Lisa Thompson is one of my favourite writers and this latest book proves why. An exciting story with memorable characters that is simply unputdownable.
I loved this book so much. Just like other Lisa Thompson books I’ve read before, it is a mystery with clues to solve. This did not put me off reading it though, just as amazing as the other books I’ve read written by this brilliant author.
Recommended for all ages - such an awesome book with so many twists and turns, and places I didn’t know what would happen next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The Rollercoaster Boy was one of those stories that I was desperate to finish, but reading it with my youngest for his bedtime story meant I had to show restraint…and both of us had more than one night where we snuck in an extra chapter because we were so desperate to find out what happened. This is another story where Lisa Thompson explores some hard-hitting topics, but in a way that never feels too much for the target audience. Our main character is Todd. He is living with a father who seems to be struggling with his mental health. Todd doesn’t ever name the condition, but the details about his father’s behaviour suggest he might be bipolar. He hasn’t been taking his medication and spends a lot of time in bed, but then announces he’s taking Todd and his younger sister on holiday. They end up in a rundown hotel that is on the verge of collapse. Their father won’t get out of bed, and the kids have to find something to do to pass the time. They befriend Scout, the daughter of the owner, and along with another guest find themselves caught up in a decades-old mystery concerning a precious guest. The story is a wonderful blend of adventure and exploration of contemporary issues. The children are entertaining, just clever enough to work out the puzzle, and watching them rally round to help one another gave a really positive message. As we might expect, things work out in the end…but with our villain and the range of twists involved it’s certainly a close call.
Todd and Laurie is staying with their father who has his up and down and could not really function without medication.
Their aunt is going on vacation and suddenly, they were woken up by their dad to go to a hotel in the middle of the night.
Todd and Laurie arrived at Paradise Hotel that is a dump.
Once they reached the hotel, their dad stay in bed and didn’t even get out to dining room. Todd and Laurie are on their own.
They met Scout, the daughter of the owner and working at the hotel. She found a secret room and she want to save the hotel.
Todd also met Patrick who stayed outside at the hotel corridor a lot because his father is having meetings.
With Patrick who joined the team, they found the clues of the mysterious room mystery.
The bad guy is trying to buy the hotel and turned it to an apartment complex.
William also lives in the hotel and is rumor to be a werewolf.
The story is a bit slow at first but get better when they find more clues.
It us also about how children are being neglected and Todd is responsible not only for himself but his little sister. That is not healthy and that make him worry a lot.
For Todd and Laurie, life with Dad is a rollercoaster; he's either full of life and energy or unable to get out of bed. When he whisks them off on holiday in the middle of the night, they're not sure what to expect. Arriving at the run-down Paradise Hotel, they soon realise that Dad's dream holiday is going to be anything but that.
However, when they meet Scout, the owner's daughter, she tells them of a mystery at the hotel that has never been solved - a previous owner disappeared from inside a locked room and was never seen again. Can the young friends solve the mystery of room 42 and save the hotel from being sold to property developers?
This was a great read that didn't shy away from difficult issues: split families, mental health issues, money worries and young carers. The young characters were believable and likeable, and the friendships came to life.
I like that this book touched on mental health, divorced parents, and bullying. Obviously it is written for children, so it was somewhat basic and repetitive at times.
Another cracking book from Lisa Thompson. She doesn't shy away from difficult subjects in her books but tackles them in a way that is sensitive to the average age of her readers. My Year 5 class are already queuing up to borrow this now I've finished it!
A classic mystery with kids in a run-down hotel and a story about finding friends and support when you feel like you and your family don't fit in.
Werewolves aren't really my thing, so I was relieved when the hints of supernatural creatures turned into a riveting mystery about a famous writer. :) The villain in this story doesn't change according to the phases of the moon. He's too busy trying to cheat people for profit, 24/7.
The hero of the story, Todd, is overburdened with responsibility, because his Dad isn't taking the medication he needs (hints of manic-depression?). As a result, the kids--especially Todd, but also his little sister, Laurie--on an emotional rollercoaster. I didn't like how rude Todd was to his little sister. I also could see how easily that could happen, considering that the Mom and Aunt Lexie were both away and Dad wasn't able to get out of bed because of his illness. I wish Todd had been allowed to grow into supporting Laurie a bit more by the end of the story.
Little sister Laurie is delightfully persistent and upbeat, even when the older kids are feeling a bit spooked by it all. The fossil collection is an excellent touch. Free-spirited Scout--the daughter of the hotel--is a wonderful antidote to the boy guests' uptightness. Her goggles against supernatural vapors are yet another fun touch!
Thrilling adventure mystery that could also be a helpful conversation-starter about its many themes: asking for help, supporting your friends, collecting fossils . . .
From the beginning we feel empathy for the main character. Real life issues are at the forefront of this story. I wonder how often we consider what our youngsters are dealing with in terms of mental health. This author has brought together in a lovely way, the story of acceptance and the ability of being able to ask for help. The way in which the children view each other on the surface is evident today but given a little time, we see that everyone has their own things going on and helping and understanding is far better and leads to all kinds of adventures. The mystery begins in a locked room and the disappearing of an old author. Great adventure and very funny in places too. My year 5 and 6 book club really enjoyed this book.
This is a great book. I've just finished reading it with my 9yr old as his bedtime story (my kids are advanced readers so judge based on your own kids level) and he loved it. He really enjoyed the mystery solving aspect and cracked some of the clues before the characters. I liked the subtle way it shows that you can be friends with people who you don't think you like to start with. It also shows that everyone has their own problems. And it deals well with the difficult subject of a mentally ill parent from the perspective of the child. The author does well not to labour the hard parts or to make it too light and seem like fun.
It was an amazing book, perfect for mystery lovers. The anticipation of how Edwina Patterson dissapered buged me so I read the book much quicker. We had to read this book in school, which made DEAR ( drop everything and read ) so much better. My favourite character was Scout as she is very brave and sticks up for everyone, for example when Howard Knife tried to make Marianne sign the contract, she persuaded him to leave. Overall this book was amazing and I would definitely recommend it. This is the 1st book of Lisa Thompsons that I have read, and I will definitely read some more of her books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Loved this book. All of Lisa Thompson’s book are full of empathy but never at the expense of the story. Rollercoaster Boy is an adventure story yet includes themes of living with a family member who needs support with their mental health and it achieves this in a natural and inclusive way. It has a brilliant mystery at the heart of it - a missing relative and plenty of puzzles to solve!
it was a little slow paced at the beginning for me but afterwards i couldn't put the book down and i wanted to know what happened next. i devoured this in one sitting. i know it's a book written for kids but it resonated with me a lot. i'm absolutely GAGGED by this book. this is my first book from lisa thompson and let's just say it's not going to be my last book i'll be reading from her :)
This book is so interesting. It really is like a rollercoaster bacause there are many ups and downs in this book! I won’t even know what happens next and i couldn’t look up once i started to read it. I really recommend you to read this book!!
A very well written children’s book - interesting juxtaposition between parent mental health and children’s resilience to it at the same time as having an adventure!
I buddy read this with my lovely Sophie (@missbslibrary), as we’re both fans of Lisa Thompson and really fancied reading something else together, after enjoying our last few buddy reads. I don’t say this lightly because I’ve enjoyed them all a lot, but I think this might be her very best book, replacing the Light Jar as my favourite. It follows a boy named Todd, whose dad has bipolar disorder and his family’s spontaneous trip to this incredibly rundown hotel, where there is a treasure hunt/mystery to solve and his dad just keeps getting sicker and sicker. I think it would be impossible not to feel for Todd, because he’s in a pretty impossible situation and he’s really going through a lot, but he is so strong throughout it and I really liked the way he looks after his little sister, even though they initially don’t get on that well. The friends they make, Patrick and Scout, were both in tricky situations as well, and I loved both so much I couldn’t pick a favourite between them. The treasure hunt plotline was super fun, and I’m still kicking myself for not getting what it would be, because in hindsight it makes so much sense. Overall, this is such a great read, and I can’t wait to read what Lisa writes next.
This is the latest book from this great author and it didn't disappoint. Lisa Thompson has a way of making you care about the characters. She writes about relationships and adventures but in a humorous way. Two of the boys in the book have fathers who don't or can't give them the attention they need. One of the fathers is bipolar and has highs where he can be embarrassing, and lows where he retreats to his bed for days. This gives them the freedom to have the adventures, but makes them unhappy. Three children go to a run-down hotel and meet the owner's daughter, She tells them that her great grandmother went missing many years ago from room 42. They decide to resolve this mystery before the hotel is sold to a horrible man. One of the boys tells them about "Escape Rooms" where clues are left to solve a mystery, so they look for, and find, clues about a treasure. I found this an exciting story and couldn't put it down. I read it very quickly and would recommend it to everyone.
Yet again Lisa has smashed it out of the water. The way in she tackles such difficult topics while still managing to make you laugh. I loved the mystery involved with this book and yet again it’s cemented how much I love this author
Second book by Lisa Thompson I thoroughly enjoyed. Mix of contemporary (dealing with mental health issues & learning about friendship) + proper locked room mystery to be solved. Set in a spooky atmospheric hotel. Loved it!