Jungle Escape by Nathan Luff

Title: Jungle Escape

Author: Nathan Luff         

Genre: Adventure

Publisher: Walker Books 

Published: 1^st February 2025

Format: Paperback

Pages: 256

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: From acclaimed author Nathan Luff – new middle grade adventure full of action, danger, creepy crawlies and lots of laughs!

Dear Evolution,
If the bird you have made is too big to fly, it is TOO BIG – FULL STOP!
Yours, Branson Hawthorne Esquire

When Branson’s parents announce a ski trip to Aspen, he’s thrilled – until he learns he won’t be going with them. Instead, Branson is being sent to an exclusive retreat in the Daintree Rainforest that promises poolside luxury, cuisine classes, and lessons in interior decoration. Not his idea of a holiday.

But, when they arrive at the resort, Branson and the other kids learn they’ve been duped! The building is in ruins, the bathroom’s covered in slime, and the pool is empty. It turns out the owners have lured the kids to Jungle Escape to work as free labour and restore the resort.

Branson and his new friends need to find a way out of this hell hole and the Daintree Rainforest. Will they be able to escape this jungle, or will they end up as cassowary – or crocodile – lunch?

~*~

It’s summer holidays, and Branson’s parents are off to Aspen – alone. And Branson is off on his own holiday, completely parent free. It’s a kid’s dream, right? It should be, when you’re off to a highly exclusive retreat in the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland where Branson and his fellow travellers – Addison, Victoria and snobby Elton are expecting high class accommodation and activities. Branson has been promised poolside luxury, cuisine classes, and interior decorating lessons. Sounds perfect for a bunch of kids who are used to luxury and living it up, right?

Wrong! When they arrive, not only does Elton demand everyone carry things for him, but Branson and the other kids find out that a nightmare, not a dream getaway is in store for them. Sal, the owner of Jungle Escape and her son have lured them there under false pretences to work on the resort and fix it up for them – for free. Effectively, it’s child slave labour and Branson, Addison and Victoria are determined to find a way out and work for it, whilst Elton just wants everyone to serve him. From slime-filled shared bathrooms to empty pools, and musty yellow sheets and lots of dangerous wildlife. Branson and the girls come up with a plan to escape the horrible hosts, cranky crocodiles and the cold-eyed cassowaries lurking around that are as dangerous as the rooms they’re given. That is, if they can get away before they become lunch for the wildlife.

Nathan Luff’s new middle grade novel is a fun adventure story that takes place during the two weeks after Christmas. Four children, who are in various ways neglected or misunderstood by their rich parents are shipped off to what’s meant to be a dream holiday – only to be met with a nightmare trip of a lifetime in an idyllic area of the world and Australia. Setting this story filled with horrific things and awful accommodation in an area that is usually an ideal place to visit highlights the different ways people see the world, and how they relate to it. It is also about friendship and unity, making new friends in circumstances that you never thought you would find yourself in. For Branson and his new friends, this means that they learn how to work together, and eventually, find a way to make the travesty of the disaster end well…or as well as can be expected.

The adventure in this new middle grade novel drives the action and humour, but at the heart of it is unity, friendship, and revelations about families and the people who are really there for you. I found Branson, Addison and Victoria the easiest to get to know, perhaps because they were more open than Elton, and didn’t have the same pretentious attitude that he did. They were the three who wanted acceptance and understanding the most, who actively worked to get to know each other and help each other. I think this is the aspect that shone, and Nathan Luff made work very well, because friends are important to kids aged eight and over, and it is the age when they are often starting to become aware of the differences around them. Whilst reading this, I think Branson, Victoria and Addison were my favourite characters. They were very easy to get to know throughout the novel. I felt that they were more open and willing to learn, willing to take part in things. It was Elton who had a steep learning curve, even though he was a secondary character. Jungle Escape is a fun novel too – putting kids in situations that they’d likely never be in if they’re in the real world, and giving them agency. This is a fun book for middle grade readers, because whilst what happens might seem a bit ridiculous, that is what makes the story fun. Nathan Luff has created a story that readers will enjoy and engage with, and learn that becoming friends through adversity can be a powerful bond that means much more than people think it might.