Twelve-year-old Sebastian is hooked on the Nardi Corp games, which he plays with his younger brother as an escape from the realities of his life.
He’s pretty good at them too, although not good enough – he would have thought – to be one of twelve children selected from around the world to attend the exclusive launch party for the newest Nardi game.
Yet, here we are.
This invitation explains why a mysterious woman has been following him around for weeks. But, excited as Sebastian is, and even though this is an all-expenses-paid invitation to the creator’s mansion in Italy, he’s brought crashing back to reality when his mother – egged on by his annoying older brothers and worried that he’s too young to travel that far on his own – forbids him from going.
Resigned to missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Sebastian tries not to show his disappointment, which he knows will only make his brothers tease him more and upset his already stressed mother as she desperately tries to make ends meet.
But then Sebastian’s dad steps in and suddenly the boy who’s never set foot out of Perth, let alone Australia, is on his way to Elisabetta Nardi’s Italian mansion.
Last to arrive, Sebastian finds himself at a dining table with the other invitees – very nervous and out of his comfort zone – all of them on edge. The expected party, it seems, needs to be earned and, with this news, the children are thrust into a real-life Nardi Corp game. In teams of between one and three, and with multiple rules to follow and penalties to avoid, they have limited time to solve all the clues and escape the East Wing to win the ultimate prize.
The parallels with Roald Dahl’s classic are subtle but recognisable and somewhat comforting for those familiar with Charlie Bucket’s original adventure. There’s a humble and deserving protagonist who is grappling with self-confidence and who readers are cheering from the start. We have a slightly off-centre, crazy but brilliant adult figure who seems to be pulling all the strings. And there's the setting full of surprises – both perilous and wonderful.
The lure of chocolate or gaming? Both are equally relatable as motivators. The Nardi Puzzle, however, really ramps up the suspense several notches with its clever and cryptic clues, keeping the reader intrigued and guessing, playing along with Sebastian right to the end.
Gabriella Page has shown herself to be a master of mystery and puzzle-solving with The Nardi Puzzle. Pulling the reader in right from the opening paragraph, she hauls you along for the ride and has you running from room to room in Elisabetta Nardi’s East Wing as you try to crack the code before the others.
The Nardi Puzzle is an absolutely brilliant read and perfect for lovers of intrigue, suspense, code-cracking and gaming.
Title: The Nardi Puzzle
Author: Gabriella Page
Yet, here we are.
This invitation explains why a mysterious woman has been following him around for weeks. But, excited as Sebastian is, and even though this is an all-expenses-paid invitation to the creator’s mansion in Italy, he’s brought crashing back to reality when his mother – egged on by his annoying older brothers and worried that he’s too young to travel that far on his own – forbids him from going.
Resigned to missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Sebastian tries not to show his disappointment, which he knows will only make his brothers tease him more and upset his already stressed mother as she desperately tries to make ends meet.
But then Sebastian’s dad steps in and suddenly the boy who’s never set foot out of Perth, let alone Australia, is on his way to Elisabetta Nardi’s Italian mansion.
Last to arrive, Sebastian finds himself at a dining table with the other invitees – very nervous and out of his comfort zone – all of them on edge. The expected party, it seems, needs to be earned and, with this news, the children are thrust into a real-life Nardi Corp game. In teams of between one and three, and with multiple rules to follow and penalties to avoid, they have limited time to solve all the clues and escape the East Wing to win the ultimate prize.
The parallels with Roald Dahl’s classic are subtle but recognisable and somewhat comforting for those familiar with Charlie Bucket’s original adventure. There’s a humble and deserving protagonist who is grappling with self-confidence and who readers are cheering from the start. We have a slightly off-centre, crazy but brilliant adult figure who seems to be pulling all the strings. And there's the setting full of surprises – both perilous and wonderful.
The lure of chocolate or gaming? Both are equally relatable as motivators. The Nardi Puzzle, however, really ramps up the suspense several notches with its clever and cryptic clues, keeping the reader intrigued and guessing, playing along with Sebastian right to the end.
Gabriella Page has shown herself to be a master of mystery and puzzle-solving with The Nardi Puzzle. Pulling the reader in right from the opening paragraph, she hauls you along for the ride and has you running from room to room in Elisabetta Nardi’s East Wing as you try to crack the code before the others.
The Nardi Puzzle is an absolutely brilliant read and perfect for lovers of intrigue, suspense, code-cracking and gaming.
Title: The Nardi Puzzle
Author: Gabriella Page
Publisher: Wombat Books (Rhiza Press), $18.99
Publication Date: August 2026
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978176111296
For ages: 9 – 12
Type: Middle Grade Fiction
Publication Date: August 2026
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978176111296
For ages: 9 – 12
Type: Middle Grade Fiction