Currie, Lindsay. The Mystery of Locked Rooms. Sourcebooks Young Readers, 2024. 9781728259536. 247 p. $16.99. Grades 3-7.

Three seventh graders—Sarah, West, and Hannah—must solve a series of escape room-style puzzles in an abandoned funhouse. Many decades before the three main characters, a set of triplet brothers began to build the epic house back in the 1950s, but the business was never opened. The project was abandoned, and the house was completely boarded up. There is an enduring rumor that keeps causing people to break into the funhouse. The rumor is that whoever solves all of the house’s mysteries will win a massive treasure. This entices the three friends in our story. They already have broken speed records at solving modern-day escape rooms. How will they fare with this one? The three friends travel to the site of the abandoned funhouse and find a way into the first room, decorated like a giant circus tent. Will they find their way through all of the elaborately designed rooms to the very end—and win the potential prize?

THOUGHTS: This fast-paced read of under 250 pages is highly accessible and will appeal to a range of readers. Each character is developed and has a unique motivation for being a part of the “Delta” team that wants to solve the mystery. While there is character depth here, the emphasis is on the plot twists and quick pace. Recommended for all upper elementary and middle school fiction collections where puzzle-based middle grade mysteries like The Westing Game, Absolutely Truly, and The Parker Inheritance are popular.

Mystery