Disappearances happen every day. People go missing all the time. But they don’t often go missing while on a sealed compartment hundreds of feet in the air. Yet this is exactly what happens to Ted and Kat’s cousin, Salim, when he takes a ride on the London Eye.
Visiting his cousins before he and his mother move to New York, Salim just wants to take a ride on the London Eye, the Ferris Wheel-like ride on London’s Southbank. Ted and Kat watched Salim board the ride. After thirty minutes, the ride stops and everyone gets off except Salim. Did they miss him? Is he lost in London? Has he been abducted by Terrorists? Did he run away? Did he spontaneously combust?
As time passes and there is no sign of Salim, Ted and Kat decide to take matters into their own hands. Ted’s mind works a bit differently or “runs on a different operating system” as he puts it. He can understand and remember detailed facts about weather systems, yet has difficulties understanding social situations. Ted’s unusual skills might be just what is needed to solve this exacting mystery.
This book has been praised for its tight-knit mystery that is fun for both adults and kids. For me, the really interesting parts of this books were those focused on Ted’s thoughts. Ted, who seems to have Asperger’s syndrome, sees things in a quirky light and Dowd does a wonderful job of allowing the reader a glimpse of this. Dowd brings you along through Ted’s thoughts and gives you just enough clues to try to figure out what happens. I highly doubt, though, that you will get it before he does!
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Tags: Autism, England, Families, Kid's Fiction, Mary P.'s Picks, Mystery
