Step into the world of classic literature with this series of puzzles from Laurence King Publishing. Recently, I learned about a series of puzzles based on classical literature, complete with plenty of hidden treasures, that piqued my classic literature interest. These literary and historical puzzles will capture your interest as well. There will be something to interest you, regardless of which part of classical literature you’re into.
The series includes such puzzles as Alice’s Wonderland, The World of Jane Austen, The World of Dracula, The World of The Tudors, The World of Shakespeare, The World of Agatha Christie, The World of Charles Dickens, The World of James Joyce, The Mythical World, The World of Sherlock Holmes, and possibly some other titles that I just couldn’t find.
Each of these puzzles includes 1000 pieces of literary goodness in a zip-top bag. The puzzles have bold colors, great theming and illustration, and so many hidden gems—references to characters, objects, and locations within the subject of the puzzle. Each puzzle also includes a poster showing what the completed puzzle will look like; since the puzzle box has other content obscuring the image, this is a vital addition.
As you assemble the puzzle, see if you can figure out which parts of the puzzle are just there for filling the space and which are windows into the literary works. Then, when you’re done, look at the back of the poster, which gives a lot of background information and history about the puzzle’s theme, and itemizes the “hidden” people, objects, and locations in the image.
But, beware! Spoilers are included! So if you’re a fan of the literary works but haven’t read all of the books yet, be careful what you read on the back of the poster! Perhaps it will be more incentive to get your reading done.
I was lucky enough to be able to try out The World of Jane Austen and The World of Agatha Christie, the latter of which is available starting today, August 16. I did the Agatha Christie puzzle with my family (four of us total), and we managed to get it done in an evening. I tackled the Jane Austen puzzle by myself, and it took a day and a half. It was really fun, but I learned my lesson about how long puzzles take when you don’t have help!
As with other Laurence King puzzles I’ve tried out, this series is very good quality. The designs are such that there aren’t huge swaths of blue sky, either; there some kind of detail on every piece. I can totally recommend these puzzles for any literary puzzle lover, and they have a lot of replayability as well. Once you realize that the piece that looks like a carriage is really the roof of a house, you can be faster putting it together, too!
Another huge plus for these puzzles is the price. Retailing for about $20, but often a few dollars off when on sale, getting one won’t break the bank.
Puzzles from Laurence King Publishing, such as The World of Jane Austen and The World of Agatha Christie, are fabulous puzzles and I can recommend them without hesitation or reservation. If Austen and Christie aren’t to your taste, give some of the other themes a try.
Note: I received samples for review purposes.
