Book Review: Black Hole Cinema Club by Christopher Edge

I am so excited to bring you this book review today!

I received a copy of Black Hole Cinema Club by Christopher Edge in my latest Reading Rocks subscription box (I subscribe to the UKS2 box because I teach Year 6). I planned on buying this book anyway, as I loved Escape Room and The Jamie Drake Equation, but I was lucky enough to get it in my subscription box and get to read it sooner than I'd planned.

Here is the synopsis:

When Lucas meets his friends at the local cinema – nicknamed ‘The Black Hole’ – they’re excited about the movie marathon ahead. Non-stop action, blockbuster special effects and all the snacks they can eat. But as the lights go down, Lucas, Ash, Maya, Caitlin and Finn watch in disbelief as a jet-black tidal wave comes crashing out of the cinema screen and the five friends find themselves swept into an epic adventure.

Secret hideouts. Prehistoric monsters. Lost cities. Impossible missions. Being the hero of your own film should feel like fun. But as the cliffhanger scenes they’re pitched into become ever more perilous, Lucas and his friends start to wonder if these movies are really make-believe. Can they save the day before the end credits roll? The fate of the world might just depend on it…

There is also a trailer for the book:

I think Christopher Edge is an incredible author. I've only read three of his books but every single one is full of intrigue, adventure and originality. All of his books have gripped me from the first chapter but there was something very special about Black Hole Cinema Club. 

Maybe it's because my class were writing portal stories just before the Easter break this spring, but I was immediately immersed by the idea of a group of friends being swept into a cinematic adventure. 
When the group of friends head inside for an all-day movie marathon in 4Di (a technology that is so immersive that it makes you feel like you're in the movie - love a bit of foreshadowing), they certainly were not prepared for what happened next!
I love how the excitement and adventure of this story hits you right at the very start, as the friends meet at the cinema for this epic film marathon and are swept up by this tsunami of darkness all by the end of the second chapter/page 18! It throws you right into the mystery and wonder of what this whole book is about. 

I also love that this adventure takes it right to the wire as well, with less than ten pages remaining at the end of their cinematic adventure. I love that it was written like this! I was reading and thinking, "What could possibly happen when it's this close to the end now?!" I genuinely wondered if there would be a conclusion at one point - thinking I might have to wait for a follow-up book to find the answers.

Overall, I felt like I really clicked with the characters. It was great to see their different personalities and thought processes throughout their challenges and trials. I think my favourite character was Maya, especially in the last few pages. She's definitely a friend I would have wanted during a lot of those situations! Although, to be honest, after everything they've been through in this story, I bet they'll all have a very close bond going forward!

This was a brilliant book that I devoured in a day (one of the first days of my spring break very well spent) and will definitely be recommending it to children in my class. I might even make it one of my class books next year.

I also loved that my copy had black sprayed edges, was signed by Christopher Edge and came with a cinema ticket (with a QR code to access a cinematic playlist) which I used as a bookmark.

If you would like to listen to the playlist, you can click here for the Spotify link.

Nosy Crow have also released a set of activity sheets to go with this book, which you can download here as a PDF. I'll definitely be putting the movie poster design sheet out in my class.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did and - if you read it - let me know what you think.