When I went to Singapore last October, I specifically targeted getting a copy of the Usborne Puzzle Adventure Omnibus, a book compilation I’d lost when I was in grade school. I was hoping to find one at one of the bookstore chains there, as my cousin Dianne found a copy for herself in Hong Kong, and I was determined to get one too.
I found a brand new copy in only one bookstore — MPH — and I was hesitant to buy it because it cost SGD 33, which is about P1000 or about US$20. Being the cheapskate I am, I decided to mull it over and come back for it before I went home.
Luckily, my plans to go to Bras Basah Complex (a mini-mall full of quaint, used-book shops right across Raffles Hotel) fell in place, and before an hour was up, I scored a slightly used copy for about SGD13 (P429 or about US$9), because I sweet talked the Indian proprietor to bring it down from SGD16! Not bad for a book I’d been searching half my life for. (But of course I ended up getting a dozen other books I didn’t plan on buying!
The Usborne Puzzle Adventure Omnibus was such a magical reading experience for me when I was young, and my cousin and I had hours and hours of fun with this book compilation.
The Omnibus contains the first seven books in the Usborne Puzzle Adventure series (they were also available singly): Escape from Blood Castle, The Curse of the Lost Idol, Murder on the Midnight Plane, The Incredible Dinosaur Expedition, The Intergalactic Bus Trip, Time Train to Ancient Rome, and Danger at Demon’s Cove.
Each mystery story contains a series of puzzles (one puzzle per spread) that must be solved for the story to progress. Clues are provided in the story and illustrations, and there is an answer section after each story.
In Escape from Blood Castle, Intrepid Ivor hunts for important papers in his Cousin Boris’ topsy-turvy home to recover the wealth and title that is rightfully his.
The Curse of the Lost Idol takes us to Egypt where Annie hopes to recover a priceless Sphinx statue– said to be the greatest Egyptian treasure since King Tut– from a gang of crooks.
On Murder on the Midnight Plane, the Sprockett Twins are on an ill-fated plane carrying a murdered man, a bunch of crooks, and directions to buried treasure. Sam and Spike must solve the mystery, unmask the killers, and find the treasure before it’s too late.
The Incredible Dinosaur Expedition is a time-travel adventure that take Zack, Freddie and Jo to the world of the dinosaurs. The kids must stop an evil professor from stealing dinosaur eggs and figure out a way to get back home.
The Intergalactic Bus Trip is an out of this world adventure where Izzy must track down the Rogue Robots who kidnapped her brother Tom and stop them from intergalactic domination.
Time Train to Ancient Rome is another time-travel adventure, this time set in the imperial kingdom of Rome. Bill and Lucy must uncover the Emperor’s imposter and restore the real Emperor back to his throne.
Finally, in Danger at Demon’s Cove, Max and Sally go on an ancient trail in search of the Demon’s Eye diamond and buried treasure.
It’s a thick volume crammed full with full color illustrations and a variety of puzzles — codes and ciphers, mazes, maps, diagrams, picture puzzles, logic problems, anagrams, and many other challenges that made for exciting reading when I was younger.
Ten years after I first read this book , I was delighted to find that it hasn’t lost its charm, and I had so much fun rereading it that the three hours flew by on the flight back home!
I’m so glad they haven’t stopped printing this book. It’s excellent for kids who love puzzles and mysteries, and I’ll definitely keep my eyes peeled for the succeeding compilations (there are two other Omnibus books!!!) of this series.
***
My copy: slightly worn paperback
My rating: Escape from Blood Castle, 5/5 stars; The Curse of the Lost Idol, 5/5 stars; Murder on the Midnight Plane, 5/5 stars; The Incredible Dinosaur Expedition, 4/5 stars; The Intergalactic Bus Trip, 4/5 stars; Time Train to Ancient Rome, 5/5 stars; Danger at Demon Cove, 4/5 stars
(Books 221-227 of 2009)
This book is awesome! I also gave you an award: http://englishmajorjunkfood.blogspot.com/2010/01/super-scribbler-lovely-blog-and-50.html
Thanks for the award, Ash! And yeah, this book rocks!
Hi!
I discovered your website from typing ‘usborne puzzle adventures hong kong’ into google, as I have recently been looking for copies of these books myself. I read them avidly as a kid, and used to have a sizable collection, but a younger cousin borrowed them once and they were never seen again.
Most of the puzzle/young puzzle adventures are fortunately still in print, but I very much prefer the older, white bordered styled covers. Planning on scouring second hand bookstores over here in Hong Kong, hoping they have yet to be picked clean.
Great blog, keep reading!
Yup, I prefer the old covers too. I found mine in a secondhand shop in Singapore, I hope you find them there in Hong Kong.
Puzzle adventures are awesome!
thanks for this, I also had this when I was young and loved it soo much, I have just orded a cpy of this for my son, hoping he will enjoy it as much as I did, I hope it’s only the cover that is different on the new print books.
Yeah, I checked – only the cover has changed, the insides are exactly the same.
Good stuff!