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Escape the Rooms
A high-energy, laugh-out-loud, fully illustrated adventure story by much-loved actor Stephen Mangan and talented artist Anita Mangan.
The last thing Jack expected when he bungee-jumped at the fairground was to go plummeting right through the ground into the weird, wonderful Rooms...
There he must face a series of puzzles and traps alongside a mysterious girl called Cally, in order for them to find their way home. Throw in a murderous polar bear, hundreds of tiny yet ferocious lions, some mind-blowing riddles, and get ready for a hilarious, helter-skelter adventure like no other!
Alice in Wonderland meets The Crystal Maze! Packed with fantastic pictures.
The last thing Jack expected when he bungee-jumped at the fairground was to go plummeting right through the ground into the weird, wonderful Rooms...
There he must face a series of puzzles and traps alongside a mysterious girl called Cally, in order for them to find their way home. Throw in a murderous polar bear, hundreds of tiny yet ferocious lions, some mind-blowing riddles, and get ready for a hilarious, helter-skelter adventure like no other!
Alice in Wonderland meets The Crystal Maze! Packed with fantastic pictures.
- GenresChildrens
ebook
Published June 10, 2021
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58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 5, 2021
Neat title for kids with some fun riddles and Dahl-esque whimsy.
October 3, 2024
Not that funny, but very exciting. The Clackitty for children. A hymn to the healing power of terror.
The puzzles are above average. I especially liked the burning ropes.
The puzzles are above average. I especially liked the burning ropes.
April 7, 2024
DNF @30%
Too ridiculous even for me, and that’s saying something…
Too ridiculous even for me, and that’s saying something…
March 31, 2022
Such a lovely book about dealing with grief and loss. Done in such an entertaining and fun way for kids to enjoy and really get something out of at the same time.
July 13, 2021
Another celebrity writing a children's book? Well, being a big fan of Stephen Mangan, the actor/presenter, and of David Walliams' children's books (the ones that involve an actual story, that is, as opposed to those that appear to have been written because he's obliged to fulfil some contractual obligation with his publisher to make them and him some more money), I thought I'd give this one a go. The plot is very simple, you might say weak, and as such, was rather disappointing. However, it does have a surreal feel to it, which I really like - the quirkier the better. And, I love the illustrations by Anita Mangan. The underlying premise - of two children coming to terms with the death of a parent and grandparent - and the weird and wonderful sub-characters, chimes with the theme of 'Zoe and the Green Man', a book by me! (sadly, I'm not a celebrity, I have no massive marketing machine and I'm self-published, which means an off-the-shelf [not great] cover). If you want something with a bit more of a narrative arc, give it a read!
May 25, 2022
The last thing Jack expected when he bungee-jumped at the fairground was to end up in a maze of underground rooms...Alongiside, a mysterious girl called Cally he must find the key to unlock each room and find his way home.
At the beginning when I first started reading the story I could "hear" Stephen Mangan's voice in the text. Just some of the phrasing and I think because his voice and tone are so individual that came across in the writing. The beginning of the story certainly felt stronger to me - when (as a reader) you're not really sure what's going on and everything's just a little not right.
Also my favourite funny bit is on page 28 - when they're describing Wanda's teeth which made me laugh out loud. I think at this point I had quite high hopes for where we might be going.
I loved the character of Cally who was so angry and snarky :-
"I can be smart AND angry,"
I liked the overall theme of dealing with one room at a time and looking for answers and how you can feel like you keep coming back to the same place.
But there was more that I didn't like or just didn't work for me as a reader. Although the beginning was strong I don't think the idea of the rooms could hold up the story - I found it became repetitive - even the strangest and weirdest thing can become boring when it keeps happening on a loop.
I didn't like the book having no chapters - I like having a fixed place to stop. I'm presuming this was a thematic choice but for me it ended up adding to the interminable feel.
I wasn't keen on the illustrations.
There's a fair amount of gross-out humour which I think some kids will love and it does tip towards horror in a couple of places which I thought was written well. Horror and humour have always worked well together. Nothing too scary but just a little bit of fear for when Jack and Cally leave the path.
The book deals with fear, loss, grief and bereavement in a way that sometimes felt quite sensitive but at times the message also felt a little heavy-handed - Cally is angry, Jack is apathetic. As the whole book is essentially about fear, loss, grief and bereavement it felt like the message was being continually hammered home.
Do the rooms only choose bereaved children who aren't coping well with loss? I feel like it's been marketed more as an adventure fantasy because that's popular. Whereas perhaps, it's closer to the horror side of the fantasy genre. The rooms are coming to get you if you aren't able to cope in either a way or amount of time that's deemed socially acceptable.
I laughed in a couple of places but overall (the further I got into the story) found this a struggle to read as it wasn't holding my interest and in the end (like Jack and Cally) I just wanted to get through the rooms as quickly as possible so it could be over.
(I received a free copy of this book to review).
At the beginning when I first started reading the story I could "hear" Stephen Mangan's voice in the text. Just some of the phrasing and I think because his voice and tone are so individual that came across in the writing. The beginning of the story certainly felt stronger to me - when (as a reader) you're not really sure what's going on and everything's just a little not right.
Also my favourite funny bit is on page 28 - when they're describing Wanda's teeth which made me laugh out loud. I think at this point I had quite high hopes for where we might be going.
I loved the character of Cally who was so angry and snarky :-
"I can be smart AND angry,"
I liked the overall theme of dealing with one room at a time and looking for answers and how you can feel like you keep coming back to the same place.
But there was more that I didn't like or just didn't work for me as a reader. Although the beginning was strong I don't think the idea of the rooms could hold up the story - I found it became repetitive - even the strangest and weirdest thing can become boring when it keeps happening on a loop.
I didn't like the book having no chapters - I like having a fixed place to stop. I'm presuming this was a thematic choice but for me it ended up adding to the interminable feel.
I wasn't keen on the illustrations.
There's a fair amount of gross-out humour which I think some kids will love and it does tip towards horror in a couple of places which I thought was written well. Horror and humour have always worked well together. Nothing too scary but just a little bit of fear for when Jack and Cally leave the path.
The book deals with fear, loss, grief and bereavement in a way that sometimes felt quite sensitive but at times the message also felt a little heavy-handed - Cally is angry, Jack is apathetic. As the whole book is essentially about fear, loss, grief and bereavement it felt like the message was being continually hammered home.
Do the rooms only choose bereaved children who aren't coping well with loss? I feel like it's been marketed more as an adventure fantasy because that's popular. Whereas perhaps, it's closer to the horror side of the fantasy genre. The rooms are coming to get you if you aren't able to cope in either a way or amount of time that's deemed socially acceptable.
I laughed in a couple of places but overall (the further I got into the story) found this a struggle to read as it wasn't holding my interest and in the end (like Jack and Cally) I just wanted to get through the rooms as quickly as possible so it could be over.
(I received a free copy of this book to review).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2022
Let’s start with some positives.
❤️ I love escape rooms - especially in scary movies - and there were certainly some unusual rooms in this book. Creepy, haunting and utterly confusing, I was constantly wondering what would come next.
❤️ This book deals with discussing difficult emotions, which I loved. It highlights the fact that we ALL feel deep emotions and have our personal struggles, even if we don’t talk about them. I think this is an important message for kids to understand, so that bumped this up to a 3 star read.
Now, the criticisms:
❌ This book had NO chapters. Yes, you read that correctly. It was one continuous long story that didn’t let the reader take a breath. You almost felt trapped in the book like you were in an escape room. I’ve never seen a chapterless book, and honestly, I hope I never see one again.
❌ The story was full of irrelevant details. At times, it felt like the author was just writing to fill up a word count. I found myself skimming sections about eating cookies and a overly lanky woman. The potential of this story was barely explored.
I suppose we all come across books that are not for us. Escape the Rooms was not for me, but maybe someone will find the gem in this book.
❤️ I love escape rooms - especially in scary movies - and there were certainly some unusual rooms in this book. Creepy, haunting and utterly confusing, I was constantly wondering what would come next.
❤️ This book deals with discussing difficult emotions, which I loved. It highlights the fact that we ALL feel deep emotions and have our personal struggles, even if we don’t talk about them. I think this is an important message for kids to understand, so that bumped this up to a 3 star read.
Now, the criticisms:
❌ This book had NO chapters. Yes, you read that correctly. It was one continuous long story that didn’t let the reader take a breath. You almost felt trapped in the book like you were in an escape room. I’ve never seen a chapterless book, and honestly, I hope I never see one again.
❌ The story was full of irrelevant details. At times, it felt like the author was just writing to fill up a word count. I found myself skimming sections about eating cookies and a overly lanky woman. The potential of this story was barely explored.
I suppose we all come across books that are not for us. Escape the Rooms was not for me, but maybe someone will find the gem in this book.
April 12, 2022
A 300 page children's book with no chapters!
I bought this to read to my 8 year old son based on the blurb and the fact that we both enjoy escape rooms.
The lack of chapters really bothered me - it feels like the publishers have put no effort in and are just relying on the celebrity name to sell the book.
The book is about dealing with grief which is not mentioned in the description. The rooms are dull and repetitive, neither of us found it funny and we didn't understand the ending. Bizarre elements are added in for no real reason - unless this is supposed to be what makes it funny, and the illustrations are awful.
It is not mentioned anywhere how old the characters are and I am not sure about the age range - the main rather heavy topic of dealing with grief feels too mature for younger readers, most of it went over my son's head and he found these bits boring but I think older readers would find the book too childish.
I bought this to read to my 8 year old son based on the blurb and the fact that we both enjoy escape rooms.
The lack of chapters really bothered me - it feels like the publishers have put no effort in and are just relying on the celebrity name to sell the book.
The book is about dealing with grief which is not mentioned in the description. The rooms are dull and repetitive, neither of us found it funny and we didn't understand the ending. Bizarre elements are added in for no real reason - unless this is supposed to be what makes it funny, and the illustrations are awful.
It is not mentioned anywhere how old the characters are and I am not sure about the age range - the main rather heavy topic of dealing with grief feels too mature for younger readers, most of it went over my son's head and he found these bits boring but I think older readers would find the book too childish.
April 24, 2022
A whirlwind paced story with meanings that aren't apparent at first.
A lot of celebrity authored children's books have appeared in recent years. I think this is one of the better ones.
It is at times as inventive, weird and non-sequential as any classic children's book. The lack of chapters doesn't hinder it in my view as there isn't break points to add chaptering into. The realisation that the book is about grief and loss occurs late in the story but there are hints early on.
There probably will be sequels to this. If they are as surreal as this one then they will be worth reading.
A lot of celebrity authored children's books have appeared in recent years. I think this is one of the better ones.
It is at times as inventive, weird and non-sequential as any classic children's book. The lack of chapters doesn't hinder it in my view as there isn't break points to add chaptering into. The realisation that the book is about grief and loss occurs late in the story but there are hints early on.
There probably will be sequels to this. If they are as surreal as this one then they will be worth reading.
March 8, 2023
This book was a lot of fun- I listened to the audio and the narrator was wonderful.
I went into this one expecting a light and fluffy escape room story, and was pleasantly surprised. While there are rooms to “escape” it wasn’t exactly an escape room book, however there were rooms to escape and puzzles to solve. The story was humorous and whimsical, but it also tackled the seriousness of loss and grief. Overall a very fun read and I would absolutely read more by this author!
I went into this one expecting a light and fluffy escape room story, and was pleasantly surprised. While there are rooms to “escape” it wasn’t exactly an escape room book, however there were rooms to escape and puzzles to solve. The story was humorous and whimsical, but it also tackled the seriousness of loss and grief. Overall a very fun read and I would absolutely read more by this author!
April 7, 2022
Meh.
I was expecting quite a lot, and so I got disappointed.
It felt to me like it was trying to be a Roald Dahl book, in his absurdity, mixed up with Alice in Wonderland but modern. And it failed.
The writing is okay, the illustrations are absolutely terrifying (not in a good way), I guess some kids will like it but I'll soon forget about it.
Wouldn't recommend, try something else.
I was expecting quite a lot, and so I got disappointed.
It felt to me like it was trying to be a Roald Dahl book, in his absurdity, mixed up with Alice in Wonderland but modern. And it failed.
The writing is okay, the illustrations are absolutely terrifying (not in a good way), I guess some kids will like it but I'll soon forget about it.
Wouldn't recommend, try something else.
May 2, 2025
On my opinion the story wasn't plan enough, it didn't explain that much why they where involve and pick to be in the "Room"
Also this was a kid book and I think if kids read this, they wouldn't understand it very much because the plot in it was deep enough just for adult to be understand
Lastly the way the story flow wasn't narrate that good enough.
Also this was a kid book and I think if kids read this, they wouldn't understand it very much because the plot in it was deep enough just for adult to be understand
Lastly the way the story flow wasn't narrate that good enough.
January 4, 2022
A wonderfully crazy book about dealing with grief. Great characters and a wacky storyline brings this book to life. It was a read I didn't want to escape from.
February 20, 2022
An interesting book. For older kids or kids with a wide life experience. May help a person work through grief.
March 22, 2022
A book about grief for 9-12 year olds, with more than a nod to Alice in Wonderland.
June 5, 2022
This book is ok I wouldn’t recommend it cause it isn’t that exicting and the ending is very predictable
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2022
Funnier than I was expecting
March 17, 2023
3.5⭐️
May 3, 2023
It was well-written but I didn't like the story. I also found the illustrations too creepy for young children.
March 17, 2024
The ending was a bit of a letdown, would have been ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if the ending was more exciting
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2024
Fabulous and enjoyable read 😊
February 26, 2025
This book was good it was just a bit slow to get into because it was like, the first, i don’t know, 3-4 chapters of basically the same thing?
Either way i just loved this in every other way.
Either way i just loved this in every other way.
June 26, 2025
Not the worst book I’ve ever read but not the best book either.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews