Game On! by Himanjali Sankar – exciting sci-fi for kids 8+

Game On is an exciting, fast-paced sci-fi for kids 8+ that keeps kids eager to see what happens next. It is a great pick for readers aged ten and up.

Synopsis

How can they escape the horror their house has become?

As Sammy and Simmy go to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen, their house glitches . . . Corridors elongate, rooms transform and familiar people become terrifying beings.

Trapped in a world where nothing is normal, can the siblings find their way out?

Review

Game On is a children’s sci-fi horror that follows siblings Sammy and Simmi. Their father settles on the couch after a long day and asks for water. Their mother, who works at a game development center, comes home even more exhausted and frustrated because she had to bring unfinished work with her.

The kids ignore the request at first, which only irritates her further. Trying not to worsen the already tense mood, they finally get up to fetch the water… and the house suddenly turns strange. The corridor stretches, the kitchen grows, even the fridge looks wrong. Their father appears, but something feels off about him, and the kids bolt.

The same nightmare repeats in the bathroom and every other room. They cannot reach their real parents sitting helplessly in the living room, and the only safe space left is their own bedroom.

Meanwhile, the parents soon discover the terrifying truth. Sammy and Simmi are trapped inside the AI game their mother was developing. She and her team scramble to fix the system, but the kids can only escape by winning the game, completing every level, and facing a chain of challenges that test their courage.

The concept is fantastic. A game that activates inside the house, pulls family members into its system, and lets AI dictate the stages is clever, eerie, and honestly pretty dangerous. I kept wondering what happens if someone fails a challenge. How do they get out?

Luckily the game is still in development, so the adults can intervene, but it is still a horrifying ordeal for kids aged ten and eight. If this happened to my child, she would never set foot in that house again. Sammy and Simmi, though, are quick thinkers who rely on each other and push through every fear.

I enjoyed the dual narrative: one track follows the kids through each stage of the game, and the other follows the parents trying to rescue them. The story blends thrill, humor, and just the right amount of horror. It also touches on the dangers of hyper-immersive gaming, the risks of giving too much power to AI, the ethics of high-tech entertainment, and even a quiet reminder to parents to leave office work at the office.

Overall, Game On is an exciting, fast-paced sci-fi for kids 8+ that keeps kids eager to see what happens next. It is a great pick for readers aged ten and up.

Book Links

Goodreads | Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Have you read this or plan to?
What was your favorite sci-fi horror?

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