Locked In

by Halli Gomez

Overview

Locked In Escape Rooms has a new owner. He’s offering prize money for whoever can successfully escape the room. Four very different teenagers answer the call. Tony is a star athlete and honor-roll student. Bea has social anxiety and uses puzzles to tune out the noise. Anna is concerned about the rise in anti-Semitic attacks in her community. And Devin wants to hide that he’s homeless and living in the mall. The four teens agree to work together, all seeking the prize money for their own reasons. But as the game begins, the escape room turns out to be stranger than expected, and they suspect someone might have ulterior motives in coming here. Can the teens overcome their prejudices and differences and trust one another in order to escape in time?

Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and themes that are relevant for high school students, Horizon’s Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for teen reluctant readers. Horizon books are written at a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level with an interest level of ages 14 and up.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631638459
Publisher:	North Star Editions
Publication date:	08/01/2024
Series:	Horizon
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Halli Gomez writes stories with diverse characters for children and young adults, including her award-winning young adult novel, List of Ten. When no one is looking, she sock skates through the house and talks to dogs like they are human. When people are looking, she’s working at her local independent bookstore, reading, or breaking out of escape rooms with her family. Halli lives in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and two dogs.

Editorial Reviews

2024-07-19
A mysterious puppet master tests an unlikely combination of North Carolina teens by locking them in a room together.

When a new escape room located in a half-empty mall puts out a call for testers, four teens apply: Tony Wells’ ambitious parents are pushing him to enhance his leadership skills, Bea Gonzalez loves puzzles and hopes to someday be a business owner running an escape room, Devin King ran away from his foster home and needs the offered compensation of $100, and Anna Blum wants some extra spending money for an upcoming trip to New York. The young people don’t know that they’ve been chosen by a man who wants to do an experiment by putting four very different people together and seeing how they’ll react. The shadowy figure manipulates the game, incorporating notes designed to unsettle and confuse the players, which in turn leads them to reveal secrets they’ve been keeping and to confront serious issues in their lives, including racism, social anxiety, parental loss, and unexamined privilege. Each member of the group changes as a result of the experience, causing real shifts in their lives. Reluctant readers will be engaged by the personal dynamics and the real-life issues explored in this accessible novel that feels likeThe Breakfast Club with an escape-room setting. Tony is white, Bea is cued Latine, Devin is Black, and Anna is Jewish.

Puzzles, friendship, and personal growth form the backdrop of this intriguing story.(Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews

Reluctant readers will be engaged by the personal dynamics and the real-life issues explored in this accessible novel that feels like The Breakfast Club with an escape-room setting. . . . Puzzles, friendship, and personal growth form the backdrop of this intriguing story.” —Kirkus Reviews

"The author has created a realistic escape room that takes four strangers on a journey they won't forget. Lessons are learned, personalities combine, and friendships are made. A well-written story with a plot that just doesn't quit!" —Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher