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katykelly's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
A bit of everything: science, history, gaming in a futuristic escape room.
A great ride, easy to get caught up in this - and it really does have a bit of everything. Three schoolchildren find themselves caught up in a very different world - and time - after exploding gnomes lead them to a lost dog, an abandoned house... and a portal into the future... into a game world in the future.
Learning quickly that the three of them will need to work together to solve puzzles to find their way home, Arthur, Ren and Cecily (with dog Cloud) discover they will need any cultural knowledge they have, facts about science, history in order to win challenges and navigate a game world with its own politics and problems.
The idea of this is outstanding for young readers, celebrating science and academia, giving us insights into historically significant figures, exposition including mathematics and astronomy alike.
With too many coincidences as ever, you ignore this sort of thing to try and enjoy the world-building, the visions of future society, and seeing where the threesome can push themselves to reach - the imagination is outstanding, and there are lessons here about not judging by appearances and a great opening for more books to come.
Huge amounts of fun, and I loved its emphasis on skills and knowledge, without compromising the enjoyment.
For ages 9 and above.
A bit of everything: science, history, gaming in a futuristic escape room.
A great ride, easy to get caught up in this - and it really does have a bit of everything. Three schoolchildren find themselves caught up in a very different world - and time - after exploding gnomes lead them to a lost dog, an abandoned house... and a portal into the future... into a game world in the future.
Learning quickly that the three of them will need to work together to solve puzzles to find their way home, Arthur, Ren and Cecily (with dog Cloud) discover they will need any cultural knowledge they have, facts about science, history in order to win challenges and navigate a game world with its own politics and problems.
The idea of this is outstanding for young readers, celebrating science and academia, giving us insights into historically significant figures, exposition including mathematics and astronomy alike.
With too many coincidences as ever, you ignore this sort of thing to try and enjoy the world-building, the visions of future society, and seeing where the threesome can push themselves to reach - the imagination is outstanding, and there are lessons here about not judging by appearances and a great opening for more books to come.
Huge amounts of fun, and I loved its emphasis on skills and knowledge, without compromising the enjoyment.
For ages 9 and above.
bookswithlydscl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
A fun, fast paced escape room/jumanji St adventure story. A wonderful middle grade story with multiple worlds to experience and challenges to face. I only wish we could have explored each world a little more as the focus was on progressing the story more than world building but despite that I really enjoyed this book and will try out book 2 as well.
the_strange_reader's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alongreader's review
4.0
The best game ever! ...is not so much fun for Arthur, Ren and Cecily, accidentally swept into the largest RPG ever conceived. The kids must work together to solve puzzles and rescue historical heroes before time runs out!
I love this cover; it's bright and cheerful and gives a good idea of what the story is about. Arthur, Ren and Cecily find themselves in the future, skipping from planet to planet to solve puzzles and find the reclusive creator of the game before they're killed by the stress of the time travel. Along the way they have to avoid the inventor's siblings, other players and the dangers inherent in the game itself.
This is such a clever idea. Games are becoming more interactive nowadays, and real life games are becoming popular. This is a mix of both and it makes so much sense. I loved following along the various puzzles, designed to test people in different ways - mentally, physically, working in teams or going it alone. The dastardly plot was just the right level of dastardly, the stakes were beautifully high, and the ending had me on the edge of my seat.
I'd love to read more in this series; the ending does leave it open. For now, though, I'm happy with what we got, and I think this will sell very well.
I love this cover; it's bright and cheerful and gives a good idea of what the story is about. Arthur, Ren and Cecily find themselves in the future, skipping from planet to planet to solve puzzles and find the reclusive creator of the game before they're killed by the stress of the time travel. Along the way they have to avoid the inventor's siblings, other players and the dangers inherent in the game itself.
This is such a clever idea. Games are becoming more interactive nowadays, and real life games are becoming popular. This is a mix of both and it makes so much sense. I loved following along the various puzzles, designed to test people in different ways - mentally, physically, working in teams or going it alone. The dastardly plot was just the right level of dastardly, the stakes were beautifully high, and the ending had me on the edge of my seat.
I'd love to read more in this series; the ending does leave it open. For now, though, I'm happy with what we got, and I think this will sell very well.
jadeyrae's review
4.0
Wonderscape is quite honestly one of the most propelling middle-grade books I have read, possibly ever! After putting this book through the CAWPILE rating system (created by Book Roast), it came out at a final score of 8.57, which is a rather high 4 star!
Wonderscape is pitched as a middle-grade Jumanji meets Ready Player One, and although I'm not too familiar with the latter, I can definitely see how this comparison is drawn. Our three main characters, Arther, Ren, and Cecily are spontaneously transported to an In-Reality-Adventure-Game 400 years in the future and must complete the levels to meet the heroes and work out how to get home before their time runs out. But there's so much more to it than that, and the complexity of this world and the details written in blew me away.
From page 1 the action kicks off, and it simply doesn't slow down. It's such a propelling read, a real page turner throwing you into new adventures in every chapter, from a research vessel in the arctic to a sweltering desert, to a gothic castle and haunted labyrinth - there's so much for our heroes to overcome. Along the way we also learn about the lives of the protagonists, and how although they may all come from different backgrounds and lead very different lives, a friendship can blossom! It was such a heartwarming journey to go on with these kids, and promotes such an inspiring message to young readers about overcoming fears and believing in yourself and your friends.
I had such an incredibly fun time reading this, the worlds visited are so vivid and creative, and the added layer of the real-life icons such as Isaac Newton, Thomas Eddison, and Mary Shelley to name a few, add something really special to this story. I loved every moment!
Thank you to NetGalley and Walker Books for the e-arc of this!
Wonderscape is pitched as a middle-grade Jumanji meets Ready Player One, and although I'm not too familiar with the latter, I can definitely see how this comparison is drawn. Our three main characters, Arther, Ren, and Cecily are spontaneously transported to an In-Reality-Adventure-Game 400 years in the future and must complete the levels to meet the heroes and work out how to get home before their time runs out. But there's so much more to it than that, and the complexity of this world and the details written in blew me away.
From page 1 the action kicks off, and it simply doesn't slow down. It's such a propelling read, a real page turner throwing you into new adventures in every chapter, from a research vessel in the arctic to a sweltering desert, to a gothic castle and haunted labyrinth - there's so much for our heroes to overcome. Along the way we also learn about the lives of the protagonists, and how although they may all come from different backgrounds and lead very different lives, a friendship can blossom! It was such a heartwarming journey to go on with these kids, and promotes such an inspiring message to young readers about overcoming fears and believing in yourself and your friends.
I had such an incredibly fun time reading this, the worlds visited are so vivid and creative, and the added layer of the real-life icons such as Isaac Newton, Thomas Eddison, and Mary Shelley to name a few, add something really special to this story. I loved every moment!
Thank you to NetGalley and Walker Books for the e-arc of this!
pleasejustletmeread's review against another edition
5.0
Hvad pokker! Et VILDT eventyr i ikke bare én, men potentielt rigtig mange nye verdener.. Tempoet er højt, og der sker noget hele tiden. Og vi støder på masser af kendte historiske personer - for ikke at snakke om muligheden for at lære noget nyt om historiske personer, man måske ikke kendte til i forvejen. Der er i hvert fald masser af muligheder for at læse videre om de enkelte.
Jeg ærgrer mig dog lidt over at jeg fik dem læst på dansk og ikke engelsk - det må blive et projekt en anden gang - for jeg er sikker på, den har endnu mere at byde på på originalsproget.
Jeg ærgrer mig dog lidt over at jeg fik dem læst på dansk og ikke engelsk - det må blive et projekt en anden gang - for jeg er sikker på, den har endnu mere at byde på på originalsproget.
engrossedreader's review
3.0
vickylovesreading's review
5.0
One of the best books I have read all year! I was immediately drawn in with the excellent theming and video game style – just like VR games. The premise of three children getting stuck in a game is just really exciting and the story did not disappoint. This reminded me of Jumanji and other video games and honestly, I could not stop reading for wanting to know what happened next.
All three main characters were likeable and intriguing. Their backstory was subtly interweaved throughout the plot at no detriment to the pace. This was an incredibly easy read and well, Cloud! Any story with an animal companion immediately wins me over anyway.
Poignant ending, “our futures are full of possibility”.
All three main characters were likeable and intriguing. Their backstory was subtly interweaved throughout the plot at no detriment to the pace. This was an incredibly easy read and well, Cloud! Any story with an animal companion immediately wins me over anyway.
Poignant ending, “our futures are full of possibility”.
someonetookit's review
5.0
If I only had 4 words with which to write this review, I would simply say this novel is wonderful. It’s a perfect mix of fantasy and friendship, all rolled into a video game narrative set in the future. For starters, look at that cover. Its gorgeous on its own but the further you read, the more you realise that flawlessly fits in with the content from the book. A++ to whomever was in charge of graphic design, you positively nailed it.
With middle grade fantasy novels, I tend to find that they are simply fantastical with an underlying moral to the story, be it learning from your wrongs or realising that people are power, the whole fantastic exploration generally provides content that is fun but not particularly rooted in reality. Now I’m not saying Wonderscape is particularly realistic; if it were, it wouldn’t be a fantasy would it? What it is, however, is a fantastical novel that is also educational. Have you ever read a book that briefly teaches kids some amazing history like Newton discovering gravity and Tomoe Gozen being one of the only onna musha is recorded history? Me neither and I have to say that I loved it. While it is educational, an info dump it is not therefore I feel that kids are more likely to want to read the content – my daughter finished this and immediately asked me if I have any books about feudal Japan (this is an absolute win in my book).
The choice of characters allows the story to be ridiculously mutely-faceted. There is Ren, a young girl who has been in trouble with both her current and previous school (its rumoured that she rode a motorbike into the cafeteria and got all her knuckles tattooed *gasp*); Cecily is the poor little rich girl whose parents show they care with possessions rather than spend time; and there is Arthur, a boy who has been raised by his father since his mother passed away when he was 2. Together they make an odd bunch, but their personalities run the gamut, so it lends itself to some pretty great banter. They have all come together when the garden gnomes of a local neighbour explode, and a dog transports them through space and time, and all go on a journey of self-discovery by the end.
Now, Wonderscape has this spectacular point of view whereby it doesn’t matter about race, age, ancestry, or field of expertise, everyone has the ability to do something amazing with their life. Ranging from Isaac Newton to Thomas Edison, Mary Shelley to Wangari Maathai, every ‘level boss’ has presented themselves as a leader in their field at some stage throughout history. There's even the addition of a future ‘hero’ to even out the whole thing and make it just that much more enthralling. In a world of conflict and negativity, it was great to just read something that is guaranteed to build up even the most forlorn child and make them realise their potential.
So, this will be my last paragraph because honestly, I could gush about this cute masterpiece all day long and I have no doubt y’all want to get on with your day. This whole novel is an absolute masterpiece with its intriguing characters and interesting premise, but I want to make comment about the world building that has gone into this piece as a whole. No matter where the children go, the environment is majestic and full of wonderment. But its all themed around the specific person who is in charge of the world but with a twist. Going to a world with Tomoe Gozen? It’s all Japanese themed but instead of fast horses, its got fast cars. Needing to visit Edison? There is a puzzle to solve involving electricity currents, alternate power sources for trains and light bulbs. Its all thematically on point and honestly, I feel like it’s probably one of my favourite things about the novel.
If you’ve stuck around and read my waffling admiration of this, then great. if not, here's the TLDR. The characters are multifaceted and have such differing personalities that the conversations are engaging and humorous. The use of famous figures in history was done extremely well, each is given a little background, and all were given a novel spin on their achievements. I loved the underlying values relating to finding those friends whom you wouldn’t otherwise expect but also backing it up with a message that no matter who you are, you can do great things. And lastly, the worldbuilding is absolutely genius. Read it for yourself, give it to your kids, all that matters is it starts a conversation about the world we live in and to me that makes it perfect.