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I picked this one up after seeing it on a list of escapist SFF—it seemed like just what I needed in the midst of a pandemic, while working on more serious/non-soothing reads. It‘s basically Jumanji with a Middle-Eastern feel. The premise & the world of the game were great—but much of the rest felt clumsy. The puzzles the kids had to solve to escape the game fell flat for me, and there was little/no character development. But it was a fun escape!

I‘m giving this a pick but it was probably more so-so. It‘s a fun and interesting premise and the descriptions of The Gauntlet are wonderful. Farrah is a strong protagonist, but the other characters should have been developed more. I can hardly tell you a thing about them. I also think the challenges to get through the game were lame. My expectations may have been too high. #Booked2019 #diversemiddlegrade

I have been at the dealership since 7 am for some work on my car. This should be great reading time but I‘m too sleepy to even open my book. 🙁

Today's episode is up 😊 Anne chats to author Karuna Riazi, who wrote The Gauntlet.

This book was a lot of fun (and less like Jumanji than I expected). It features a hijaabi tween and her friends who have to go into the Gauntlet, a game that steals children, to save her brother, who has ADHD. Alas, the ADHD rep wasn‘t as good as the rest of the book. Nearly all mentions of the little boy are negative. He‘s more a plot device and the WebMD page on ADHD symptoms than a real character. Still, it‘s a fun book. #MastersResearch

I can only handle “Wonder” in small doses before I start wanting to scream, so I also started this middle-grade book. #MastersPaperResearch

Still about halfway through. The story is wonderful. The world building and cultural references are both interesting. The writing style, however, utilizes long sentences rather generously. Many of these reference back to the protagonist‘s life outside the game while discussing some element of the world within the Gauntlet. It can be confusing at times. Not bad for a debut novel though. I‘m excited to see what this author does in the future.

This was a fun middle grade fantasy about kids who get sucked into a board game and have to complete 3 challenges to escape. I would recommend it to kids, although it fell a little short in some areas for me. The side characters needed a little more development, especially the little brother who came across as a spoiled brat rather than a child with special needs. The tension in the challenges needed to be throttled up a notch or two as well.

Check out my latest #bookreview at LaceyDoesLit.com! #books #bookworm #bookish #booknerd

Am reading The Gauntlet which is an amazing MG fantasy so far!

I gave in to Book Outlet temptation today 😀 All these plus the tagged book.

Charming and fun! Farah, a Bangladeshi-American girl who loves her little brother (exasperating as he might be) gets stuck in a board game when he disappears. With the help of her friends, and some surprising side characters along the way, Farah must defeat the game to leave. A great adventure #middegrade read!

My main books are pretty serious, so Friday night read is this adventurous #middlegrade . Lots of Jumanji vibes, with a sassy, game-loving heroine. 💚

This is a juvenile fiction I picked up because the author is going to be at yallfest. Sort of like jumanji but with an international twist. The world building in the game was cool, but the characters were flat and uninteresting.

I had the grandest time reading this one! Steampunk Jumanji, Hijabi Rep, friendship, exciting adventures and glorious food, this book has it all 💜📚

This is book one in my quest to read MG adventure stories this summer and I'm off to a great start. Delved into the city of Paheli from my pile of quilts in the garden with obligatory Chai and felt 10 again🙌👌

#diversebooks #MG #wocreads

When Farah's brother is yanked into a magical board game, she and her two best friends dive in to save him - but if they don't beat the challenges the game lays out for them, they may be trapped inside forever. THE GAUNTLET is a fast-paced fantasy rich with worldbuilding and cultural detail that will please any fantasy fan.

Now reading. A game that takes players as prisoners? Yeah, I'm looking forward to this one.

Birthday book haul! Lots of great middle grade reads + ACOWAR, which I'm dedicating my weekend to.

Loved this fantasy-hope there is a sequel.

So I am a bit biased because Karuna is a good friend. However, objectively speaking, (or attempting to) this book is glorious. I read a lot of kidlit. I have a masters in children's lit. I write kidlit. So I know what I am talking about. (I hope.) And this book really is solid entertainment. Buy it for yourself.

A really fun adventure that will keep readers of all ages enchanted. I spent many nights unable to put it down only to fall asleep with every blink despite my determination to read one more page.

I loved this super fun book about kids getting sucked into a game and facing challenges just to get back home. Farah was such an awesome character, and for middle grade debut it was so good! I enjoyed the loyalty they felt to each other and Farah to her family. It was all fun, relatively a fast read, and worth every minute I spent on it! I also want to mention the MC is Muslim and I'm pretty sure its own voices.