Stephen Mangan's debut novel for children is as funny and imaginative as you'd expect from this talented actor. But beyond the laughs, the mind-boggling puzzles and the Dahl-esque characters, it is a story of friendship and kindness. Jack, learning to cope with the death of his mum, is looking for distraction in the local fair. Tempted into the Rooms, a labyrinth of underground puzzles, he meets Cally - also dealing with bereavement after the recent death of her grandmother. As the pair work together to solve a series of challenges, which become increasingly hilarious and bizarre, they are taken on an amazing journey that tests their resilience, builds friendship and helps them navigate their grief. The book is illustrated with fantastic cartoon drawings by Stephen Mangan's sister, Anita.
The last thing Jack expected when he bungee-jumped at the fairground was to go plummeting right through the ground into the weird, wonderful Rooms...
There he must face a series of puzzles and traps alongside a mysterious girl called Cally, in order for them to find their way home.
Throw in a murderous polar bear, hundreds of tiny yet ferocious lions, some mind-blowing riddles, and get ready for a hilarious, helter-skelter adventure like no other!
Escape the Rooms follows two children dealing with loss on an amazing adventure.
Wildly funny and endlessly surprising, Escape the Rooms is also a story about friendship, overcoming fears and being kind to yourself.
Packed with fantastic pictures created by Stephen Mangan's sister, Anita
A high-energy, laugh-out-loud, fully illustrated adventure story by much-loved actor Stephen Mangan and talented artist Anita Mangan.
[Escape the Rooms] is richly imagined and deeply heartfelt, and Anita Mangan's cartoonish and poignant illustrations capture the tone perfectly ... It reminded me a little of The Wizard of Oz, with the children on a quest through different lands to get home. Hadley Freeman, Guardian
It's been described as a cross between Alice in Wonderland and The Crystal Maze and it manages to feel both classic and modern at the same time. Good Housekeeping
Author
About Stephen Mangan
Stephen Mangan is an author, script-writer and actor with huge range across TV, radio, film and theatre. From classic comedy such as Green Wing, Episodes and I'm Alan Partridge and acclaimed drama such as The Split, Stephen also presents Portrait and Landscape Artist of the Year and regularly appears on stage, most recently as a highly praised Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Stephen also voiced the title role in Postman Pat: The Movie. He has been a member of the judging panels for the Costa Book of the Year prize and The Laugh-Out-Loud Awards (The Lollies). His first children's book was the bestselling Escape the Rooms.
I love this book. Not only was it nice to read but it made me laugh and feel so many different emotions. I would not change anything about it and hope other children will get to read this great book.
The story is about a boy called Jack and a girl called Cally who together must find keys to escape rooms and find their way home whilst solving puzzles, traps, and riddles along the way.
My favourite part is when Jack and Cally are in a glass box and have to give a statement that is neither true or false. If they give one that's true they will be dropped into a pit of lions. If they say one that is false they will be dropped into a pit of poisonous spiders.... Read Full Review
