The London Eye Mystery (London Eye Mystery, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Mar 30, 2011 Marsha rated it really liked it

I debated between three or four stars and decided to go with four. This is a mystery that is narrated by a high-functioning autistic 11 year old boy named Ted. He lives in London with his older sister, Kat, his mom and his dad. His aunt and cousin, Salim, come to stay with them for a few days before they move to New York, and they decide to ride the London Eye--a type of huge Ferris wheel that takes about a half hour for a full rotation. The moms go get coffee while the kids stand in the long qu ...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, orca-2010-2011, juv

This is a great choice for those inbetween mystery readers - the ones who want something more sophisticated than The Boxcar Children or something more original than Nancy Drew, but who aren't quite ready for the grown-up mystery section. What makes the story so interesting is the way it's told - from the point of view of Ted, a 12 year old aspiring meteorologist who describes himself as "wired differently" - he takes everything literally, has had to train himself to interpret body language, and ...more

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Feb 05, 2010 Emma rated it liked it

Ted's favorite thing to do in London is to fly the Eye. Specifically the London Eye ferris wheel where you are sealed into one of thirty-two capsules and can see twenty-five miles in all directions at the highest point. Ted also likes predicting the weather and listening to the shipping forecast on the radio at night. These are important things to practice because Ted wants to be a meteorologist when he is older.

Until then, Ted lives with his annoying older sister Kat and their parents. For the Ted's favorite thing to do in London is to fly the Eye. Specifically the London Eye ferris wheel where you are sealed into one of thirty-two capsules and can see twenty-five miles in all directions at the highest point. Ted also likes predicting the weather and listening to the shipping forecast on the radio at night. These are important things to practice because Ted wants to be a meteorologist when he is older.

Until then, Ted lives with his annoying older sister Kat and their parents. For the most part things are peaceful and simple in their household even if Ted's brain operating on a different frequency sometimes causes more problems than anyone would care to admit.

Everything is turned upside down when Aunt Gloria and her son Salim arrive for a visit. Gloria is erratic and a bit too boisterous. But Salim is nice and seems to understand Ted better than most. Ted and Kat are eager to show Salim the amazing views from the London Eye, so when a free ticket is offered, the two immediately offer it to Salim. Everything seems to go well.

Except when the ride is over, Salim doesn't come out with the other passengers.

No one understands how it happened, not even the police. Did he spontaneously combust? Was he kidnapped? Will the family be able to find him before it's too late? Ted and his unique brain might have everything he needs to put together the clues and solve The London Eye Mystery (2007) by Siobhan Dowd.

Throughout the book, Dowd makes references to Ted's syndrome and the "different frequency" of his brain. That is, almost undoubtedly, a reference to Asperger's syndrome. Ted's narrative reflects his unique outlook and moves the story along as much with plot as with tangents about the weather (his favorite subject). At times Ted's narration became a bit too chatty but for the most part the story moved along at a decent pace.

At the risk of giving too much away, The London Eye Mystery is one of those books that provides a mystery but without being too mysterious. There is a crime, more or less, and there is an investigation but it is not always the center of the story. Ted's relationship with his sister Kat is as central to the plot as the search for Salim if not, at times, more central.

Being a book that features a character with a form of autism, comparisons between The London Eye Mystery and Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time are inevitable (even though Haddon's is technically a young adult novel and Dowd's falls into the children's category). Haddon's story was interesting and often insightful. But the prose lacked any style and pizzazz it felt more like an exercise in what writing with autism would look like than an actual novel. Haddon's narrator was also incredibly hard to like or care about.

Ted, on the other hand, is a very likable if eccentric character. Her prose is also much more carefully nuanced. Just because Ted has Asperger's it does not mean he can't turn a phrase along with the best of us. The London Eye is insightful on two counts: first showing readers into the mind of a boy like Ted, second offering unique views on life and the world at large--something all good books should endeavor to provide.

Possible Pairings: Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon ...more

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May 14, 2009 Lori rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-books

I think this in one of the Maryland BES books for next year. It was pretty book and I loved that the main character had Autism. I think the author did a good job with the book and the mystery. I truly was puzzled up til the kids solved the mystery. Can't wait to read the others! ...more

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Jul 08, 2015 Jess rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, juv, bookgroup-kids

Still a great mystery the second time around.

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Mar 10, 2008 Jen rated it liked it

Shelves: tweens_and_teens

This book is probably marketed to the J audience, but there are a couple of points where I think 6th grade is probably the lowest (talking about sex crimes) I'd want to explain it to. The main character, Ted, seems to have aspergers syndrome, although the disability/disorder isn't specifically named. It's a good mystery, and the story handles some relatively mature subjects (divorce, running away, bad-behaving adults) without being preachy. ...more

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Apr 01, 2008 Susan rated it really liked it

Shelves: chapter-books, chapter-books-mystery

A good mystery with a main character who struggles with Asberger's Syndrome. The way he solved the mystery was believable and the glimpse into his thinking process was interesting. ...more

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Jul 24, 2008 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: j-fiction

Wow, I really was amazed by the voice she gave to Ted, the protagonist with Asperger's. Very respectful, quirky without a trace of mockery or stereotype. ...more

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