by Siobhan Dowd
ages: 10+

I was fascinated by this book. I’m still trying to decide if “fascinated” translates into “good” and “liked it” — I think it does — but I do think fascinated is an accurate way to describe my response.

Ted’s brain works on, as he calls it, a “different operating system”. He recognizes systems and patterns — he loves weather, most of all — but can’t understand nuances and idioms. He’s living a nice, quiet life with his parents and older sister, Kat, in London. Then his Aunt Glo and cousin Salim come to visit on their way from Manchester to New York City (they’re moving). Salim desperately wants to go up the London Eye (the link is for your information, since I had no idea that this was a real thing!). Ted, Salim and Kat were standing in line waiting for tickets when a stranger comes up and offers one ticket to them. Salim takes it, goes up the Eye, and… doesn’t get off. From there unfolds a mystery that only Sherlock Holmes — and possibly Ted — can solve.

I liked Ted as a character; he was sympathetic, and even though you knew he was what most people would call disabled in some way, it never felt like a handicap. He did get frustrated when people wouldn’t listen to him, and by the way his sister often treated him, but he was a very determined character. And a very interesting narrator. As for the mystery, well, I’m no judge of mysteries, but this one was pretty good. The adults were dissolving into panic, but betweeen Ted and Kat they were able to look at the situation and reason it out. I’m not sure if that would work for all readers, but it worked for me. I have read a couple of reviews that complained that Dowd broke a fundamental mystery rule in that the reader couldn’t have figured it out, but I’m not so sure. Then again, I never figure out a mystery before the detective does, so I’m a lousy judge of that.

The book does stick with you, though. I’m finding that I’m thinking about it off and on since I finished it, wondering if it was really plausible, wondering about Ted’s unique operating system, musing about the whole situation.

That’s usually a sign that it’s a good book. Isn’t it?

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)