Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Sleuthing duo Emily and James engage in a literary escape-room challenge on Alcatraz Island, but soon find that an invisible enemy is trying to sabotage the team at any cost.

The Alcatraz Escape

Sarah Sammis

This time around the real world mystery was the obvious one and the Unlock the Rock clues were the tricky ones. In both cases, though, since this is a middle grade mystery, the clues are there to be solved by any observant and persistent reader. The clue, for instance, the Emily gets as her entry to the game, is subtly devious but completely solvable. Frankly next time I see a riddle like that I'm going to be more observant with the pieces of the riddle.

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Kim Tyo-Dickerson

The third instalment in the Book Scavenger middle grade mystery series ramps up the book world fun and suspense. There are more high-stakes word-puzzles that must be solved in order to have an invitation, Willie Wonka-style, to eccentric game-master Garrison Griswold's grand finale escape-room challenge on Alcatraz Island, "Unlock the Rock." Emily, James, and Matthew hope to solve their individual puzzles to get a ticket and have a chance to win the $100,000 prize for Hollister's bookshop, still recovering from the catastrophic fire at the end of The Unbreakable Code. After all their successful puzzle wins and stories in the news, Emily and James are dealing with being famous in the Book Scavenger social media world, both online and now in person, and are finding fame to be uncomfortable and unnerving as everyone now recognizes them. In fact, they are being threatened with anonymous notes by someone who wants to make sure they do not solve the puzzles and take home first place this time around. And they also have to find out why the reclusive adult mystery writer, Errol Roy, who is one of James' favorite authors, insisted on being involved, writing the story and clues for Griswold's prison break-out event. While the Book Scavenger team trips over multiple red herrings and finds themselves in the cell blocks and darker recesses of Alcatraz, Errol Roy's mysterious behaviors, misanthropic outbursts, and secret motivations for attending Unlock the Rock threaten to disrupt the entire event. It is up to Emily, James, Matthew and their team to figure out the series of puzzles to claim the prize and uncover what Errol Roy is really up to. Excellent series for grades 5 and up. There's also lots of book love from Bertman who has her amazing bookseller Holister recommend other excellent mysteries to James (and I can recommend them all, too!), "If you like mysteries, have you tried Sammy Keyes? That's a great series. Or maybe Winterhouse if you like a little magic in your mysteries? Maybe The Great Greene Heist or Belly Up?" (250).

The Alcatraz Escape

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