adult readers will love rooting for Tess and her friends as they try taking down an international crime ring.
this book is what sparked my interest in reading! as someone who is obsessed with Italy’s setting, this book pictured it perfectly! The plot itself is mysterious, adventurous, and fun! I read this in less than a week (which was rare for me at the time)!
such a good book!! i love the suspense and the ending made me want to cry of happiness
I absolutely loved this book. I thought it would be like the movie taken based on description and I was absolutely wrong. I had fun annotating this book and deciphering all the Italian. I read this book in a day and it left me feeling satisfied at the end.
No Way Home is jam-packed with twists and turns, I was impressed that the author left not a single thing unanswered. This is a definite must-read; It's so fun and nerve-wracking. Add this one to your TBR!
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Gil Goodson’s future happiness depends on winning Golly Toy and Game Company’s ultimate competition. If Gil wins, his dad has promised the family can move away from all the gossip, false friends, and bad press that have plagued them ever since The Incident.
Gil has been studying, training, and preparing for months, and once he makes it through the tricky preliminary rounds and meets his teammates, the competition gets tougher. Brainteasers, obstacle courses, mazes, and increasingly difficult puzzles and decisions—not to mention temptations, dilemmas, and new friends (and enemies)—are all that separate Gil from ultimate victory. Does Gil have what it takes to win? Do you?
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This has ‘independent reading book report for reluctant readers’ written all over it.
Feldman includes truly despicable villains, unexpected kindnesses, and a surprise ending … Nonstop action, appealing pencil illustrations, and increasingly difficult brainteasers will keep readers engaged, and readers will pull out paper and pencil to try and solve the puzzles as they work through the book.
Indeed, the appeal of the book lies in the puzzles, which involve unscrambling clues hidden in rhyming verses and then tackling various stunts (obstacle courses, mazes, scavenger hunts) that get increasingly difficult as the field is winnowed.
… the appealing premise of a competition within a toy company headquarters recalls Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Knopf, 1964), and the puzzle solving may appeal to fans of Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society (Little, Brown, 2007) or Blue Balliett’s Chasing Vermeer (Scholastic, 2004) …
… readers can count on amazing special effects a la Roald Dahl’s Charlie books, and a straight arrow hero who has the extra motivation of being an outcast due to his father’s supposed sins. Plain good fun for puzzle addicts, with plenty of action and the suspense only a ticking timer can offer.
And The Gollywhopper Games is #1 on this list of chapter books for young readers!
Some people are born winners, but Cameron definitely isn’t one of them.
So what is Cameron even doing in the second Gollywhopper Games? Solving puzzles. Performing stunts. Racing against the clock, that’s what. But it’s not as if he has a real chance at walking away with the one million dollars. Or instant fame. Or eternal bragging rights.
But he—not Spencer, his older brother—is the one competing against 999,999 kids on national TV, inside a giant toy factory. Cameron knows he won’t be the winner. But Cameron doesn’t know everything … right?
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This up-to-date plot, nonstop action, clever puzzles and great character development will grab any middle graders’ attention
This book is a combination of The Candymakers, The Mysterious Benedict Society,and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I would recommend it for people who like to solve puzzles.
Due to the overwhelming success of the first Gollywhopper Games, the Golly Toy and Game Company decides to host another competition. Readers meet an all-new cast of characters as they compete to win.
Favorite characters from the first book make guest appearances, and a new cast of competitors compete against the brothers. Things become especially complicated when even the team members cannot agree. Each competitor has to decipher puzzle after puzzle, making the competition a twisty-turny race to the finish line!
Everyone loves the Gollywhopper Games!
Everyone except Zane. What Zane cares about is football. He dreams of heading straight for the NFL … until he gets his second concussion. Now his parents say no football for a year.
Then along comes the Games—a chance to solve puzzles and riddles, win a million dollars, and show up on TV. Zane will need speed, smarts, and strategy. He’ll face tougher rivals than he ever did on a football field. Does he still have what it takes to win when he’s playing a whole new game?
Are you ready for action that never quits and surprises and brain teasers at every turn? Then let the Games begin! Again!
Or want to hear a sample? Click here!
…the fun is in the puzzles and being inside Zane’s head as he works out his answers. Zane is all about the strategy and what is needed to help each team member bring their best work. It’s this altruism, combined with a competitive spirit, that will have readers rooting for these kids.
The combination of mental and physical challenges make me wish these games really existed because I think that they would be both fun and educational, and would encourage children to exercise both sets of muscles (mental and physical) … This was a fun read with delightful illustrations that I think will be appreciated by both adults and youngsters, and I would love to read more by this author.
Football-loving Zane … finds himself competing in the Gollywhopper Games alongside a nerdy kid named Elijah. Polar opposites, their strengths complement one another and they become unlikely friends.
Lauer Middle School has a super-secret society—The Legend. No one knows who is in it. Or how they pull off the spectacular school-wide events. Seventh grader Travis Raines may be about to find out. A mysterious message appears in his locker. You have been chosen, it says. And it gives him a mind-bending puzzle to solve and a challenge. Travis could become legendary. If he completes all the tasks—and stays out of trouble. The assistant principal has her eye on him. So do his parents. And Travis isn’t very good at staying out of trouble.
And then there’s the biggest puzzle of all: What if the messages aren’t from The Legend? Could someone want to take Travis down?
Feldman’s (The Gollywhopper Games) story moves at warp speed, with the momentum of Travis’s strong-spirited whims
A Dan Brown–type story for kids.
The invitation to play along keeps readers tuned in.
So much fun!
Clever twists and turns of the plot will keep readers on their toes.
