Summary:
During a visit by cousin Salim and his mom Gloria to Ted and Kat’s house, the three cousins decide to ride the London Eye. While standing on line to the large “Ferris wheel”, they are offered a ticket. They accept the ticket and agree that Salim should enjoy the ride while Ted and Kat wait. After they watch him embark and they wait for 30 minutes, Salim does not get off the wheel when Kat and Ted expected. Salim has vanished. During the next few days, Ted and Kat work together to solve Salim’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Aunt Gloria and mom Faith are distraught. Ted, described with traits of Asperger’s syndrome (although never explicitly diagnosed) and Kat devise and investigate 9 theories of Salim’s disappearance. One will be correct, but will it be too late to save Salim?
What a fun read! Would I say it’s my favorite book? No, but a satisfying read all the same! The investigation undertaken by Kat and Ted kept me turning the pages. I was also intrigued by how Dowd consistently used weather conditions to describe the characters or scenes of the book. Additionally, I believe the (British) English vernacular will offer the American reader their own chance to act as context clue investigators as they decipher new phrases. My one complaint about this book is the too tidy ending that I believe students may figure out before it is explained. I decided to display this book on the circulation desk and it has received excellent and amazingly-positive responses from students who have already read it.
Awards:
WINNER 2008 - Book Sense Children's Pick List
WINNER 2008 - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
WINNER 2008 - Booklist Children's Editors' Choice
WINNER 2008 - Horn Book Fanfare
WINNER 2008 - Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Books
WINNER 2008 - Book Links Lasting Connection
Links:
Learn more about the author, Siobhan Dowd, and her Siobhan Dowd Trust at http://www.siobhandowdtrust.com/.
Learn more about the London Eye at http://www.londoneye.com/.
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