The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel

by Sheela Chari

Overview

Based on the Peabody Award–winning podcast, this tech-filled adventure series pits intrepid Mars Patel and his outcast friends against a brilliant, enigmatic billionaire as they race to figure out why kids are disappearing from their school.

Mars Patel’s friend Aurora has disappeared! His teachers are clueless. His mom is stressed out about her jobs. But Mars refuses to give up—after all, his own dad disappeared when Mars was a toddler, before he and Ma moved to Puget Sound from India. Luckily, Mars has a group of loyal friends eager to help—smart Toothpick, strong and stylish JP, and maybe-telepathic Caddie. The clues seem to point toward eccentric tech genius (and Mars’s hero) Oliver Pruitt, whose popular podcast now seems to be commenting on their quest! But when the friends investigate Pruitt’s mysterious, elite school, nothing is as it seems—and anyone could be deceiving them. Slick science, corporate conspiracies, and an endearingly nerdy protagonist make this first book in the series a fresh, exciting sci-fi adventure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536209563
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Series:	Mars Patel , #1
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sheela Chari is the author of Finding Mighty and Vanished, which was an Edgar Award finalist. She lives with her family in New York.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/01/2020

Gr 3–7—Strange things are afoot at H.G. Wells Middle School in the days leading up to the mandatory exam that determines entrance to the prestigious Pruitt Prep. First, sixth-grader Mars Patel's friend Aurora disappears without a trace. Then Oliver Pruitt, the Steve Jobs–like inventor and founder of Pruitt Prep, announces on his podcast, "Something BIG is going to happen." The next thing he knows, Mars is hiding in the janitor's closet during a Code Red lockdown. Undeterred by his mother's pleas that he behave and his principal's threats of expulsion, Mars and his friends embark on a quest to find their missing friend and get to the bottom of the enigma that is Oliver Pruitt. Interweaving podcast transcripts, instant message threads, emails and newspaper stories, Chari deftly constructs a mystery that is strong in both plot and character. Mars's friend group is as diverse as their unique abilities, and their teamwork and loyalty are unshakable. VERDICT Based on the Peabody Award–winning podcast, fans of James Dashner's The Maze Runner and Stranger Things will clamor for more of Mars Patel.—Dana West, Roosevelt H.S., Seattle

School Library Journal

2020-08-18
Based on the serialized mystery podcast of the same name, this novel follows the adventures of 11-year-old Manu “Mars” Patel and his buddies as they attempt to find Aurora Gershowitz and Jonas Hopkins, two of their missing friends.

When Aurora inexplicably is incommunicado for five days, Mars worries that something is amiss. But when Jonas does not return from an emergency trip to the restroom, Mars and his pals (and fellow delinquents)—the strong JP McGowan, the extremely smart Randall “Toothpick” Lee, and the psychic Caddie Pratchett—realize that they’re the only ones who are willing to admit that children in the Puget Sound area are going missing. As they pursue the mystery, the friends figure out that children have actually been going missing from around the world, and they begin to suspect brilliant billionaire Oliver Pruitt (who is vaguely reminiscent of Elon Musk) is the culprit. Transcripts from Pruitt’s podcast are interspersed throughout the text, offering clues to ardent listener Mars. Better-developed characters and a tighter narrative—especially in the first half of the novel—would have made for a more memorable and gripping read, especially given the intriguing plot points. The cliffhanger ending might result in fans anxiously awaiting what comes next. Some characters’ identities bring diversity to the cast—Mars is Indian;nonbinary JP uses the pronouns they/them.

Despite the exciting premise, an unexceptional SF mystery. (Science fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews

Interweaving podcast transcripts, instant message threads, emails and newspaper stories, Chari deftly constructs a mystery that is strong in both plot and character. Mars’s friend group is as diverse as their unique abilities, and their teamwork and loyalty are unshakable. Based on the Peabody Award–winning podcast, fans of James Dashner’s The Maze Runner and Stranger Things will clamor for more of Mars Patel.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

This terrific start to a book series contains intriguing characters, conspiracy theories, customized drones, holograms and a tantalizing mystery that could be leading readers anywhere in this world... or beyond.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher