User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This is a Middle Grade book. I loved this book. The characters was so great, and I really loved the two brothers (Aidan and Lucas) characters. This book really shows the love brothers has for each other. It also shows how mean kids can be to other kids. I feel this book as a lot of important lessons for middle grade kids to learn into. This book was so well-written, and I think middle grade kids and adults will love this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Knopf Books for Young Readers) or author (David Levithan) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
Rating: really liked it
This was a fun read, however it did fall a bit short. I was under the impression that we were going to get Aidan’s story from his time at Aveinieu (a Narnia-like portal world), but that was sadly not the case. The book dealt with the aftermath of Aidan’s disappearance and how Lucas and his family dealt with it.
Family was an important theme throughout the novel. I loved the sibling relationship between Aidan and Lucas. They were so supportive of each other and it was lovely seeing them bond over the course of the novel.
Levithan’s easy-going and fun writing style made for a quick read. I was fascinated with Aidan and Lucas’s story. However, I felt that the plot progression was rather slow. Nothing really happened and the plot did not go anywhere. I also wished we got to learn more about Aveinieu and why the portals appeared when they did. That wasn’t touched on.
Overall, this was a fun read! This was my first time reading Levithan’s works and it won’t be my last.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
David Levithan's new book,
The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) , is a sweet, moving, mysterious story about telling the truth and a special relationship between brothers.
One night, 12-year-old Aidan disappeared. He and his younger brother Lucas both went to bed (they share a room), and when Lucas woke up the next morning, Aidan was gone. Everyone in their town searched everywhere, and no stone was left unturned. What could’ve happened to him?
Six days later, Lucas found Aidan in their attic. He was disoriented and talked of a place no one had ever heard of. Of course, everyone is relieved that he has returned unharmed. But where did he go, really?
The story Aidan reluctantly tells can’t possibly be true, and he doesn’t want everyone to know, so their town is transfixed by Aidan's return, then slowly grows angry because of the lack of a story. And when there's no story, the only thing to do is make things up, right?
“Yeah, but the truth isn’t very helpful if people don’t believe it. Or at least that’s what it looks like now.”
Lucas wants to support his older brother. Could the story he is telling be true, or is it a defense mechanism to compensate for a more traumatic thing that might have happened? If the story is true, what does it mean?
I really enjoyed this middle-grade story about the effects of Aidan’s disappearance and his return on his family. Aidan and Lucas are a little more sophisticated than you would expect 12- and 11-year-olds to be, but it isn't too jarring. There are also some LGBTQ characters and situations (again, nothing too jarring) which may throw off some middle-grade readers.
The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. is poignant and sweet and mysterious. Once again, David Levithan proves why he’s one of my favorite writers.
I was pleased to be part of the blog tour for this book. Storygram Tours and Random House Kids provided a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!
The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. publishes 2/2.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the last decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
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Rating: really liked it
Lucas' brother Aiden goes missing and the whole town joins in in helping to find him. They search everywhere, including the attic in the house. A week later, Lucas finds his brother in the same attic they already searched before. Aiden claims he went through the dresser and into another world. Of course, no one believes him and the town spirals out of control in claiming that they deserve to know the truth. Lucas isn't sure what he believes but is there to support Aiden. Reminiscent of Narnia, I thought this was a sweet story between two brothers supporting each other through a hard time. I really liked the ending and thought it was bittersweet. Any age can read this and I do think there are lessons for the younger aged children. I've read Levithan in the past and have always been a fan so I'm glad to have read his newest book.
Thank you to much to Netgalley and to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
Rating: really liked it
This sweet MG story is about 11 yo Lucas and his 12 yo brother Aidan who disappears for six days and tells his family he has been in another world: Aveinieu. His parents don’t believe him; Lucas wants to, though. But isn’t Aidan’s story implausible? And does it matter if Aidan’s story is possible or not? Because Aidan is back safe and isn’t hurt, although Lucas notices he changed. Since his return, Aidan is quiet and seems lost. He only is happy when he tells stories about Aveinieu. But then Aidan’s story gets out, and everyone has an opinion.
I don’t read middle grade often, but I do read a lot of YA books. Never read one of David Levithan, though. I found
The mysterious disappearance of Aiden S on NetGalley, and because I could read it without requesting it, I just gave it a go. And I’m glad I did.
I loved the relationship between the two brothers, how Lucas tried to get Aidan talking about Aveinieu and wanted to defend him when other kids at school got nasty. It shows kids what happens when they are mean to each other. Next to kids being jerks and brotherhood, I liked the way queer characters were presented in the story; aunt Brandi was the best!!
Sometimes I found the pacing a little slow, but overall I liked this story a lot!
I received an ARC from Knopf Books for young readers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
It was a game of hide and seek that got old after five minutes, alarming after an hour, and the scariest thing that had ever happened to any of us after that.
Aidan couldn’t be found.
Lucas’ older brother, Aidan, disappeared without a trace for six days. Now he’s returned home and the story he tells about the time he was missing seems too strange to be true.
Where were you?
Nobody’s going to believe me.
I’ll believe you.
I don’t think you can.
I loved the interactions between the brothers as they navigated the suspicion surrounding Aidan’s story and the people who felt they deserved an explanation because they’d helped search for him. Lucas’ initial disbelief and his subsequent wavering between thinking Aidan’s story is impossible and wondering if it actually could be true was realistic, especially given Aidan’s propensity for telling his younger brother some far-fetched things in the past.
I liked Lucas, especially appreciating how much he wanted to believe what his brother was telling him and doing his best to protect him. I thought it was particularly appropriate that Lucas was studying Roanoke at school during the time immediately after Aidan’s return.
My favourite character was Aunt Brandi, whose wisdom and compassion made me wish she was my Aunt. I definitely wanted to spend more time with her. She managed to snag the best lines. I loved this one:
“It stretches credibility - but life stretches credibility all the time, to the point that credibility doesn’t have much credibility left, you know?”
I really wanted to learn more about the place Aidan spent his time while he was missing. Previous books I’ve read that feature portals spend a significant amount of time world building and oftentimes I’ve been able to travel to far flung worlds with the main character. But that’s not what this book is about; Aidan’s story is about the after.
Aidan was no longer missing, but now it was like the answers to his disappearance were missing instead.
What happens when you return from a place that others find unbelievable? How will your family, friends and the wider community respond to you? How will you adapt once again to this world, knowing you can’t return to the one you’ve so recently lived in? How do you do this life after experiencing another?
The entire time I was reading I kept thinking this is the perfect gateway book to Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series. As Aidan attempted to reacclimate himself to his life at home, I found myself wanting to refer him to Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, a place where his experience would be believed and the complicated feelings he had about his return validated.
I only had a couple of nitpicks, but none of them prevented me from loving this book. While Lucas and Aidan’s relationship was both endearing and believable, they tended to speak as though they were older than 11 and 12. There was never any explanation provided for why Aidan described the maddoxes differently throughout the book.
While I understood his reasons for doing so, I was disappointed when Lucas made a decision on Aidan’s behalf towards the end of the book. I’d love to say more, but spoilers. I wanted Aidan to make that decision for himself, though.
Food I craved while reading: cinnamon rolls.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
Rating: really liked it
[drowning mentioned, disappearance of a child & sibing, and bullying & rumor-spreading (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
First of all, I just have to ask, Did no one else notice that on the jacket copy of the book it says his brother's name is Liam? But in the book it's Lucas? I just skimmed the other reviews, and I don't see this anywhere. I just think it's interesting. I'm wondering if the name was changed at the last minute, and they forgot about the jacket? And why was it changed? Such things interest me! I would tweet at Levithan to ask, but I hate it when people point out mistakes in my books, and I don't want to make him feel bad!
But on to the INSIDE of the book!
The premise of this was FASCINATING. Aidan disappears for six days. His family is frantic. The whole town is searching. The police begin preparing his family for finding his body. And then he returns. Where he's been, what he's seen, and who believes him is the bulk of the book. The press wanting information, reactions from friends, returning to school, returning to "normal" . . . how do you deal with those things? How does it affect your family?
I loved how this was written from Lucas' point of view. He only knows what HE'S seen, what Aidan chooses to tell him. How it feels to be the kid who didn't disappear. That really added to the mysteriousness of it all. You don't know what's real until the very end. I liked the shorter chapters, some of them less than a page long, which gives a real punch. Also, at the end, I looked at the cover art again, and I was like, DANG. That is PERFECT.
This is Levithan's first middle grade book, and I understand why Aidan needed to be 12. A child this age disappearing is much more terrifying than a teen. But I don't think that this age level was a natural fit for the author. At times Aidan seemed much older (even though the point is made early on that he seems younger than Lucas), and parents and friends treated him like a teen. Both brothers are in middle school (though their exact grade level isn't mentioned, so probably 6th and 7th grade). All the kids have phones, Aidan has his own laptop, and by the end of the book, there are two 12yo's in a serious romantic relationship, which everyone thinks is great and no one is like, They are AWFULLY YOUNG. I feel like the beginning was really solid, and it sadly got more and more uneven as Levithan's YA roots showed through.
I probably wouldn't have noticed this as much, but I have a 12yo/6th grader and a 16yo/10th grader. So I kept thinking, No, that's more like the 16yo, or My 12yo would never, etc. I think kids would really get into this, and wouldn't notice. As mom, however, my Mommy Sense was tingling. (Also, I'd like to sit their mom down and give her a little talk.)
Rating: really liked it
*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*This was a fantastically written book and an interesting read. Just shy of touching, the whimsy was kept to a minimum which went well with the almost solemn tone of the book. The question in my mind throughout was not “is the protagonist’s reason for his disappearance true?” rather it was “how will everyone move on from this?”.
It was extremely interesting to see how the protagonist’s relationships were affected by the story behind his disappearance. I would say that it did seem as though everyone reacted a little too cordially to it, only acting in a quietly curious manner or persisting with questions for a bit and then respectfully giving space. More intense confrontations could’ve occurred to really take the book to another level.
The ending was not really what I expected and there was one moment I would love to change. I guess the moment where (view spoiler)
[ Lucas tells Aveinieu that Aidan isn’t coming back (hide spoiler)] emphasises even more that this book is less about where Aidan went and more about how he moved on from it. That moment seemed to eclipse the whole book and even though overall the book was good, it could’ve been so much better if that moment was changed in really any way.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars, rounded up
This is a meaningful middle grade novel with themes of family, the bond between two brothers, and acceptance. The overall premise is that twelve-year-old Aidan disappears for six days and his parents and eleven-year-old brother Lucas are both puzzled and frantic about where he has gone. When he mysteriously reappears, he claims to have visited a different world, and not surprisingly, no one believes him. Lucas wants to though, so he works to be supportive of his brother despite what everyone else thinks.
I loved the brother relationship in this book. This is more of a story about the aftermath of Aidan's disappearance, not really about the disappearance and what happened to him while he was gone. Details do get relayed to Lucas, but that's not really the point of the book. It's more about the repercussions from everyone around them: the expectations of some sort of explanation for the people who searched for him, the skepticism of people you think are friends, the need to close ranks around your family for protection.
The one thing I didn't care for (but expected because hey, this is a Levithan novel) was the thrown in relationship at the end for Aiden. I thought it was completely unnecessary and not what this book was even about overall. It changed the feel of the novel. I think if the author is going to return to his roots and write more middle grade books, he should just stick with the plot and leave the love relationships to the young adult books. I'd say this with ANY relationship in a MG novel, kids grow up way too quickly these days, why must we push them to pair up so early, even in a book?
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
If the book is good enough, you feel like everything is true. I honestly, truly enjoyed this. It's a very good twist on
kid goes off to fantasy world. This story focuses on the family he leaves behind, the brother who wants to know the truth of where he went. My heart broke for Aidan throughout this story and I do wish it had a slightly different ending, but overall I thought the take was interesting and Aidan and Lucas had a great brotherhood. It kind of reminds me of Last Bus to Everland.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC☆ Blog | Twitter ☆
Rating: really liked it
David Levithan, well known for his teen fiction, brings us his first book for middle-grade readers
The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother). A community is devastated and leaps into action to help search for 12-year-old Aidan when he mysteriously disappears from his home. Things change rather quickly once his younger brother, Lucas, hears Aidan reappear with a thud in their attic six days later. Now everyone is wondering where Aidan disappeared to, and they all feel entitled to the answer. Unfortunately, Aiden's answer is not at all based in reality. Claiming to have traveled through the attic dresser to another world known as Aveinieu, Aidan struggles to come up with an alternative story to share with the increasingly frustrated police, his family, and the community. While trying to fill the role of the supportive brother, Lucas attempts to set aside his speculation to learn more about Aveinieu and Aidan's adventure which seems utterly impossible. Levithan's story throws down some serious Narnia vibes, but primarily focuses on his reappearance and society's response, making this book perfect for a read along or book discussion. - Christina B.
Rating: really liked it
I thought this was a great book about family and brothers. It shows the aftermath of Aidan disappearing in a way that is hard for his brother to believe. Although the story didn't get into where Aidan went too much, I can see another story coming along and giving us the rest of the info.
As it was, it was well written and I really liked the story between the family and the brothers.
Rating: really liked it
I'm a big fan of portal fantasy books so when I saw that David Levithan had written a portal fantasy, I was like, sign me up! But this was a really interesting take on it because it's actually not a portal fantasy, it's just the aftermath of a portal fantasy. Like Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire but for tweens. But with the extra twist of the "as told to his brother" so the reader isn't even 100% sure if there is a portal fantasy or if Aidan is lying/had some kind of psychotic break.
So I saw some reviews being disappointed about that but I thought it was really interesting, and I think for some young readers who grew up with Narnia etc they will also find this concept interesting--the details of having to talk to the police after you come back, of the town reaction to this missing boy suddenly returning, the way that Aidan is depressed because he misses his fantasy world but can't really explain it...I really loved that, and I think more thoughtful tweens will too. Readers looking for a Narnia-style adventure will be disappointed tho. Also lovely to see that the family has a casually beloved trans aunt, and that (view spoiler)
[Aidan is also queer and his new boyfriend ends up being what kind of ties him back to the real world. It's also so interesting that this is NOT from Aidan's POV but you as the reader wonder, did he go to Aveinieu because he was struggling with his sexuality? Is it a closet metaphor? But his brother the narrator doesn't wonder about this at all so it doesn't have to be part of the story...just something for a reader to think about and engage with as they wish. (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
David Levithan’s books have been a source of hope and happiness for me for years. Again and again he’s dazzled me with his words. You’ve probably heard me gush and shout my love around the halls of goodreads at some point. But this time I don’t know how I feel or what to say.
**Warning** This review is going to be messy. **
I haven’t done a stream of consciousness review in a long time, but I just need to get all of these
feelings out on the page somehow. My apologies in advance though—this might not make a lick of sense. And there will be mistakes and contradictions galore! Plus I don’t want to spoil anything for you, so it might be a bit vague. Haha…You’ve been warned.
The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) is the story of when Lucas’ older brother, Aidan, disappeared for 6 whole days. No word. No trace. Just fear and dwindling hope. Young Lucas tells the story of the disappearance and its aftermath. And that’s the key word here—story. When you hear the word story, do you think true or make believe? Aidan has a story, but no one believes him. Is he telling the truth or not?
“If the book is good enough, you feel like everything is true. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t also entirely made up.”Aidan is found. The police, his family, friends, and neighbors searched high and low for him. You’ll hear that fact over and over again like they expect something in return for their searching. Where was Aidan? I can’t say. And Aidan doesn’t want to say, but the story comes out little by little anyway. Stories always find a way.
Readers get a wonderful Narnia-like set up and mystery of a hidden world very different from our own. A world where Aidan felt special and needed. A strong “you’ll never understand” feeling is definitely blocking Aidan from talking. And we have to remember that Lucas is the one telling the story to us. I adore that fact actually. An untrustworthy or unreliable narrator is one of my favorite voices in fiction. Should I trust Lucas? The potential for magic and wonder here is huge! In the way it’s told and the story itself. The spark of magic isn’t given a chance to grow into something special though. In fact, disappointment settles in instead.
I closed the book and said--“That was disappointing.”--right out loud. And then stared at the ceiling for another hour or so asking why. It felt like Levithan opened up this fantastic possibility for magic and then slammed the door shut on it. Why would he do that? As far as I know, this is Levithan’s first middle grade book. Wouldn’t he want to infuse the pages with hope and inspiration? Encourage young readers to dream? But the ending was brutal. It all seemed to shift into this don’t run away from home lesson. Words like “Stay here” and “I don’t want anything to change” appear. Don’t change? Don’t run toward something new and different? Stay where you are? Where did the magic go? Aidan found a sense of purpose. So don’t move toward that feeling? What the hell? It actually felt like Levithan was stomping all over the magic he created. Or...was he trying to say something else and I just didn’t see it? At times, I did feel like the words were pointing me to something bigger.
But here is the BIG problem for me. (view spoiler)
[ In the end, none of it was Aidan’s decision. I did not like that at all. Lucas spoke for Aidan. Couple that fact with a decision his father made about the entrance to the other world and it just felt like Aidan had no say. Was it right for Lucas to make that decision for Aidan? (hide spoiler)]Now…all that said. There is magic in these pages. I found it in the bond between brothers. THAT is here. I love these two. In their bedroom under the cover of darkness, Aidan talks to Lucas about where he went and how he felt about that place. Levithan captures the sibling energy on the page perfectly in those late night conversations and silences. You’ll see the love and trust for sure. I cried when it shined the brightest. Btw…I would love to know if Levithan is the kind of brother to say the tooth fairy is a retired dentist or if he’s the type of brother to believe it. :)
And BOOM! Maybe that’s it. The power and magic is in believing. Believing a story. And believing in someone.
“It’s weird how much that helps. To have one other person know the truth. To have that reflecting back at me. I don’t actually need the world to know. Just one or two people.”Okay, okay. I’ll shut up now. I just needed to get that big ball of emotion out. And there’s another wave of the wonder wand…I didn’t plan or force myself to sit down and write this. I HAD to sit down and write. I NEEDED to write this. And that right there is a reason to love this book. It inspired me to think, feel, and write, write, and write. So even though this story is more like a 3 star read for me, it’s getting one more, because any book that makes me rant and rave with passion deserves all the stars in the sky.
Thank you for listening. I would love to talk about this book. Please reach out and share your thoughts. Let’s gossip!
p.s. Why does the inside flap of the cover list Aidan’s brother as Liam? A mistake? Or another unexplained inconsistency in the story.
