200 Minutes of Danger

Danger

by Jack Heath

10 STORIES
10 DANGEROUS SITUATIONS
10 BRAVE KIDS
20 MINUTES TO ESCAPE...

Quinn gets thrown overboard into an icy ocean. Can he outwit the circling shark? Ashling is watching a history-making science experiment—but it's about to go horribly wrong... Oscar hides from two secret agents while something much more dangerous hunts all three of them!

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2020

About the author

Jack Heath wrote his debut novel, The Lab, in secondary school and sent it to a publisher at age seventeen. He's now the award-winning author of forty novels for adults and children, including the international bestsellers Hangman, The Wife Swap and 300 Minutes of Danger. His books have been translated into ten languages, optioned for TV and adapted for film. He lives on Ngunnawal/Ngambri country in Canberra, Australia, with his wife, their children, several chickens, a few fish and a possum named Oreo.

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super thrilling and I absolutely loved reading it! My only criticism is probably that on 2 of the stories, the author failed to really explain what was happening properly ( or at least to me) but other that that is was a really great book

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely fabulous, got me hooked from the start.
Jack Heath has a really nice stile of writing.
This book is my favourite out of the minutes of danger series.

[Pauline Schutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edge of your seat adventure and excitement!!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those familiar with the popular tweens/teens series '300 Minutes of Danger', will welcome Jack Heath's newest, '200 Minutes of Danger'. The adrenaline-charged series (including '400' Minutes and '500 Minutes') has been written to entice reluctant readers, not just because of the cliff-hangers and true-to-life scenarios (lots of great tech!), but because each chapter is its own episode. Therefore, a chapter could possibly be read in 20 minutes (or in later books, 30 or 40 or 50 minutes) and after reading all 10 chapters, then '200 Minutes' is all that it took to read that book. It's a clever concept for today's kids - reluctant readers or not - who consider themselves time-poor for reading (but can devote mega hours to computer games!)
The action leaps off the page, and I find that when kids have already read others in the series, they trust this author and want to give '200 Minutes of Danger' a go. I think it's remarkable that Jack Heath has been able to pitch to reluctant and teen readers (in much the same way that Dr Seuss did for beginner readers) and make his books enthralling and enticing. I did find the book demanded concentration, as there are lots of scenarios and technical issues to get your head around, so I wouldn't say it's an 'easy read' kind of book, but it was a very engrossing read.

[Nikky Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. Couldn’t put this down. I was surprised when the stories were all just point of views of one story. I was very surprised when things got hightech secrets agents and time travelers! I should have known when the first chapter was about a giant. But I loved every minute. Well actually there was a lot is realistic near death experiences so those where a bit scary that I didn’t love. I don’t like being scared or thinking about death like most people. I feel more knowledgeable about some situations and just smarter. These are some smart kids. Clearly this is a smart author.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still have so many questions

[chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one was cool too. i think every story was the same thing? not as good as the others ive read in this 'series', but thats just because the stories were a little too short for my liking.

[Ryan McArthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my children, and they were both enthralled. I really like how all of the stories are connected and build on each other.

[lolMarieisthebest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how all 10 stories are connected to one and other. I have read the 400 minutes of danger as well they are all good books.

[Jay Khatri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah it was alright

[User_21035 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the way Jack Heath, the author of this short story, Collision Course, demonstrated how people can perceive others so differently. The message of the author is to remind us not to underestimate people based on things like age, race, academic ability or physical ability. The way the author establishes an understanding of how people’s first impressions can be so wrong is through his use of dialogue. At the very start of the story, some of this dialogue is within one of the character’s own head, and other parts are actually spoken between the two main characters. The following, “I’m sick of your excuses…this is why we shouldn’t hire teenagers…I’m kicking you out of the junior cadet program,” is the imaginary voice of Captain Kelly inside Yasmin’s head. He thinks that people who are too young, like Yasmin, are not educated and mature enough to do work properly and seriously. When Yasmin had to go to the bridge room of the ship to meet Captain Kelly, for making a mistake on board, she knew that Captain Kelly was ready to rant at her about how young people shouldn’t be hired onboard ships. However, in the middle of his lecture, he has a heart attack, and needs to rely on Yasmin to save him.
This is the sad reality of younger people who want to work in industries where most workers are older men and women, they are perceived as being ‘no good’ and, based on their age, the assumption is made that they aren’t trained enough and lack experience. This misconception results in many capable young people not being offered the chance to train or gain the required experience.