Publisher’s Description of LOCKED IN

Locked In Escape Rooms has a new owner. He’s offering prize money for whoever can successfully escape the room. Four very different teenagers answer the call.

Tony is a star athlete and honor-roll student. Bea has social anxiety and uses puzzles to tune out the noise. Anna is concerned about the rise in anti-Semitic attacks in her community. And Devin wants to hide that he’s homeless and living in the mall. The four teens agree to work together, all seeking the prize money for their own reasons.

But as the game begins, the escape room turns out to be stranger than expected, and they suspect someone might have ulterior motives in coming here. Can the teens overcome their prejudices and differences and trust one another in order to escape in time?

Characterized by exciting, fast-paced plots and themes that are relevant for high school students, Horizon’s Hi-Lo books are both engaging and easy to read. Short chapters, simple sentence structures, and an accessible format make these books perfect for teen reluctant readers. Horizon books are written at a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level with an interest level of ages 14 and up.

Rebecca’s Take on LOCKED IN

Solving escape room puzzles under time pressure is tough. But the Locked In escape room turns out to be more than the teens expected. There are mysterious notes that bring out secrets each of the participants is hiding. These revelations turn some of the teens into allies and some against each other. But they still need to work together to escape on time and win the prize.

Author Halli Gomez uses the short timeframe and limited space of an escape room to bring the teens’ differences into focus, making the characters address their differences head-on. Their secrets bring out tough social justice issues faced not only by these characters but also affecting real teens in their daily lives.

Locked In is unflinching. A great story for teens who are interested in escape rooms or are working through tough interpersonal conflicts and social justice issues.

This book is high-low, high engagement, low reading level, so it’s also perfect for teens who are reluctant readers or struggling to read on grade level.

Thanks to Jolly Fish for providing me with an ARC of Locked In in exchange for an honest review.

Interview with Author, Halli Gomez

RA: I happen to know you have a love for escape rooms. How many have you done? What was the hardest one?

HG: You call it love, my family and I call it an obsession. 😊 We do love escape rooms, so much that we wanted to open our own business. My family and I have done rooms in every state we’ve visited and when we traveled to the UK. I would say at least 75 rooms, possibly closer to 100.

The hardest room we played was a six-room bank heist. We didn’t escape. I would like to use the excuse that we were pretty new to playing these games, but no. The truth is that one was HARD!

RA: What draws you to escape rooms?

HG: Escape rooms started out as a fun family activity, and it still is, but now we are more into the designs of puzzles and rooms. They range from basic and simple to hard and elaborate. The more immersive, the better. 

Another aspect that draws me to escape rooms, and the inspiration for Locked In, is human interaction. Who jumps right in, who fades into the background, how personalities play into the teamwork and communication necessary to escape. It’s fascinating!

RA: What inspired this escape room story?

HG: I have been very upset about how divided the country (world) is. We are all human beings, we all want the same things: to feel safe, to have our basic needs met, to have companionship. The naïve side of me thinks if we could just sit in a room and talk, we would realize we’re more alike than different. Of course, no one wants to do that. Then I thought. . . what if they were “locked” in a room together and forced to talk about it?

RA: Using an escape room in a story is brilliant! It gives you an immediate “ticking clock” to create stress for the characters and keep the story moving forward. Is that why you made it the central setting for the story?

HG: The ticking clock concept is a great tool for writers. As you said, it creates stress for the characters. So much that, at some point, at least one will explode. I hate to say it (I don’t want to sound like I’m torturing my characters), but I did want the four teens in the story pushed to the edge. They had to before they would talk about fears and biases.

RA: The time pressure contrasts a very different type of tension in the story. The characters’ secrets and, in some cases, prejudices come out in the escape room. You definitely made this a tough escape room for your characters! Why?

HG: Again, not that I wanted to torture my characters (or maybe I did), but I truly believe communication is one of the most important steps to solving problems, both made up like the puzzles in the escape room and differences in real life. It’s hard to get people to talk, especially about personal and difficult subjects. Sometimes, they need to be pushed or given an incentive.

Locked In is highly recommended!

Thanks to Jolly Firsh Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Locked In’s pub date is today, August 1, 2024! You can add it to your “want to read” list on Goodreads, or order on Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.