Click Here to Start (A Novel)

Written by Denis Markell

Narrated by Greg Watanabe

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

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9780399568442

Reviews for Click Here to Start (A Novel)

[mal2012-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Parents were kind of clueless and the one friend knew sooo much and became their good friend a bit too quickly to be believable.

[susan.macura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful and clever book about a 12-year-old boy named Ted who is a gamer with his friend Caleb. During summer vacation his great-uncle Ted dies, leaving him a “treasure” in his apartment, which could also double as a junk shop. Ted, in an effort to find this treasure, volunteers to clean out the apartment with his pal Caleb. They are joined by his dad’s new boss’ daughter, Isabel, in a task that soon turns into a real life video game! There are mysterious clues to follow, bad men lurking in the corners and lots of references to historical events that make this a great read for young people who love to read, as it is a more complex book for this category.

[empressreece · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Gamer's Delight...

This book was such great fun! It's a children's book but anyone that enjoys solving puzzles or playing video games will enjoy it. It's about a 12-year old boy named Ted who loves to play escape room games. When his Uncle dies, he leaves him everything in his apartment but unbeknownst to Ted he has also set the apartment up like a real-life escape room game. Ted and his friends, Caleb and Isabel, have to solve the puzzles to find the real treasure. What they think is just a fun game to find some junk though, turns out to be a dangerous race to find real treasure and they aren't the only players in the game!

I love scavenger hunts and solving puzzles so I really got a kick out of this book but I think my 10 year old son or any kids that love games would enjoy it even more. When it releases I'd definitely like to get the audio version for us to listen to in the car. It's perfect family fun for a summer road trip!

*I received this book from NetGalley & Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!