The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold

Rio has been sent to live with a grandmother he barely knows in California, while his mum is in hospital. 

All Rio wants is for Mum to get better so he can return home. But everything changes when he joins a whale-watching trip and meets White Beak, a gentle giant of the sea. 

Rio forms an instant bond with the whale, and for the first time in ages he feels a spark of hope. 

Then White Beak goes missing and Rio may be the only person who can help.

Can Rio draw on their special connection to somehow find and save his whale . . . ?

Perfect for readers of 8+, beautifully illustrated throughout by Levi Pinfold

Paperback, 336 pages 

Published February 2, 2023

 by HarperCollins

4.5/5 stars

When Rio is sent to live with his grandmother, whom he hasn’t seen for many years, the loneliness creeps in as he misses his mother back in England.

The Lost Whale is a story of family, mental health, the environment and friendship. After finding a box of his mother‘s treasures when she was a child, Rio is introduced to a whale that sent him  not just on an emotional journey, but a physical one as well. It is through the struggles that Rio grows closer to his new friend, his grandmother, and even his mother who is thousands of miles away. 

This was a well written story that will grab at the heart strings as this 12-year-old boy grows in ways he never imagined. It was an informative story to learn about the habits of whales along the western coast of Canada and the US along with the dangers they faced along the way.

This was my first time reading a Hannah Gold story. I'm excited to explore her back list and see what other adventures she takes readers on.

This book was part of my 2025 reading off my shelf challenge and is book #20, it was obtained through a book box by onceuponbookclub.

The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie

Three friends team up to find a hidden treasure in an abandoned 1940s fun house.

Twelve-year-old Sarah Kelley wants nothing more from her seventh-grade year than to beat the hardest escape room left in her town with her best friends West and Hannah. But when her house receives a foreclosure notice everything changes. After her father became ill two years ago, things have been bad, but she did not think they would become lose-your-house bad.

She feels helpless until the day Hannah mentions a treasure rumored to be hidden in the walls of an abandoned fun house. According to legend, Hans, Erik, and James Halloran were orphaned at eight years old and lived with different families until they were able to reunite as adults. Their dream was to build the best fun house in existence. They wanted the experience to be more than mirror mazes and optical illusions, so they not only created elaborate riddles and secret passages, but they also claimed to have hidden a treasure inside. Sarah, West, and Hannah decide to explore, but once in, they realize the house is unlike any escape room they've attempted.

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published April 2, 2024

 by Sourcebooks Young Readers

3.5/5 stars

I received this book in a Once Upon a BookClub box last year. I myself have never been in an escape room, it sounds like fun and maybe one day I’ll try it.  This book really went into great detail as to what it was like.

How fun as 12 year-olds to explore an abandoned Funhouse in search of hidden treasure. Which is exactly what Sarah did with her two best friends, West and Hannah. The motivation is that her home is in foreclosure and she is hoping to help her family out financially by discovering this lost treasure - they don't even know what the treasure is.

Taking place mostly over the day that they are searching gave the explicit workings of an escape room, the clues, the riddles, the adventure and even the risks.  It is a story of friendship, family and the bonds that keep them together. This was a fun read for the middle grade audience.

I have previously read a Lindsey Curry novel which I enjoyed and look forward to seeing some of her  backlist. 

This book was part of my 2025 reading of my shelf challenge and his book #11.

One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley

A mystery she can't remember. A friend she can't forget.

I kept your secret Lucy. I've kept it for more than sixty years . . .

It is 1951, and at number six Sycamore Street fifteen-year-old Edie Green is lonely. Living alone with her eccentric mother - who conducts seances for the local Ludthorpe community - she is desperate for something to shake her from her dull, isolated life.

When the popular, pretty Lucy Theddle befriends Edie, she thinks all her troubles are over. But Lucy has a secret, one Edie is not certain she should keep . . .

Then Lucy goes missing.

2018. Edie is eighty-four and still living in Ludthorpe. When one day she glimpses Lucy Theddle, still looking the same as she did at fifteen, her family write it off as one of her many mix ups. There's a lot Edie gets confused about these days. A lot she finds difficult to remember. But what she does know is this: she must find out what happened to Lucy, all those years ago . . .

Paperback, 350 pages

Published October 3, 2023

by Sourcebooks

4.5/5 stars

This is not just a story about a missing teen. It’s the story of Edie, her confusion and cloudy brain, it's the memories of what happened to Lucy and it's a slow burn but well worth the read.

Maybe because I’ve experienced dementia in a loved one that this resonated more for me, it felt so real. Yes this was slow paced but given my connection with Edie I was totally captivated.

Weaving the past with the present, the disappearance of Lucy is slowly drawn out. The 1951 timeline was a coming of age story highlighting a friendship and family dysfunctions.

One Puzzling Afternoon was beautifully written, it showed the side of aging for both the elder and their family. It’s a story of friendship and a wonderfully debut. It’s a story that has stayed with me a month after reading. It's one I higher recommend.

This book was part of my 2024 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge which I received through my OnceUponABookClub box.