383 books
—
131 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Game of Sunken Places (Norumbegan Quartet, #1)” as Want to Read:
The Game of Sunken Places
(Norumbegan Quartet #1)
by
When Brian and Gregory receive an invitation to stay at a distant relative's strange manse . . . well, they should know better than to go, since this is a middle-grade adventure novel. But they go anyway. Why not? Once there, they stumble upon The Game of Sunken Places, a board game that mirrors a greater game in which they have suddenly become players. Soon the boys are d
...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
September 1st 2005
by Scholastic Paperbacks
(first published July 1st 2004)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Game of Sunken Places,
please sign up.
Recent Questions
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Game of Sunken Places (Norumbegan Quartet, #1)
Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer: Jordan B. Nielsen
Recommended for: There’s nothing in particular to exclude girls from this book, but it’s likely better suited to boys with its tendency to skip past all that boring emotional and character development business and get right into the action. Ages 10 and Up
One Word Summary: Messy.
It was Anton Chekhov who said, “If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's ...more
Recommended for: There’s nothing in particular to exclude girls from this book, but it’s likely better suited to boys with its tendency to skip past all that boring emotional and character development business and get right into the action. Ages 10 and Up
One Word Summary: Messy.
It was Anton Chekhov who said, “If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's ...more
I really, really enjoyed this book. I loved how it was unpredictable and I never knew what would happen next. I also loved the characters of Brian and Kalgrash. The only thing I didn't like was part of the ending, but I still found the book funny, intriguing, suspenseful, surprising, and, at times, tragic and scary.
I listened to this on tape, and much of my enjoyment came from the narrator's wonderful ability to put so much personality into the different voices!
...more
I listened to this on tape, and much of my enjoyment came from the narrator's wonderful ability to put so much personality into the different voices!
...more
I discovered this series because Anderson came out with the final installment recently. It promises to be a fantasy series that engages and challenges middle readers. Plus it is a wonderful way to introduce younger readers to M.T. Anderson--one of today's preeminent YA authors. Originally written as a stand-alone novel in 2004, Anderson came back in 2010-2012 to publish three more novels composing the Norumbegan Quartet. I expect these novels to be stronger than the first, but "The Game of Sunke
...more
Despite some wildly funny lines and an unusual setting, not enough of this story worked well enough to make it a very enjoyable read. The basic problem is one many "boy" adventure books have: the main character (or here, characters) have plenty of opponents, but we never know what their motivation is, other than a vague notion that games are cool, even ones that threaten your life, and ought to be played just, well, cuz. Their relationship doesn't change, and the only place in the story where th
...more
This was a fantasy novel by M.T. Anderson, a YA author that I have never read before. I will say that this book dragged a little for me, but I think that was more due to the fact that I didn't really have time to give it the attention that it deserved, so I think that might have been part of the problem--starting and stopping so sporadically. I thought that the concept was really fun and that kids would probably love it. It is about two friends who go to visit one of the boys' great-uncle at his
...more
In my own opinion, the book, “The Game of Sunken Places,” was intense at the ending but it didn't really catch my attention at all in the beginning. Some parts of the book had no meaning or any point of being there for that matter such as the instance of meeting the beast that dwells in the silver lined cave of metallic webs.
The characters in the story all work together to get the same outcome. In order to beat the game and win, the two boys must work together to solve puzzles and defeat incredi ...more
The characters in the story all work together to get the same outcome. In order to beat the game and win, the two boys must work together to solve puzzles and defeat incredi ...more
I read this in middle school and really loved it.
I found it to be a winding story that never seemed to reveal just everything you needed to know and the ending was really a "twist ending". I truly had no idea that THAT was what was coming.
I really love the whole "giant game o' death" theme. I find that all these kinds of choices of where to go, what to do, and the like was interesting. I just love thinking about all these different "variations" that a game could go.
I felt that the game wasn't co ...more
I found it to be a winding story that never seemed to reveal just everything you needed to know and the ending was really a "twist ending". I truly had no idea that THAT was what was coming.
I really love the whole "giant game o' death" theme. I find that all these kinds of choices of where to go, what to do, and the like was interesting. I just love thinking about all these different "variations" that a game could go.
I felt that the game wasn't co ...more
M.T. Anderson--Fantasy Fiction
Brian and Gregory take their Holiday at Gregory's Uncle's mansion (however, the actual relation is somewhat debatable). When Brian and Gregory get there they find themselves transported into a time when denim and video games are unheard of. Forced to wear bloomers, the boys search the house to find a means to entertain themselves. They then come across a board game that seems a little bit more real than would be expected.The board game soon starts to come alive in r ...more
Brian and Gregory take their Holiday at Gregory's Uncle's mansion (however, the actual relation is somewhat debatable). When Brian and Gregory get there they find themselves transported into a time when denim and video games are unheard of. Forced to wear bloomers, the boys search the house to find a means to entertain themselves. They then come across a board game that seems a little bit more real than would be expected.The board game soon starts to come alive in r ...more
I didn't like this book. It is confusing and hard to get into. I just don't understand it. I know it is part of a quartet but there should be some explanation as to what is going on. It is too unbelievable that anyone's parents would send their young son off to stay with a man that isn't really part of the family. Also someone that they have very little contact with and haven't seen in a few years. I just don't buy it. Not to mention the fact that he requests him bring another male friend with h
...more
Wow. This is weird, and occasionally macabre, and sure, often it reads like a story propelled solely by an idea, and there are elements that don't make much sense - but the novel is creepy enough - and action-y enough - that it compensates for that.
...more
I picked this up at a used bookstore because I was desperate for more books and couldn't go to the library and I hate reading books on my phone. I'm really glad I took a chance on it, because I enjoyed it a lot.
...more
Dang, this book was a mess! But not so much of a mess as to stop me going through it. Just enough that I don't really understand why anyone did anything. The plot just kind of jumped around and introduced things without ever really building them. Read like mediocre Jumanji-style fanfic.
...more
This story follows Gregory and Brian on their adventures. They decide to take a vacation at Uncle Max's house it all seems normal. But then they find a board game in a hidden room that is based on the house and the area surrounding. So they decide they have to figure out how to finish the game.
...more
Lots of twists and turns. I would have liked more character development. I like this author’s sense of humor.
So, I actually have a bit of an interesting history with this book. This paperback sat on various shelves in my various bedrooms for the entirety of my childhood, collecting dust. I got it at a book-fair in third grade, unable to find anything that seemed more interesting. I'm now twenty years old, and the fact that the book remains in near-mint condition is testament to the fact that I never cracked it open once in the thirteen or fourteen years I've owned it. I was inspired to finally give it
...more
Jun 29, 2011
Lisa
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
perfect-for-autumn
"To all those authors who showed me that evil could be fought while on vacation, wearing knee socks," reads the dedication at the front of M. T. Anderson's The Game of Sunken Places. Indeed, The Game is written in the vein of a classic children's adventure novel: two thirteen year-old best friends, Brian & Gregory, receive an invitation to spend two weeks at the sprawling, secluded mansion of Gregory's uncle in Vermont. Shortly after arriving, the boys find themselves forced into playing a real-
...more
Sometimes, when you read a book that doesn't seem to make much sense, your mind is later blown as the author brings everything together in an awesome way. Sadly, that's not what happens here. 150 pages into the book and I still didn't feel a cohesive thread or feel like I had a handle on what, exactly, was my reason for continuing to the next page. And by the end, even though there were a couple of surprises, I was very disappointed in the plot, all the loose ends, and the way that everything ge
...more
The Game of Sunken Places has at its core several relatively humdrum concepts: a board game that plays for real, a hidden kingdom, two friends (one timid, one outgoing), a race to save the (or a) world. This isn't so bad since so much fantasy works with the same basic materials. The question is whether the author transcends the familiar and here the answer tends to be no.
The story follows a pair of thirteen-year-old friends, Gregory and Brian, as they go up to Vermont to visit Uncle Max (not rea ...more
The story follows a pair of thirteen-year-old friends, Gregory and Brian, as they go up to Vermont to visit Uncle Max (not rea ...more
I really want another book by this author! "Sunken Places" is a great young-adult fantasy - don't be put off by the fact that your first reaction will be "This is Jumanji", because it isn't. The plot is great, original, and moves quickly.
...more
Big M.T. Anderson fan but this one didn't live up to my (adult) expectations. It would have been pretty good if anyone else had written it, someone who hadn't written Feed, Octavian Nothing and Whales on Stilts. Fine for juvenile/young adult.
...more
Oct 27, 2007
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it
did not like it
Shelves:
read-sci-fi-fantasy,
read-childrens-books
Awful! Couldn't suspend disbelief on this one.
...more
Some first rate story-telling by Mr. Anderson.
This one was okay in the beginning but it got boring halfway through. I don't often not finish books I start, but this one just wasn't worth it.
...more
The book starts with the murder of a real estate developer who's wandering in the forest around Gerenford, Vermont, dreaming of the suburb he plans to build, when he stumbles on an ancient rite with runes and chanting over a flaming snowmobile and finds himself -- the required sacrifice.
Shortly after, 11-year-old Gregory Buchanan receives an invitation from his Uncle Maximilian Grendle (like the beast, from Beowulf) and cousin Prudence to visit their huge mansion for summer vacation. He invites ...more
Shortly after, 11-year-old Gregory Buchanan receives an invitation from his Uncle Maximilian Grendle (like the beast, from Beowulf) and cousin Prudence to visit their huge mansion for summer vacation. He invites ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
first fun story regarding this book..
I actually had part 2 from (Azbakya) which is like a big used-book market ,and been having it on my shelf for almost three years, looking for part 1 all over my favorite book stores but with no luck, even on line it was out of stock, then went to the local used book shop in another country ,and surprise it is part one,and I think I wouldn't have recognized it, but for the number of times i actually searched for it, so the cover looked familiar, and checked qu ...more
I actually had part 2 from (Azbakya) which is like a big used-book market ,and been having it on my shelf for almost three years, looking for part 1 all over my favorite book stores but with no luck, even on line it was out of stock, then went to the local used book shop in another country ,and surprise it is part one,and I think I wouldn't have recognized it, but for the number of times i actually searched for it, so the cover looked familiar, and checked qu ...more
I finished the book “The Game of Sunken Places”. It’s about Two boys “friends” That went to one of the boy’s Uncle’s house for a week because of an invitation the Uncle. They packed up and there uncle sent his butler to go pick up the boy’s in a limousine. The boy’s went there and arrived at the uncle’s mansion that was old and dusty, the butler grab their luggage and it was time for bed and they still don’t know where their luggage is, but they went to sleep as the butler used the last of the t
...more
Receiving an invitation to stay with an eccentric relative can hardly be classed as unusual in children’s fiction, but it is rarely accompanied with quite such a creative turn of events. Reminiscent of Chris Van Allsburg’s Jumanji, The Game of Sunken Places, by M.T. Anderson draws the reader into the battle between two rival peoples—peoples whose fate rests on the outcome of a board game.
Plot Summary
It’s hardly surprising that Brian and Gregory are curious about the board game when they find it ...more
Plot Summary
It’s hardly surprising that Brian and Gregory are curious about the board game when they find it ...more
I am not a fan of this book. I have never been more aggravated by characters. Not Brian and Gregory, they were fine. The two boys were written well enough in my opinion. Their decisions seemed reasonable considering their ages. Although I do think they should have reacted more to being forced to wear period clothing that is itchy and uncomfortable. And the troll was delightful, although a little sad too. But everyone else were a bunch of assholes. I couldn't stand the "uncle" and I have never wa
...more
The launch of the new range of Click Torque Wrench by Feedback Sports is an exciting development for enthusiasts like us who value precision and reliability in our tools. This latest addition promises to elevate our maintenance routines, ensuring optimal performance and longevity for our equipment. Additionally, I stumbled upon an intriguing website, https://1xbet-fa.org/, which offers a wide array of online gaming options. From sports betting to live casino games, it caters to various preferenc
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA mystery/adventure book: two brothers get trapped in a big board game in the middle of a forest stemming from a mansion [s] | 4 | 28 | Feb 26, 2020 07:55AM | |
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Name of book like Jumanji? [s] | 3 | 27 | Nov 07, 2017 05:29AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Matthew Tobin Anderson (M. T. Anderson), (1968- ) is an author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The ...more
His picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked; Strange Mr. Satie; The Serpent Came to Gloucester; and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The ...more
Other books in the series
Norumbegan Quartet
(4 books)
Related Articles
It’s May, and in the U.S. that means it’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, dedicated to celebrating the culture, history,...
145 likes · 48 comments
