Izzy Miller has grown out of âfamily-game-nightâ. As a mature and sporty twelve-year-old, playing boring board games with her family is not her idea of a good time.
But when her brainiac twin, Noah, discovers an ancient board game and casts the dice, he unknowingly sets off a chain of events that freezes time and leaves the twins with a frightening choice - play or never see your family again.
To make it across the board, the Miller twins must face life-threatening (and yet eerily familiar) tasks involving a sweltering jungle swamp, a battleship at sea and a castle with a mystery murderer on the loose.
Will Izzy regret her lack of board game knowledge? Can she rely on her Einstein-like brother to solve the clues?
And what has the grinning skeleton got to do with The Game With No Name?
Izzy Miller has grown out of âfamily-game-nightâ. As a mature and sporty twelve-year-old, playing boring board games with her family is not her idea of a good time.
But when her brainiac twin, Noah, discovers an ancient board game and casts the dice, he unknowingly sets off a chain of events that freezes time and leaves the twins with a frightening choice - play or never see your family again.
To make it across the board, the Miller twins must face life-threatening (and yet eerily familiar) tasks involving a sweltering jungle swamp, a battleship at sea and a castle with a mystery murderer on the loose.
Will Izzy regret her lack of board game knowledge? Can she rely on her Einstein-like brother to solve the clues?
And what has the grinning skeleton got to do with The Game With No Name?
I struggled to breathe. Gasped for air.
My eyes stung painfully. I lost my sight.
âAh-ah-ah-ah-choooo!â
âIsabella, cover your mouth when you sneeze.â
âItâs pretty tough when youâve just inhaled a dustball that not only tries to choke you but blind you too,â I said nasally to my Mom. I could still taste the ancient dust, the grimy particles tickling the back of my throat in the most horrible way.
When was the last time someone cracked open a window in this room?
âMom, do we really have to move here?â I rubbed my watery eyes. It felt like some grit was stuck in there.
âHow many times have we been over this, Isabella?â
Admittedly, probably a hundred or so. I knew all her excuses: Our apartment was too small, a crazy housing market, a dirt-cheap sale we simply couldnât pass up, and of course...the star of the family. The real reason we were here.
âSweetheart, youâre going to love it here,â she huffed, swinging a cobweb duster back and forth across the ceiling.
It was the second day of our new life at Glenbat Manor, and it felt like all we had done was battle old stringy webs. It made me wonder if the previous resident was a giant spider.
âI dunno, Mom,â I said. âThe seventh grade can be unforgiving for the new kid. And Iâve missed the start of term. Kids will have their cliques formed by now. Iâll be an outcast!â
Mom lowered the duster. She gripped the ladder, swivelling her body to look at me. âIzzy, youâve never had a problem making friends. The kids will be fighting for your attention. Trust me, youâll be fine.â
âBut what if I donât make any new friends? What if my position on the basketball team is already taken up by a much better player? What ifââ
âWhat if you fall and end up flying, dear?â she interrupted with a smile.
Touché, Mom.
A clattering noise from downstairs was followed by a set of two voices arguing. Momâs expression darkened like a storm cloud.
âNoah! I asked you to be careful with that!â came Dadâs voice.
Noah. My younger brother. My twin brother. But Iâm older by about ninety-eight seconds, I think. And like most twins, we have this unexplainable connection. Like our minds are linked or something. For example, although I canât see him right now, I know that Noah dropped the box with Momâs treasured, fragile family heirlooms. If I were to guess, I would say he was looking for one of his science books that couldnât just wait until everything was unpacked.
âSorry, Dad!â Noah shouted, the noise of his footsteps echoing off the walls as he climbed the creaky staircase. He came sauntering into the spare room Mom and I were cleaning, laden down with the delicate box. âI was looking for my calculator.â
His calculator! I wasnât far off. I guess the special twin connection between us hasnât been as strong lately. Not sinceâŠ
âSo,â I said, planting my hands on my hips. âAre you actually going to help clean today or are you too special to get your hands dirty?â
For twins, we donât look much alike. We both have jet black hair, but where mine is long and straight, Noahâs is short and cut tight to his head. Iâm a full head taller than him, but, then again, I was the tallest in our old grade â no surprises why Iâm so good at basketball.
Iâm actually wearing my now-previous-schoolâs team grey hoodie. Itâs long and baggy and probably the most comfortable piece of clothing I own. Noah, on the other hand, was wearing a short-sleeved purple t-shirt with the letters âE = mc2â, which I think is a math equation that has something to do with Albert Einstein
Noahâs a boy geniusâI could never compete with him on the brain scale. He has brains enough for the two of us. Iâve been fine with that until now. Until it turned my life upside down.
âIsabella,â Mom said, her voice taking on a cross edge. âYour brother has a lot of studying to catch up on to be ready for his first week at St. Alberts. I wish you could be more supportive.â
Angry tears bubbled at the corners of my eyes, and I turned away, hiding my face. I walked towards the only window in the room and stared fixedly into the front garden. The red afternoon sun hung over the house, casting finger-like shadows across the unkempt garden. Vines snaked up and tangled around what was likely an old âFOR SALEâ sign.
âIâll help with the sanitation efforts, sis,â Noah said. âIf you promise to partake in a classic Friday evening edition of the Millerâs family game night?â
âMe? Play a board game with you? Why would I want to do that?â
âBecause weâre the Miller twins! Thick as thieves!â He pointed a finger high in the air. âDestined to accumulate fame and fortune and go down in history as the world's best set of twins!â
Mom chuckled from her vantage point on the ladder.
I snorted. âMaybe you will, boy genius. But Iâm the dumb twin, remember?â
âIsabella, please stop belittling yourself,â Mom said tiredly. âEverything isnât a competition between you and your brother.â
âBut thenââ
âNo buts! Now, Iâm going to get a head start on the kitchen. As for you two, I need one volunteer to tackle the basement and the other the living room.â
âIâll takeââ
âIâll take the living room,â I said, cutting across Noah. If the spider responsible for decorating the house in webs was anywhere, it was in the basement.
Noah looked as if he was about to argue, then shrugged his shoulders. âFine by me.â
Victory.
A minor consolation that felt better than it should have.
Noah saluted us and marched out of the spare room.
How was I to know how much I would regret making him go down to that basement?
Twelve-year-old Izzy Miller is not having the best time. Settling into her new homeâa dusty, ancient manor that is close to her twin brother Noahâs new school for the giftedâis not easy. She cannot help but feel slighted by all of the sacrifices she has had to make to permit Noah to attend a new school...without her. When an attractive new neighbor named Walter shows up at their door, what began as a tiresome evening of cleaning becomes something altogether different. The three tweens decide to play a mysterious game Noah finds in the basement, finding themselves on a terrifying thrill ride from which they might never escape.
This second book in the Jitters series by L.G. Cunningham blends strategy and suspense in a well-crafted, easily accessible narrative. Written for a middle grade audience, this story limits swear words and sex, but the intensity of the fear element is strong. Fans of stories like Goosebumps will love the similar feel of this tale, which will make readers of all ages think twice before beginning their next family game night.
Similarities to Jumanji abound in this creepy tale of a board game that becomes uncomfortably real. Ties to other classic games like Clue and Battleship make family game night seem more sinister than wholesome. Unexpected twists and turns coupled with a malevolent game master will keep readers on the edges of their seats throughout this story.
A suspense-driven plot propels this story from one chapter to the next while the damaged relationship between Noah and Izzy provides a wholesome thread tying everything together. Though the second in its series, this book stands on its own and requires no background knowledge from the first book. However, readers who have not yet read book one will no doubt reach for it after finishing this compelling story. Readers who enjoy things that go bump in the night are sure to devour this thrilling tale.