The narrator of this British children's novel is Ted, a young lad with a mum, a dad, an older sister named Kat, a love of all things meteorological, and Asperger's Syndrome--a genetic condition closely associated with Autism. Ted is getting professional help for his illness and learning to cope in a "normal" world as best he can. He understands that reading body language is much more difficult than reading words off a page, or even predicting the weather. He knows that people don't always mean what they say, and that idioms--expressions of speech--shouldn't be taken literally. He can decipher the London underground (subway) route maps easily, but what he can't figure out--at least, right away--is how his cousin, Salim, got into a sealed pod of the London Eye ferris wheel and suddenly disappeared right in front of him and his sister. Was he kidnapped? Did he really enter the ride? Is he hiding out to avoid moving to New York? And what about the stranger who gave him the ticket in the first place? How does he fit into this puzzle? And how is Salim's mom going to react when she finds out her only son is missing? This book is an engaging mystery, but it also examines family relationships, and provides a glimpse into what life can be like for a person with Asperger's Syndrome. Readers will observe that Ted has a nervous habit of flapping his arm and/or humming when he is under stress. We find out that Ted is very literal in his communications with others, and that he has almost no sense of humor. We also realize that Ted is extremely intelligent and very observant, but lacks basic common sense in most situations. Ted is often dismissed outright as being in the way, a nuisance, and not worth listening to, but it is his methodical and analytical mind that eventually saves the day--and his cousin Salim. I think the point of this story is that communication is the key to understanding, no matter what the situation, and that's a pretty valuable lesson for anyone to learn.A copy of this title is available from Stone library and is recommended for grades 6 and up. It is a finalist for the Texas Lone Star Reading list for 2009. The Irish author died of breast cancer in 2007 only weeks after this book was published. Her family maintains a website in her memory at www.siobhandowd.co.uk
