If you are into games, The Gauntlet is for you! This book took me back to Jimanji, Zathura, and even the Mr. Lemoncello series. In this story, 3 twelve year olds get sucked into a game and have to win the different challenges to get to go back home. However, right before these kids get put into the game, the main character's (Farah) brother gets taken into the game so she needs to find him. So, not only do she and her two friends need to win these challenges, they are looking for her brother, too, who is lost in the game. They need to win this game so all the people that are in the game , who played before them and lost, can go home, too. This book has been on many Mock Newbery lists. I liked this book because you definitely want to find out if they win, and I liked the Middle Eastern twist as well. I learned a lot about Farah's culture while they are traversing the mechanical game board. This is another gem of a book by a debut author, Karuna Riazi.