Click Here to Start (A Novel)

by Denis Markell

Young fans of Ernie Cline's Ready Player One will love this classic video game inspired mystery filled with elements of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. 

What if playing video games was prepping you to solve an incredible real-world puzzle and locate a priceless treasure?

Twelve-year-old Ted Gerson has spent most of his summer playing video games. So when his great-uncle dies and bequeaths him the all so-called treasure in his overstuffed junk shop of an apartment, Ted explores it like it’s another level to beat. And to his shock, he finds that eccentric Great-Uncle Ted actually has set the place up like a real-life escape-the-room game!

Using his specially honed skills, Ted sets off to win the greatest game he’s ever played, with help from his friends Caleb and Isabel. Together they discover that Uncle Ted’s “treasure” might be exactly that—real gold and jewels found by a Japanese American unit that served in World War II. With each puzzle Ted and his friends solve, they get closer to unraveling the mystery—but someone dangerous is hot on their heels, and he’s not about to let them get away with the fortune.

Praise for Click Here to Start:

"As addictive as your favorite video game. I couldn't put it down."-Adam Gidwitz, New York Times bestselling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm

"Humor, believable characters, and adventure...keeps readers in suspense to the end. A winner for mystery enthusiasts."-Kirkus Reviews

"In this clever debut, Markell takes readers on a clue-filled adventure...[and] maintains an energetic, entertaining balance of character-driven narrative and tricky challenges."-Publishers Weekly

"Markell's highly entertaining debut novel...is a well-paced read with fully realized and likable characters,...[and] should have strong appeal to gamers, fans of video game-based stories, and reluctant readers."-SLJ

"This book will appeal to a wide audience. Readers who enjoyed Schreiber's Game Over, Pete Watson will enjoy the video game component; fans of Fitzgerald's Under the Egg will enjoy reading more about the Monuments Men; detective story aficionados will revel in the inclusion of The Maltese Falcon story. This is a great book to hand to just about any middle grade reader."-YA Books Central
 
A School Library Guild selection
 
An Amazon Best Books of the Month Selection

• ISBN10: 1101931906
• ISBN13: 9781101931905
• Publish Date: 1 August 2017 (first published 19 July 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Format: Paperback (US Digest)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781101931905

Reviews

[limabean74]

First Impression:

The cover! Seriously this cover need to be a poster on my wall. I can't get over how amazing it is. I loved the idea that this was suppose to be a middle grade book similar to ready player one. I didn't read RPO but this was a really cute book with a lot of video type game action, more escape the room type game which are really cool and sometimes very hard. The synopsis of the book really had me hooked however it really was my love for the cover that made me want to read it and I am glad it did.

The Story:

Lots of mystery with tons of twist. At some points I figured out sort of what was going on but then it gave a little twist to throw me off. I think Middle Grade kids will will enjoy the twists and mysteries in the book .The kids are in a race to find a treasure Ted's uncle left him and its up to him and his friends to find the clues and escape the rooms.The story wasn't slow but it did have a few parts that I wish would have gone just a little quicker. The book had a lot of humor also and some great problem solving. I loved how this book made you think.

The Characters:

Ted ~ The MC, I really enjoyed him and thought he was really funny, very smart and just a fun kid to read.
Caleb ~ He was really funny too. I actually liked his and how close Ted and him are, they are the perfect best friends.
Isabel ~ I liked her but they kind of left stuff as a secret with her and I really wanted to know more.
All the characters in the book were fun and it was great to follow along with the story. Even the bad buys are perfect bad guys. Like not to bad but kid friendly bad and it was just very well done.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. I am hoping there will be a #2 since I really enjoyed being on an adventure with the 3 kids. I think this book is great for all ages and highly recommend if you are looking for a fun book with lots of action, adventure, mystery and gaming.