Description[]
Monday 24 May, 11.32 a.m.
- Ted and Kat watch their cousin Salim get on board the London Eye. The pod rises from the ground.
Monday 24 May, 12.02 p.m.
- The pod lands and the doors open. People exit - but Salim is not one of them.
When Aunt Gloria's son, Salim, mysteriously disappears from a sealed pod on the London Eye, everyone is frantic.
- Has he spontaneously combusted? (Ted's theory.)
- Has he been kidnapped? (Aunt Gloria's theory.)
- Is he even still alive? (The family's unspoken fear.)
Even the police are baffled. Ted, whose brain runs on its own unique operating system because of his Asprgers Syndrome, and his older sister, Kat, overcome their prickly relationship to become sleuthing partners. They follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find their cousin, while time ticks dangerously by...
Reader's Reviews[]
1[]
Well, where to begin? The positives:
- It's funny.
- It's enjoyable
- It's a good mystery
- The main character, Ted, dissects English sayings, which I really enjoyed.
However, there is one very, very serious problem with it. That is that throughout the book it is portrayed as "okay" and "normal" to lie. A lie, I believe, is wrong. There are no two ways about it. Ted, the main character, has never told a lie; during the course of the book he tells three. His sister then says that he might be becoming "normal", and at the end Ted tells the reader that he is going to keep a notebook of all his lies, and that the notebook has "a lot of growing to do" (the author's words, not mine). I found this really, really disappointing. It totally spoiled the book for me (there is a bit of swearing, but I didn't mind that so much). I didn't see what it added to the book, as well.
Having read this book, I feel totally let down because of the above; so I would not recommend it. Don't read it.
2[]
I have read the book several times and it is almost impossible to stop. Siobhan Dowd has unknown talent. We see the fact he has Asperger's and thinks differently than others. We see that he finds it hard to make friends and he is also very clever. There is a bit of swearing, but these are very, very mild words.
I think this is a very good book and I don't think I would have lived properly had I not have read it. Therefore, this book is a book everyone should read
Parental Guidance[]
- Reading Age: 12+
- Reading Aloud Age: 10+
Ted, coming into the book, has never told a lie, and after the book has ended he has told three. It is portrayed as "okay" and "normal" to tell lies.
Aunt Gloria is a single mother, having been divorced.
Kat, the main character's older sister, swears (mildly) several times.
If you like this you might like[]
- list other books or authors here