Eleanor, age 9
I really like this book, it was full of curiosity, suspense and mystery from chapter one. I enjoyed how it was written in a way that made me really feel like I was Lucy. I really liked the characters and I think I can relate to Lucy quite a lot. I found out a lot more about STEM than I already knew, especially the science parts as it taught me about air and gas. I found this book a bit too short so I will give this book a 4 and a half star rating out of 5.
Pat, age >80
It was a lovely written and wonderful book, I couldn't put it down. I felt like a child again with an Enid Blyton book, Famous Five, going exploring. I really loved the illustrations. Exciting story and I couldn't wait to turn to the next page. Educational to the end, very cleverly put together, makes learning enjoyable. Fantastic.
Max, age 8
A really exciting story about a secret room, that makes you want to keep reading! I would really recommend it! I had to use the glossary for really tricky words. I really like Lucy and Wocky they are really good characters, Jamie is good too. What I enjoyed about the book the most was the secret room thing - I wanted to find out what was in it. I learnt a little bit about STEM, O is Oxygen and those things. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating.
Barbara, age - adult.
Chapters are easy to read, appropriate length, so you can read as little or as much as you want. Good amount of knowledge, age appropriate, definitely a page turner. Keeps you wanting to read the next chapter. Modern up to date terminology, good information and content in glossary. Well written. Love the maps she has drawn in her notebook. Fantastic book, can't wait for further adventures of Lucy.
Daisy, age 8.5
The book is like a magnet - I couldn't put it down! It made me happy whilst I was reading it. I learnt somethings about STEM but some of it was complicated. In the glossary, sometimes the clarification of the word had even tricky words in it. I like Lucy as she is brave and I like Jamie because he likes pizza like me. I wanted to carry on reading. 5 stars out of 5
Dylan, age 10
At first glance, I didn't really like the front cover as it has a unicorn but never judge a book by its cover. I like the idea of a secret room with unknown animals and quizzes to unlock doors. I would love to see a sequel about who made the secret room. The quiz to open the doors taught me stuff and so did the glossary in the back. I would give this a three and a half star rating out of five.
Ben, age 12
I have just finished this book and really enjoyed it!! I loved how a glossary was included, It was useful because if there was any words I struggled with I could just look there. I like how the story made me ask questions about what could happen next. I recommend this book because it has lots of useful information and is engaging. I like how positive most of the characters were and I give this book 4 and a half stars out of 5.
Lily, age 11.75
I really enjoyed the book and how it was very well written. I didn't learn a lot about STEM, as I knew most of this already, but I think younger kids might. I loved the game of the periodic table. I liked how the book always made me question what would happen next in each chapter! I referred to quite a lot of words in the glossary and learnt a lot too but I didn't really like how I had to keep constantly flipping to the back of the book. I found it easier to read the glossary for each chapter first, but other than that I couldn't put the book down and absolutely loved the ending. I would really recommend the book and would give it a 4 and a half star rating.
Rose, age 9 (and Mum)
Wow, what a page turner. It had us gripped from beginning to end.
Both Rose and I are dyslexic so reading is not something that either of us choose to do. This book has inspired further reading/learning though. I have just given Rose a book called "A Beginner's Guide to the Periodic Table" by Gill Arbuthnott as it seems an appropriate time.
A book to get your brain cogs turning, as you try to work out clues in order to access the secret rooms within. With references back to 70's and 80's culture for every parent, and little tips for surviving life in todays world for every slightly kooky child, who doesn't fully conform to the 'norm' of todays society. We cant wait for the next instalment! We have already thought of some friends who will also enjoy this book. 5 stars!
Amelia, age 9
I like Lucy of course because she is fierce and I like that because it means she can stick up for herself and her friends. I think it's a great book and kids my age would like to read it! 4 stars out of 5.
Adult and Milo, age 9
We have just finished reading Lucy and the secret room together. I was as enthralled as my son. It is a delightful story full of action and intrigue as well as being educational. I can highly recommend it, in fact I would recommend that school's actively promote it as it deals with emotions that might strike a chord with many children.
Rosa, age 9
An exciting, wonderful book. I never wanted to put down once I picked it up. It is full of interesting STEM facts. I enjoyed having the excitement when Lucy was in the rooms and I really liked Wocky. I learnt about the periodic table and different chemicals. I think the glossary is a good idea as it helped me with some of the STEM words I didn't understand. 5 Stars.
Liv, age 12
I really enjoyed this book! It was intriguing from the very start of the book and I couldn't put it down! It was written in a way that made me feel like I was in the room with the characters. I liked how there was a map so you could really understand where they were going. I would rate this book 4.5/5
Emily, age 12
I loved the suspense within the story. The drawings gave a nice representation of what it looked like. My fav character is Jamie as he appears really nice and there for Lucy all the time, and he isn't too smart. The cover is very bright and uses a lot of colour pictures to help you visualise the story within.
Love Reading 4 Kids Ambassador - (about Lucy 1)
Lucy and the Secret Room is a unique book aimed at 9+ ages. The glossary at the end encourages independent reading, it brings STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) to the foreground in a fun way, potentially making the subjects much less intimidating. Darren John Charlton writes with a mixture of humour, mystery and excitement and is highly relatable to younger readers. It touches on dealing with the death of a parent and friendships, and how to be a good friend. The illustrations add authenticity to the story and bring the imagination of the author to life. Really excited to read more from this author and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others.
Love Reading 4 Kids says -
Lucy 2 is an enjoyable, entertaining 341-page children's novel. Lucy is a 10-year-old, inquisitive, spirited young girl. She lives with her mum. Her dad has passed away. The book begins with a summary of what happened in volume 1. Lucy discovers a strange book in her bookcase. When she picks it up, it opens a door which leads to secret rooms under her house! Secret codes unlock the doors to different rooms. The second book is all about how she and best friend, Jamie, try to discover what is going on in the rooms. They see a strange robot and folders with information about various animals on a table. Why are the rooms there? Is there a link to her father? Can they keep the rooms a secret from Lucy's Mother? The story is entertaining and has several touches of humour to keep the children engaged. There are many modern/topical touches such as the cell phone screenshot pages and amusing status updates at the end of a chapter. Primary school children will identify with many of the situations Lucy finds herself in. It is written in a conversational, chatty style. I liked Lucy's handwritten drawings and notes that are included in the book. These break up the text nicely. I also thought that the author's idea to include an extensive glossary explaining words that might be unfamiliar to young children, was useful and a great opportunity to enlarge the children's vocabulary. I recommend this book to children from about 8 years old up until their last year of primary school. They will love going with Lucy and Jamie on their adventures!
Amelia Smith, age 11
I enjoyed Lucy 2 very much. It had a good amount of suspense and I sometimes found it hard to put the book down as I wanted to continue reading the story. My favorite character is Jamie as he is very funny, I can relate to him and he was always there for Lucy. I was very surprised by the ending.
I would give the book 4 out of 5 stars.
Emily,
I loved Lucy 2 as much as the first, I couldn't put it down! I can relate to Lucy as I quite enjoy maths and science. I liked the ending as I'd been waiting for this all along. I found the glossary useful but there were a few words that should been in there, and weren't and a few words that didn't need to be in there, but were.
Four and a half stars out of five.
Rosa, age 11
I loved Lucy and the Secret Room Vol 2 as there was suspense, mysteries and answers you needed to keep reading it. I found it super easy to read and follow the story line although I found the all the pages on the planets a bit much. I loved the ending! I thought it drew the story to a good close but I was also surprised.
It was a really good book.
#teamwocky
4.5 stars out of 5
Kiana, age 10
Darren John Charlton has done an excellent job at producing an amazing story of a ten-year-old girl named Lucy who goes on exciting adventures, exploring the mysterious bookcase in her room. Lily Jessica Charlton also did her part by doing a brilliant job at drawing the detailed pictures and graphs to explain facts or just make the book more entertaining! Lucy and the Secret Room 2 was a hilarious book full of impressive facts and secrets revealed. It made me laugh out loud in some chapters (it's the first book that has made me do so), and sometimes left me thinking, what does that word mean? Or what will happen next? Luckily, Lucy and the Secret Room 2 has a definition for all the words underlined at the end of the book, and as for the other question, well, all I have to do is continue reading!
Lucy and I can relate; we both are obsessed with facts about science, (I tend to stick to outer space), and both are FRIENDS (NOT in love) with a boy and get called a couple. During this book, I attempted to put myself in Lucy's shoes, and, surprisingly, almost all our reactions to problems and codes were the same, apart from when she came to lying to her mother. My fibs are useless, and for some reason, I ALWAYS smile when I say them.
I learnt loads of facts from Lucy and the Secret Room! I didn't know a single thing about the periodic table beforehand, but now, I know quite a bit, I learnt the word entourage as well, and even learnt that you can set timers on Siri! (The one on your iPhone).
I thought that Lucy and the Secret Room 2 was an overall success and I recommend for young children or teenagers to read this book. However, all this tension building, and secrets makes it entertaining for readers at any age! SPOILER ALERT: I love the plot twist at the end! I don't think anybody was expecting that outcome about the secret room and the reason they moved!
Happy reading!
Out Of This World Publishers
PO Box 5996
Dronfield
S18 9DZ
United Kingdom
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page last updated: 16/05/2023
