Rated By Kids

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Hardcover: 320 pages
Published: August 25, 2009 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Ages: 9-12

*THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS B/C IT IS THE SECOND BOOK IN THE SERIES. SORRY!

Synopsis of Book 1:
Book One of The Missing is titled, FOUND.  (This will contain spoilers).  It starts off when an airplane suddenly appears at an airport and is discovered to hold about 30 infants in infant seats but no adults and no pilot. The airport scrambles to find out what happens and deboards all of the babys to the hangar.  As the last baby is de-planed and taken to the main building, the airplane dissapears and never to be seen again.  Skip 13 years later, and the story of FOUND begins, following Johan and his friend Chip as they discover that they were adopted, their origin on the plane, and where they really came from.  It involved time travel and a lot of futuristic concepts with the story ending as Chip, Jonah, Katherine, and Alex are transported back in time.



Book 2, SENT, begins in the place.Thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip are reeling from the news that they're both missing children from history, kidnapped from their proper time period. Before they can fully absorb this revelation, a time purist named JB zaps Chip and another boy, Alex, back to the fifteenth century, where they supposedly belong. Determined not to lose their friends, Jonah and his sister, Katherine, grab Chip's arms just as he's being sent away. The result? Jonah and Katherine also end up in the fifteenth century, where they decidedly do not belong. Chip's true identity is Edward V, king of England, and Alex is his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York. But Chip is convinced that his uncle, Richard of Gloucester, plans to kill them and seize the throne for himself. JB promises that if the kids can "fix time," he will allow them to return to the present day. But how can they possibly return home safely when history claims that Chip and Alex were murdered? In a riveting tale that climaxes on the battlefield at Bosworth, master storyteller Margaret Peterson Haddix brings readers back in time to an unforgettable moment in history and plunges them into the adventure of a lifetime. 

My Thoughts:
I adore this book series.  It may be written for intermediate grade level children, but Haddix is one of my favorite children's authors.  She once again has delivered a fantastic, fun read.  She also taught a bit of history and kept it as true to reality as possible.  She made history fun which can be daunting for 10 year olds.  Jonah is a typical kid in his character; he displayes the sass of a regular 13 year boy showing protectiveness over his little sister, but still clearly annoyed by her at the same time.  This book is once again a "can't put down page turner" with cliff hanger chapter endings.  Book 3 should be amazing. A great read for the young, both literal and of mind.

Heather