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Wander Lost
From the critically acclaimed author of Float and Glitch comes a new stand-alone adventure full of humor and heart, perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Dan Gutman!
Rhett and his brother, Nash, have never been allowed to play board games. It's their mom's most important rule; the twins don't know why, but they know not to push her on it.
When their mom suddenly disappears, they're reunited with Ace, their long-lost grandfather, who reveals that their family is descended from a board game character who escaped his game and lived in the real world. Their family now has the ability to enter the world of any game they want—but this gift also comes with a price. A game character who’s wanted revenge against their mom for decades has finally caught her and is holding her hostage in the world of a game. Which game? That’s up to Rhett and Nash to figure out, even if it means breaking Mom’s most important rule.
But as they learn to use their newly discovered ability, exploring new worlds and facing new challenges and risks, the brothers quickly realize that saving Mom won't be all fun and games. It’s game on… or game over.
Rhett and his brother, Nash, have never been allowed to play board games. It's their mom's most important rule; the twins don't know why, but they know not to push her on it.
When their mom suddenly disappears, they're reunited with Ace, their long-lost grandfather, who reveals that their family is descended from a board game character who escaped his game and lived in the real world. Their family now has the ability to enter the world of any game they want—but this gift also comes with a price. A game character who’s wanted revenge against their mom for decades has finally caught her and is holding her hostage in the world of a game. Which game? That’s up to Rhett and Nash to figure out, even if it means breaking Mom’s most important rule.
But as they learn to use their newly discovered ability, exploring new worlds and facing new challenges and risks, the brothers quickly realize that saving Mom won't be all fun and games. It’s game on… or game over.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2024
21 people are currently reading
3587 people want to read
About the author
Laura Martin
11 books354 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 15, 2025
Oh, my goodness! This book was insanely AMAZING! 🤩
I'd recommend it to anyone. Everything from the world-building to the character development was just awesome. I especially loved the distinct personalities and quirks of each character! 🤩
It also delivers a really positive and timely message about screen addiction, which I found incredibly impactful. 🩵
Seriously, read this book! You won't regret it! 😌
PS. Geronimo Jones the Third was the best!!
I'd recommend it to anyone. Everything from the world-building to the character development was just awesome. I especially loved the distinct personalities and quirks of each character! 🤩
It also delivers a really positive and timely message about screen addiction, which I found incredibly impactful. 🩵
Seriously, read this book! You won't regret it! 😌
PS. Geronimo Jones the Third was the best!!
July 6, 2024
Cute middle grade book about a family who’s history is getting pulled into board games and having to play the game as a human. The twin brothers have to go searching for their mom who got trapped inside a board game.
November 11, 2024
3.5 The concept was great, but I found the main character annoying for the first half. I enjoyed that the bad guy ended up being a video game designer, which felt right for a book about board games.
October 15, 2024
3.5 stars. To start off Laura Martin is one of my favorite authors. I was really excited about this book. Kids can travel into games. Sounds cool, right? Well yes but because of copyright reasons she couldn't use any real games. So as you're reading you have to learn how several new games work, which made it really confusing. And we don't even visit a game until over a hundred pages in. The world building was quite confusing and took forever to explain. Most of Laura's books drop you right into the action. This one had a very slow start. Overall I was disappointed, but the last 40% was fun.
June 15, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance Kindle copy of this 6.25.24 release. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this adventure. Twins Rhett and Nash have been forbidden from playing board games their entire lives. It seems weird, but they rarely question it. But on their first day at Harrison Middle School, they are told to wait inside at the end of the day: their mother is unable to get them and their estranged grandfather, Ace, will be collecting them instead. What they find out seems crazy: their bloodline allows them to enter board games as characters. Their mom is stuck in one and may be in danger. The world building takes a while, but kids who enjoy the author and like a good adventure will love it. Recommended for grades 4-6.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this adventure. Twins Rhett and Nash have been forbidden from playing board games their entire lives. It seems weird, but they rarely question it. But on their first day at Harrison Middle School, they are told to wait inside at the end of the day: their mother is unable to get them and their estranged grandfather, Ace, will be collecting them instead. What they find out seems crazy: their bloodline allows them to enter board games as characters. Their mom is stuck in one and may be in danger. The world building takes a while, but kids who enjoy the author and like a good adventure will love it. Recommended for grades 4-6.
May 18, 2024
The world-building was so so detailed that it took a lot of exposition for it all, and that slowed down the pacing in the beginning. And I was still having to flip back to understand parts/people etc. The second half was nonstop action and a fun exploration of the different unique games.
November 22, 2024
It was fine - I think it could be a good one for kids, but didn't always work well for adults (which is okay, there are just so many middle grade books now that excel at being excellent reads for all ages).
The concept is super fun, though it may have gotten a bit confusing with all the mechanics of how this fantasy world works. It did take a lot of time to explain all of it, and there's some good world building, but as a result there was a lot of sections of exposition which slowed down the story a little.
Still it was a decent, fun read. I listened to the audiobook.
The concept is super fun, though it may have gotten a bit confusing with all the mechanics of how this fantasy world works. It did take a lot of time to explain all of it, and there's some good world building, but as a result there was a lot of sections of exposition which slowed down the story a little.
Still it was a decent, fun read. I listened to the audiobook.
August 25, 2024
What a fun adventure!!
November 20, 2024
2024 read aloud with W age 10
March 6, 2025
Loved it!
This is a great middle grade novel, and I am so glad I read it! Laura Martin is really creative. I’m looking forward to sharing this book with my kids!
This is a great middle grade novel, and I am so glad I read it! Laura Martin is really creative. I’m looking forward to sharing this book with my kids!
April 6, 2025
Didn't hold my interest
August 16, 2024
Great book; very tween boy oriented. It's a shame that no real games could be used because of copyright laws, but the author was very creative with made-up games.
July 17, 2025
Wow. So cute, so fun, so adventurous! Would make a great read for grades 3 (a more advanced reader)-6!
October 27, 2024
I really wanted to enjoy this book which had such a promising premise. In this world, quite similar to our own, the Benson family has the ability to hop into any board game they want. The problem for twins, Rhett and Nash, is that they have no idea thanks to their matter's hyper-vigilance around keeping them away from any boardgame and even close proximity to them. Their world turns completely upside down when they get called into the office at school to learn that their mother has been in an accident and their estranged grandfather will be picking them up. From there, the grandfather plunges the twins into his world of boardgame hopping in an attempt to save their mother who has somehow been kidnapped into one. While the grandfather starts by saying he's going to trian them, it quickly devolves as he becomes stuck in a dangerous game and now the twins have to save both him and their mom who turns out to be trapped in a video game version of a destroyed board game. If this plot has started to sound a bit absurd, that just scratches the surface of the profound absurdity of this book. While I can conceive of the possibility of a board game world existing for some, mainly deck-building games, my mind struggle dto conceive of how this conceit would actually work. Video games make much more sense for this concept which is why the author's note - in which Martin derides the "addictive" nature of video games- explains why she had to go to such lengths to try to make a scrap of an idea work for a full length novel. Spoiler alert: it did not. On top of that, the author appeared to shun all, or most, transitions between scenes as if she had a few already framed in her mind, wrote those, and then went back and tried to make them fit together. One time I went back and read through the pages twice before realizing that , no, I did not miss anything. She simply plunged the reader into a completely different environment for a couple pages before explaining how we got there. I wish I could recommend this book, especially since it centers a male protagonist, not as common for middle grade novels, in an adventerous setting, that many of my middle schoolers would enjoy. Unfortunately, I think many of them would end up confused about what actually happened and a bit unsatisfied by the ending. I know I was.
February 21, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Nash Benson and his twin brother Rhett have never been allowed to play board games by their mother, Natalie, although Nash tries to get them from the gaming club at school. There was a brief time when the two were allowed to play video games, but Rhett got obsessed with them, and their system was taken away. When their principal, Mr. Jeffers, tells them that their mother has been in an accident and their grandfather will be picking them up, they are worried and confused. They've never met their grandfather, Ace, who shows up and takes them to his farm in Indiana with their guinea pig, Geronimo. The cabin is run down and packed with vintage board games, and the boys soon learn the strange truth; their family are Bounders, part Wanderers who have the ability to travel into board games, and their mother has been abducted by Ogden. He's a game character who has a grudge against Ace, who destroyed Ogden's board game and has caused him grief. One of the things that happens when Bounders go into games is that two characters from the game must come into the real world; this could be evil fauna, or someone like Flanny, from a Wild West game. Ace tends to take his dog Chief into games for assistance. Ace teaches the boys some of the rules after they have a somewhat less than great turn at playing "Training Wheels". They shouldn't talk to characters in the game, they should never give the characters the game manual. Wanderers are game characters who have managed to win their game and have the ability to go into other games. A Wander Lost, such as Ogden, is created if a person from the real world is killed in the game, and the game character is able to come out and replace that person. There is a sad family history that allowed this to happen with the Bensons. Ace thinks that Ogden is holding Natalie prisoner in a game, and wants the boys' help in finding her. Once they have some training in Bounding, Ace disappears, and one of the games, Lost Lore, is gone. Snow White, a character from that game, is in the cabin. The boys get help from Cress, who is another Wanderer with a tie to the Bensons, but she wants payment from them in the form of a valuable artifact from a game. She shows them how to use the game Tunnels to travel to other games, and tells them that if Ogden had destroyed the last Lost Lore game, they wouldn't be able to travel to it through the Tunnels game. The boys find out that Ogden has an evil plan involving a company he has formed, Reboot, that is turning vintage board games into video games. They think their mother is such in Pirate's Wrath, the game from which Cress came. Ogden is having a game launch an hour from the cabin, so they teach Snow White to drive and head there. Will Rhett and Nash be able to take their new skills at Bounding and save not only their mother and grandfather, but foil Ogden's plans to unleash Pirate's Wrath on the world?
Strengths: Children who like board games or video games will be enthralled with the idea of Bounding and Wandering, and spend a lot of time thinking about which game they would like to travel into, although Ace does tell us that vintage board games are more imaginative than newer ones. This was a whirlwind of activity, and lots and lots of things HAPPEN, so there is no lack of excitement. Like many board games, there were quite a number of rules, as well as details about the games. There have been several books about characters getting sucked into video games, but other than Jumanji, I can't think of any involving board games. This was all well planned; I can't imagine the wall of sticky notes that Martin must have had to make all of the threads weave together properly. Ogden's motivation was interesting, and I don't want to spoil that. Martin does such a great job of coming up with unusual plots; I adore her Hoax for Hire, (https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...), and this is another great story for middle grade readers.
Weaknesses: I wanted to know more about Sam, and wouldn't have minded a bit more back story about how the Bensons became travelers. How long has Chief been with Ace? There wasn't a lot of time for these details, because the boys were busy saving their mother and grandfather. Also, I expected Geronimo to figure into the story a bit more, but I can see the challenge of including a guinea pig character.
What I really think: Since I not only often have fantasy amnesia but also really, really don't like to play board games, this one was a bit of a struggle for me personally. My students, however, LOVE games. This will be perfect for readers who enjoyed titles like Schrieber's Game Over, Pete Watson, Mancusi's Dragon Ops, and Khoury's The Ruby Code. I will definitely purchase a copy.
Martin has a nice note about how she was influenced by the works of Roald Dahl. I'm not sure how much this will mean to Young readers, but teachers and librarians will appreciate it. Fifteen years ago, there was some interest in Matilda, but even with a new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, no one has checked out the books in years. One of our elementary schools had a teacher who wanted to borrow copies of The BFG for a class study, and I deaccessioned it and sent it on its way because no one had checked it out in ten years. He's got an odd, British style that has gone out of fashion, and The Witches was rather problematic.
Nash Benson and his twin brother Rhett have never been allowed to play board games by their mother, Natalie, although Nash tries to get them from the gaming club at school. There was a brief time when the two were allowed to play video games, but Rhett got obsessed with them, and their system was taken away. When their principal, Mr. Jeffers, tells them that their mother has been in an accident and their grandfather will be picking them up, they are worried and confused. They've never met their grandfather, Ace, who shows up and takes them to his farm in Indiana with their guinea pig, Geronimo. The cabin is run down and packed with vintage board games, and the boys soon learn the strange truth; their family are Bounders, part Wanderers who have the ability to travel into board games, and their mother has been abducted by Ogden. He's a game character who has a grudge against Ace, who destroyed Ogden's board game and has caused him grief. One of the things that happens when Bounders go into games is that two characters from the game must come into the real world; this could be evil fauna, or someone like Flanny, from a Wild West game. Ace tends to take his dog Chief into games for assistance. Ace teaches the boys some of the rules after they have a somewhat less than great turn at playing "Training Wheels". They shouldn't talk to characters in the game, they should never give the characters the game manual. Wanderers are game characters who have managed to win their game and have the ability to go into other games. A Wander Lost, such as Ogden, is created if a person from the real world is killed in the game, and the game character is able to come out and replace that person. There is a sad family history that allowed this to happen with the Bensons. Ace thinks that Ogden is holding Natalie prisoner in a game, and wants the boys' help in finding her. Once they have some training in Bounding, Ace disappears, and one of the games, Lost Lore, is gone. Snow White, a character from that game, is in the cabin. The boys get help from Cress, who is another Wanderer with a tie to the Bensons, but she wants payment from them in the form of a valuable artifact from a game. She shows them how to use the game Tunnels to travel to other games, and tells them that if Ogden had destroyed the last Lost Lore game, they wouldn't be able to travel to it through the Tunnels game. The boys find out that Ogden has an evil plan involving a company he has formed, Reboot, that is turning vintage board games into video games. They think their mother is such in Pirate's Wrath, the game from which Cress came. Ogden is having a game launch an hour from the cabin, so they teach Snow White to drive and head there. Will Rhett and Nash be able to take their new skills at Bounding and save not only their mother and grandfather, but foil Ogden's plans to unleash Pirate's Wrath on the world?
Strengths: Children who like board games or video games will be enthralled with the idea of Bounding and Wandering, and spend a lot of time thinking about which game they would like to travel into, although Ace does tell us that vintage board games are more imaginative than newer ones. This was a whirlwind of activity, and lots and lots of things HAPPEN, so there is no lack of excitement. Like many board games, there were quite a number of rules, as well as details about the games. There have been several books about characters getting sucked into video games, but other than Jumanji, I can't think of any involving board games. This was all well planned; I can't imagine the wall of sticky notes that Martin must have had to make all of the threads weave together properly. Ogden's motivation was interesting, and I don't want to spoil that. Martin does such a great job of coming up with unusual plots; I adore her Hoax for Hire, (https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...), and this is another great story for middle grade readers.
Weaknesses: I wanted to know more about Sam, and wouldn't have minded a bit more back story about how the Bensons became travelers. How long has Chief been with Ace? There wasn't a lot of time for these details, because the boys were busy saving their mother and grandfather. Also, I expected Geronimo to figure into the story a bit more, but I can see the challenge of including a guinea pig character.
What I really think: Since I not only often have fantasy amnesia but also really, really don't like to play board games, this one was a bit of a struggle for me personally. My students, however, LOVE games. This will be perfect for readers who enjoyed titles like Schrieber's Game Over, Pete Watson, Mancusi's Dragon Ops, and Khoury's The Ruby Code. I will definitely purchase a copy.
Martin has a nice note about how she was influenced by the works of Roald Dahl. I'm not sure how much this will mean to Young readers, but teachers and librarians will appreciate it. Fifteen years ago, there was some interest in Matilda, but even with a new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, no one has checked out the books in years. One of our elementary schools had a teacher who wanted to borrow copies of The BFG for a class study, and I deaccessioned it and sent it on its way because no one had checked it out in ten years. He's got an odd, British style that has gone out of fashion, and The Witches was rather problematic.
October 5, 2024
Martin’s newest middle grade novel is an imaginative romp through board games.
Twelve-year-old twins Nash and Rhett’s mom is quirky. They aren’t allowed to play any board games, can’t visit their grandpa, and move often. The boys have just started another new school when their mom goes missing. Their grandpa, Ace, shows up and takes the boys to his rural home in Indiana. There the boys learn that they are descendants of a family of bounders, people who can travel in and out of board games. Their mom has been kidnapped and taken to a board game world. The boys have to learn the complex rules for bounding if they want to help save her. Soon they are attempting to help Ace, not always successfully. Can they save their mom in time?
Martin does some wonderful world building. There are lots of side characters since any time a bounder goes into a game, a game character enters this world. Rhett narrates the novel and is the best defined character. Nash, Ace, and Cress are well defined, also. The plot has several subplot lines and moves quickly.. At times it can be confusing to remember the differences between bounders, Wanderers, and Wander Lost. My best description is that the novel is a mashup of Jumanji, Wreck-It-Ralph and Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. This is a great book for fantasy fans who are patient and/or love puzzles and games.
I Recommend it for school and public libraries serving grades three through seven.
M.A.C.
Retired School Librarian
Twelve-year-old twins Nash and Rhett’s mom is quirky. They aren’t allowed to play any board games, can’t visit their grandpa, and move often. The boys have just started another new school when their mom goes missing. Their grandpa, Ace, shows up and takes the boys to his rural home in Indiana. There the boys learn that they are descendants of a family of bounders, people who can travel in and out of board games. Their mom has been kidnapped and taken to a board game world. The boys have to learn the complex rules for bounding if they want to help save her. Soon they are attempting to help Ace, not always successfully. Can they save their mom in time?
Martin does some wonderful world building. There are lots of side characters since any time a bounder goes into a game, a game character enters this world. Rhett narrates the novel and is the best defined character. Nash, Ace, and Cress are well defined, also. The plot has several subplot lines and moves quickly.. At times it can be confusing to remember the differences between bounders, Wanderers, and Wander Lost. My best description is that the novel is a mashup of Jumanji, Wreck-It-Ralph and Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. This is a great book for fantasy fans who are patient and/or love puzzles and games.
I Recommend it for school and public libraries serving grades three through seven.
M.A.C.
Retired School Librarian
February 2, 2024
Amazing cover, (I'm reading an advance copy, and can't wait to see it as a physical book). I am a big fan of Laura Martin's Edge of Extinction duology. This one is as adventurous and fun. Twin boys Rhett and Nash have been kept away from board games all their lives. Their mother forbids it, but not for usual reasons. They are from a family who holds a secret regarding using board games as portals. I love Cress, I was always excited to see her appear in a chapter. Visiting the different games is fun, and how they deal with the villain is well done. The boys learn so much about their family and mother. Their dialogues are always fun and filled with their personality. They even get to meet Snow White from the Lost Lore game. It's fun to recognize some of the classic games and I'm glad the author made an homage to boardgames because I agree they make a different type of relationship, presence, and connection that is different from video games, although I always play co-op and I love the time spent in my video games as well.
Thank you Publisher and Netgalley for this e-arc.
Thank you Publisher and Netgalley for this e-arc.
June 27, 2024
My kids and I love Laura Martin’s books! We own them all in one form or another. Wander Lost is a fun, clean, adventure about twin brothers who have to rescue their mom from an evil pirate character from a board game. Their family is able to jump into board games, and the brothers have to rescue their mom and grandfather from the games they’re trapped in.
My kids are very excited to read this one. It wasn’t my personal favorite of Martin’s books, but it’s still a great and fun summer read! It rekindles the love of board games and sheds a light on the addictive quality that video games can have for some kids.
Overall, I would definitely recommend it!
My kids are very excited to read this one. It wasn’t my personal favorite of Martin’s books, but it’s still a great and fun summer read! It rekindles the love of board games and sheds a light on the addictive quality that video games can have for some kids.
Overall, I would definitely recommend it!
November 4, 2025
This was actually pretty fun to listen to. I read it with my 9 year old and we both appreciated that it was fast paced and full of action. Board game bounding, or hopping into board games, with danger and mystery.
When their mom disappears, they don't have any idea where she could have gone but their grandpa Ace is determined to find her. He will have to show the boys what they can do before he starts though.
Can they find their mom before it's too late?
Thank you to librofm for an ALC to enjoy.
When their mom disappears, they don't have any idea where she could have gone but their grandpa Ace is determined to find her. He will have to show the boys what they can do before he starts though.
Can they find their mom before it's too late?
Thank you to librofm for an ALC to enjoy.
January 30, 2024
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy. If you loved Laura Martin's previous books, you will love this one too. In this story, twins Nate and Rhett go on an exciting adventure to save first their mother and then their grandfather too. Where they have to look is quite unbelievable. Laura Martin is so imaginative and creative. I can't wait to share this book with my students.
January 11, 2026
The Benson twins have never been allowed to play any board games and don’t understand why until their mom goes missing and their grandfather takes custody of them. From him they discover that their family has the ability to enter the world of any board game and that their mom is being held captive by a former character who is seeking revenge on the destruction of his game. I found the beginning of this fantasy a bit confusing but well worth hanging in until the end.
March 12, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a fun read. Rhett and Nash have never been allowed to play board games because their mom forbade it. They’ve tried several times over the years yet their mom always finds out and puts a stop to it. Their mom ends up missing and that’s when they get thrown into a crazy and wild adventure.
August 18, 2024
Twins, Nash, and Rhett are in for the surprise of a lifetime when they get thrown into a world that makes no sense at all. Their mom is missing, they are reunited with a grandfather they've only met once, and they find out that they can enter into the world of boardgames! This book is not for the faint of heart. Big imaginations and adventure lovers be prepared!
June 29, 2025
This is a really fun fantasy MG novel! The author really brings out the magic of board games and the importance of family (both blood related and found family). This book reminds me of a mix between "Jumanji" and "Wreck It Ralph"! After reading it from my public library, I ordered it for my MS library right away!
December 31, 2025
This was creative and fun - it is basically like a reverse Jumanji where kids from the "real world" can enter into board games. I am rating it 3.5, though, because there are multiple info dump world building sections.
Still a good read, especially for those who like board games. I think people who liked "jumanji" would probably like it.
Still a good read, especially for those who like board games. I think people who liked "jumanji" would probably like it.
August 14, 2024
Praise God for having Christian authors so you don't have to worry about what your kids are reading .
This one wasn't for me unfortunately I was rather bored of it and quit after 134 pages. I'm sure others would like it .
This one wasn't for me unfortunately I was rather bored of it and quit after 134 pages. I'm sure others would like it .
September 24, 2024
It was okay. For me, this book didn’t have that special something. I felt there was a tonal mismatch between the playful concept and serious execution. I feel like it may have worked better as a kids’ movie.
June 24, 2025
I loved the adventure in this book. Reminded me of Jumanji and I'm glad the author had the kids jumping into board games for the most part of the book. I had a hard time with our second twin. He seemed really dense and didn't have much character development.
October 26, 2025
This book was so good! Twin brothers Rhett and Nash have to go into a board game to find their mother who is lost. They go into multiple games and meet many strange creatures and try to avoid being eliminated. Loved this story!
July 13, 2024
Laura Martin does it again!! And this is certainly one of my favorites!! I REALLY hope there's a sequel coming!! 🤞🏻🤩
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews