New York Times bestseller! From Matt and Rebecca Zamolo, creators of the mega-popular YouTube series Game Master Network, comes a new thrilling novel about everyone's favorite mystery-solving team as they go toe-to-toe with the mysterious and menacing Game Master.
Rebecca Zamolo is on a mission to save her summer. Instead of going to camp like she'd planned, she's been stuck in summer school. But today is the day! She's going to present her final science assignment--using her Nana's borrowed vintage zoetrope--and then she'll be free to have fun.
But as Becca and her classmates wait for her teacher to arrive, a menacing voice comes over the intercom claiming to be the Game Master! The kids quickly discover that the Game Master has locked the doors, scared off the teachers, and made it clear that if Becca and her friends don't solve the clues that have been left behind, they'll never get back Becca's irreplaceable zoetrope, never finish summer school, and never get to enjoy what's left of their summer vacations.
Becca doesn't know who is behind this, but she won't let the Game Master win. But will she and her classmates be able to work together to solve the puzzles and escape their school before time runs out? Join YouTube's favorite mystery solving team as they go toe-to-toe with the Game Master in the first book of this action-packed series from beloved YouTube creators Rebecca Zamolo and Matt Yoakum aka MattySlays, stars of the hugely popular Game Master Network.
Fans of StacyPlays's Wild Rescuers series and Pat & Jen's PopularMMOs Presentsgraphic novels will love this thrilling and engaging YouTube-inspired adventure.
Why am I even reading this? How did I even get here?
“Frankie’s light brown cheeks reddened” “His brown cheeks were all clammy and sweaty in the gym heat.” “Frankie’s light brown cheeks rushed pink.” “Danny banged on the door and pressed his brown cheeks to it.” “He spotted all the sweat beads across Danny’s brown forehead.” “A big smile consumed Frankie’s freckly brown face…”
Right off the bat, one star docked for mentioning the characters’ brown skin like a hundred times. Another star docked for Becca’s character being super annoying. i couldn’t stand her.
Secondly, in the wise words of Dr. Doofenshmirtz: If I had a nickel for everytime a chapter in this book started with “Let’s get out of here!” I’d have three, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened thrice.
Finally—and most importantly—for some famous youtubers who can more than likely hire an editor, the amount of mistakes in this book is atrocious. Did nobody edit this?
For example:
- This book is told in two perspectives: Becca’s and Matt’s. Throughout the book, the group is split up to different locations (half the kids with Becca and half with Matt). But half the time, it’s like the author forgets who’s in whose group; someone from Becca’s group will talk to Matt and vise versa, even though they’re in different places. - A paragraph is practically repeated twice in the story, and I don’t think it was meant to be on purpose: “Matt’s eyes grew wide as he took in all the detailed plans. In the homeroom six little figures smiling, unsuspecting, each bearing one of their names; the Gupta code to get them out of the classroom; the gym and its map and game; Ralphie and all his commands; and even Becca’s zoetrope, drawn right there in ink. All carefully plotted and planned. He couldn’t believe someone had set all this up.” “Becca’s eyes grew wide as she took in all the detailed plans: the clues, the traps, even her zoetrope—drawn right there in ink—sitting in the aviary in the roof garden. All carefully plotted and planned. And in the homeroom, six little figures smiling, unsuspecting, each bearing their names. Becca couldn’t believe someone had set all this up.” - In one instance, Danny hands his camera to Kylie to go do something. Later, Becca hands the camera back to Danny (even though Becca never had the camera handed to her in the first place) A few lines later, Kylie hands the camera back to Danny again. It seriously looked like nobody edited this book.
To end off this review, here’s a typo from the book that I would not want a young child reading: “She didn’t wanted one of her favorite people in the whole building to hate her now.”
Gutes Buch um Englisch auch umgangssprache zu lernen. Ein sehr empfehlenswertes Buch wenn man schon einmal Youtube Videos von den Autoren geschaut hat.
We checked this book out from the library because my kids love the ZamFam YouTube channel and Rebecca and Matt wrote the book. They make better videos than books.
Basically it's about an escape room out of the school, and while I like escape rooms, this book just didn't do it for me. I found it kind of boring to read aloud.
There's also a non-binary character in the book who has they/them pronouns which was really confusing since there were 6 main characters, so it was hard to know if they were talking about Frankie at times or the group as a whole.
The Game Master: Summer Schooled is the first book in the The Game Master series that follows Becca, Matt, and their classmates during summer school. While waiting for their teacher to arrive, they discover the doors are locked by the Game Master and they will have to solve puzzles, and escape the school before the time runs out. The book is definitely geared towards kids, which makes sense considering their YouTube content. There is the escape room plot where the characters solve various puzzles, which I thought was entertaining. I listened to the audiobook on Audible that was voiced by Rebecca and Matt, and they did a fine job of narrating. I think the book would be appealing to kids who like mysteries or enjoy Rebecca and Matt’s YouTube videos.
This was a pretty average middle-grade read. Some of the content was a bit repetitive (literally playing out the exact same story note multiple times only a page or two apart) and the characters were fairly indistinguishable from each other, but the story was fun and the writing was good considering the target reading level. I enjoyed the mystery of it all, but I would have really enjoyed more characterization so I could feel some connection to any of the group members independently. As it stands, I would probably read another of these if it was presented to me, but I definitely have other middle grade books I would pick up first.
Six students are trapped in school, a game master has given them tasks to retrieve a item of importance. These students who only kind if sort of know each other now have to work together to get through this school escape room. The story is filled with educational puzzles, riddles and facts. It is entertaining as well. As a parent experiencing this book with my kid, we both enjoyed it. As a grown up, seeing the Saw movies, I kept thinking this is the kids version lol. It was good though.
Okay, their YouTube videos are awesome. To be honest, no offense, I didn’t know they could write so good. All along the book I felt everything. The character arcs, ughhhh, to die for. The plot!!!!!! Eekkkk!!!! I love it!!!! The zoetrope plot AND the GameMaster plot. Please, this book is amazing!!!! Tell me when the second book comes out, because I will BE THERE!!!!!!
I always wanted to read this😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😘😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
Read this for my Intro to (Children's) Publishing class. I appreciate the little games and puzzles the characters faced, but the ending felt like a bunch of build-up for... nothing.
A group of summer school students get locked in school one day and have to solve a series of puzzles to escape the building controlled by a mysterious figure called the Game Master.