The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

Mars Patel

By Sheela Chari

Eleven-year-old Mars Patel is constantly being sent to detention at H.G. Wells Middle School.  He is famous for pulling pranks and generally being disruptive.  Mars is regarded as the leader of his gang of friends, all of whom have their own quirks.  Caddie can sense other people’s thoughts and feelings.  J.P. has super strength.  And Toothpick is incredibly intelligent. 

Despite getting in trouble all the time, Mars dreams of attending the prestigious Pruitt Prep, run by his hero, Oliver Pruitt.  Famous for his world renowned podcast, Oliver Pruitt is a genius, and his motto is “to the stars!”

But Mars has more immediate problems than taking the GIFT admissions test to get into the school of his dreams.  His friends Aurora and Jonas have both gone missing.  As he tries to determine what has happened to them, Mars learns that kids all over the world have been going missing, but no adults seem to care.

Soon Mars discovers that there may be a connection between Pruitt Prep and the missing kids.  As he and his friends begin to investigate, they notice that strange things are starting to happen. When they row out to Gale Island, reputed location of Pruitt Prep, their quirks become amplified so that they almost have super powers.  Yet they are followed by something that emits a terrifying howl, and they know they are in danger.  Stranger still, every time they get into trouble, their teacher, Mr. Q. shows up and rescues them.

Will Mars and his friends ever track down Aurora and Jonas?  Can they do it without getting expelled from H.G. Wells?  Is Mr. Q. really just a likeable teacher?  These questions and more are answered in The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel.  If you like science, mystery and adventure, this book is for you!

The Longest Night of Charlie Noon

The Longest Night of Charlie Noon

By Christopher Edge

Charlie Noon has one friend at her new school in rural England.  Dizzy is a bit of a scatterbrain, but nonetheless, he is kind to Charlie.  When Dizzy finds some coded messages made of sticks in a clearing in the woods, he enlists Charlie’s help to come and decode them.  Neither of them tell their parents where they are going, but they plan to be back before anyone notices that they’re gone.

Before they set off, mean Johnny Baines warns them that Old Crony, a terrifying old man who eats children, lives in the woods.  But Charlie and Dizzy are undeterred.  When Johnny plays a trick on them, all three of them end up lost.

As night falls, Charlie, Dizzy and Johnny know they must find their way out, but nothing is as it seems.  Bird calls begin to sound like Morse code, the stars in the sky have changed, and Charlie can’t even see the lights of the village when she climbs a tree.  And there’s a strange presence in the woods – but is it really Old Crony?  Or something else?

The Longest Night of Charlie Noon is more than a survival story.  Author Christopher Edge combines World War I history with time travel to create something very unique.  The end of the book even introduces kids to the science behind the story.  If you want to try reading something a little different, try this book!

A Field Guide to Getting Lost

A Field Guide to Getting Lost

By Joy McCullough

Sutton is almost ten years old and is very scientifically minded.  She spends her days programming robots to navigate a maze she has created.   She has inherited her scientific skills from her mom who is currently living in Antarctica studying penguins.  Sutton’s parents are divorced, so she lives with her dad, but she is really hoping her mom can be back in time for her birthday.

Luis is interested in creative writing, fantasy and superheroes.  He’s also extremely allergic to peanuts and bee stings, amongst other things.  His dad passed away when he was little, so it’s just Luis and his mom in their cute little house in a Seattle suburb.

Sutton and Luis don’t have much in common, but they are going to have to learn to get along because their parents are dating. When Sutton’s dad and Luis’s mom decide to take them on a “family date”, both kids are dismayed to learn that they will be going on a hike.

The trail at Discovery Park is new to them and soon both kids discover a “tunnel” that leads through some bushes.  Sutton and Luis enter the tunnel, asking their parents to meet them on the other side.  But the tunnel takes some unexpected twists and turns and before long, these two unlikely companions realize that they are lost.

Without their parents, both kids know that they will have to rely on themselves.  Luis is terrified of possible bee encounters and Sutton isn’t too keen on crossing some of the park’s bridges.  Can these two figure out how to work together to find their way back to the parking lot?

A Field Guide to Getting Lost is a lovely story about learning to adapt to the changes in our lives.  It will especially appeal to children who have lost a parent or whose parents are separated or divorced.

Pine Island Home

Pine Island Home

By Polly Horvath

Fiona, Marlin, Natasha and Charlie McCready are four sisters who have travelled the world with their parents and lived in many places.  During their time in Borneo, the unthinkable happens – their parents take a short vacation to Thailand and are killed in a tsunami.  Luckily their Aunt Martha, whom they have never met, agrees to take them in.  She lives on tiny Pine Island, off the coast of British Columbia.

The girls are understandably anxious about their new home but look forward to it just the same.  Fiona, as the oldest, takes it upon herself to reassure her sisters and to take charge of them on the long flight from Borneo to Canada.  But when they finally arrive in the small town of St. Mary’s by the Sea, they learn of yet another tragedy – Aunt Martha has now died too.

Alone on Martha’s farm, the girls make a decision.  They will live on their own, with 14-year-old Fiona in charge, and try to fool the schools and social services into believing that they have some kind of adult guardian.  It won’t be easy, but they are determined to stay together as sisters and not be split up and sent to different homes.

After acquiring Aunt Martha’s bike, Fiona is able to ride into town, register the girls for school and even pick up a few groceries.  She is also able to meet with Mr. Pennypacker, a lawyer who informs her that the girls have inherited Martha’s farm.  But Fiona realizes that she’s in a real predicament when the schools and Mr. Pennypacker want a guardian’s signature for all the required paperwork.

That’s when the girls meet their neighbour, Al Farber.  He lives in a trailer next door, is extremely rude and disheveled, and sits around drinking beer all the time.  The girls make him a deal that they will bring him dinner every night, and in exchange, he will act as their legal guardian when necessary.

As it turns out, this is a very difficult lie to maintain and Fiona especially feels the stress building.  How will she be able to care for her sisters, pay her bills, go to school and keep up the pretense of having an actual adult looking after her?

Pine Island Home is a lovely story of family ties and close friendships.  It’s the story of sisters who love one another and who create their own new family when their first one is lost.  If you enjoy realistic fiction that leaves you feeling hopeful and happy, try Pine Island Home.