The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd

An intriguing mystery for middle grades: what happens when someone gets on the London Eye, a closed system, and doesn’t get off?

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd. Yearling, 2009 (reprint; originally 2007). 336 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended For: Middle Grades, ages 10 and up

Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim (and his crazy mother Aunt Gloria) have come to visit unexpectedly for a couple of days. During their stay, Salim goes for a ride on the London Eye (the giant Ferris wheel on the banks of the Thames), but he doesn’t get off. The rest of the book is focused on solving the mystery of how someone could get on the Eye–a closed system–and not get off at the end of the ride. Ted and Kat together solve the mystery!

This would be interesting even without the added fact of Ted’s “syndrome”—something on the autism spectrum, I’m guessing. He’s incredibly high functioning and is the narrator of the book. Dowd gives us a fascinating look into someone whose brain operates differently from most people’s—but instead of creating pity in the reader, she enables us to really appreciate the abilities someone like Ted has. After all, it is his unique perceptive abilities that figure out some crucial pieces of the puzzle.

All in all, this is a terrific read. The family is portrayed with all the effects such a stressful event will produce (people snapping at others, bad moods, etc.), yet Ted and Kat grow much closer as siblings and all appreciate Ted’s unique gifts more by the end of the book. Well told and a great adventure that doesn’t get preachy.

Considerations:

• There are a few mentions of things that might place this book out of the realm of the precocious early elementary reading crowd (such as the possibility, mentioned once, that Salim might have been kidnapped for sex trafficking); all in all, rare occurrences and certainly not the focal point of the book
• If you’re inclined to discuss, you can certainly hone in on Ted’s Aspergers Syndrome (or whatever he specifically has): talk about how the Lord has created people in all sorts of ways and gifted those around us in ways we sometimes don’t know how to appreciate at first

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 3.75 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here. This review was first written before our current ratings system. There may also be language issues we failed to note in the original review.

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson (a boy with OCD solves a mystery)
• A Resource: Mysteries for Elementary, Tweens, and Teens (a GIANT mystery list!)

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