The London Eye Mystery

      I just finished reading “The London Eye Mystery” by Siobhan Dowd.  It is a young adult novel, which is sometimes quite relaxing to read.  I feel more accomplished when I am able to read 50 pages in the same amount of time as I usually cover 15.

     The story is told through Ted, a young boy with Asperger’s Syndrome.  His Aunt Gloria and cousin Salim come down from Manchester to visit Ted’s family in London, before they move to New York City.  On their stay, Salim wants to ride the London Eye, but when they get there the queue is much too long.  A stranger offers Salim his ticket, as he has changed his mind about going on the large Ferris wheel.  Salim gladly takes it, and Ted and his sister Kat watch as Salim boards the pod.  Ted and Kat track the pod Salim is in as it slowly makes its way back down.  Thirty minutes pass by, and when the pod Salim entered opens, he is nowhere to be found.  Ted and Kat have to figure out what happened to their cousin, as the police and their family are little help.  How can someone disappear out of a sealed pod?

     I chose the book because I very much miss London.  I then genuinely liked reading it.  It is always interesting to see the world through someone else’s point of view, especially when that person’s mind works drastically differently from yours.  As Ted struggles to read people’s body language, he picks up on clues that even the trained detectives are missing.  It is something to read.

     I particularly enjoyed how much of the British culture was incorporated into this book.  The author goes into detail of the tube system (London’s underground), as well as use words such as “quid” and describe locations within the City of London.  It brought me back, and I hope it will take you somewhere enjoyable.