Very quick read but VERY middle grade. Some books can be enjoyed by all ages but this is MIDDLE GRADE to its core and I felt stupid and out of place reading it

DNF. I've stopped and started over a span of months, practically a year and I just can't finish. it's not even amusing or funny. Just perplexing why someone felt the need to put this together and have their character go through this ridiculous effort. Did not work for me.

That Time I Got Kidnapped by Tom Mitchell is a hilarious, over the top, middle grade adventure story. Of course I’m well over the age this one was meant for but I couldn’t resist the story when I saw the book blurb say it involved travel and adventure.

Jacob is a fourteen year old from the U.K. that gets the opportunity of a lifetime to play a part in the next Marvel movie. Of course he begs and pleads with his parents to be allowed to travel to America to have his dream come true.

Jacob’s parents agree to the trip with it all being planned out along the way, what could go wrong? Well, when Jacob misses his connecting flight in Chicago his dreams hit a pothole on his journey. Jacob then comes up with the plan to travel by bus but when he meets an American teenager things really go off the rails.

That Time I Got Kidnapped was a very fast paced and action packed adventure for the younger readers. Yes, there were plenty of chuckles along the way with a bit of mystery and danger to the journey but nothing too dark for younger readers. It was fun also to see the U.S. through the eyes of a younger teen from across the sea which adds to the comedy along the way.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this little gem. The action was amusing, the inner reflections of the main character were very relatable and the concept was so fun!

It follows a 14 year old boy who gets the chance to be in a Marvel movie. How exciting, right? But he has some transportation issues, and ends up on quite an adventure. He encounters Jennifer, who is quite a thrilling character! I would recommend this to any reluctant readers in your world, as the action is funny and constant. It held by interest from the very beginning!

This is a fun and fast paced adventure with Jacob and Jennifer. Jacob has come from England and is trying to get to Hollywood because he won a contest that allows him the opportunity to appear in the new Marvel Comic movie. However, he misses his connecting flight in Chicago and ends up on a bus next to Jennifer who is carrying a mysterious box and seems to be running away from a very large man in a cowboy hat. This a compelling and hilarious read with lots of plot twists and surprises a long the way. The kids are going to like this one a lot.

I am always looking for a book that will appeal to my 13-year-old son, and I am happy to report That Time I Got Kidnapped was a hit with my favorite picky reader. It’s not hard to understand why — it’s hilarious. Fourteen-year-old Jacob is living the dream — the UK teen won a spot on the newest Marvel film, and he gets to fly to Los Angeles (with a plane switch in Chicago) to be a superhero extra. What could possibly go wrong? Well, lots, starting with missing his connecting flight in a snowstorm (after his parents warned him not to!), making an ill-advised decision to trade his spending money for a Greyhound bus ticket, and exiting the bus in the middle of nowhere when he gets caught up in a girl-on-the-lam’s schemes.

Jacob is likable hero who is definitely in over his head, desperate to get to Los Angeles to live his Marvel fantasies, worried about how his parents will react to his antics, and determined not to abandon his new friend Jennifer. In fact, Jacob’s friendship with Jennifer is what grounds the increasingly ridiculous adventures of the story — like Jacob, we’re willing to suspend our disbelief to help the duo on their way. The story rewards that willingness with a fast pace and plenty of laughs. I enjoyed the book fine, but my son really loved it.

Apparently Tom Mitchell has another book called How to Rob a Bank that’s even funnier, so I’m off to snag a copy!

What a fun book for kids! I thought they would love the plot because of the character being in the Marvel movie, but I think the adventure is the biggest selling point of the book!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book was really funny and I had a lot of fun reading it. it was super descriptive and also really humorous. The idea was so nice and I think the ending was absolutely perfect. This book is perfect for readers ages 9-12.

Jacob, British kid, won a contest to star as an extra in a superhero movie in Hollywood. His parents put him on a flight by himself to travel to America, and in Chicago, the flight is delayed. Instead of staying in a hotel and catching the next flight, he gets on a bus where he accidentally covers for Jennifer, an American teenager with a mysterious package who is on the run from the mysterious Cowboy and her Lex Luthor-like grandmother, As the children make their way across America trying to dodge ex-US Marshal "The Cowboy," Jacob worries about missing his chance at Hollywood fame through his role as an extra, while falling a little in love with Jennifer and wanting to help her take her mother's ashes (supposedly the contents of the package) to her father who is at a prison in Los Angeles.

I always enjoy Brit humor, so this was a funny enough book, but the readers must keep in mind the multitude of implausibilities: from the parents and movie studio allowing a young kid to travel internationally on his own, to the lack of supervision on the part of the airline, to Jacob losing all his money and his phone and his parents not answering the phone because they are sleeping instead of being frantic with worry.

Through the eyes of the age group this was directed at, it would be a grand adventure. I'm curious to see where Mitchell is going with the end...I don't know that Jacob ever plans to return home or if there is a possible sequel planned.

I was a bit distracted by some of the dialogue in this book. You can tell that the author is British because the American characters use some decidedly non-American phrases. It's jarring and makes the characters a bit harder to believe. The plot is pretty standard road trip misadventure, pushed a bit to the extreme. And the conflict is hard to follow, the motivations hard to grasp.

Jacob is a likable enough character... sweet, nerdy 14 year old who is traveling abroad on his own. But then he meets Jennifer, a fiesty 15 year old with a chip on her shoulder and a penchant for getting in to trouble. The basic premise of the story was fantastic. Sweet Jacob just can't stand to NOT help out Jennifer. But the things that she drags him into are a bit fantastical.

It does make a great story, the pace is fast, and the characters are unforgetable. I just don't know how quickly I would recommend this one to my preteens at the library.

ARC provided by Netgalley for an unbiased review of the book.

I'm always looking for books that my 11 year old son will like, and he's a big fan of anything comedic, so I thought this was a good pre-read for me to see if he would like it. The Time I Got Kidnapped is a VERY action-packed, very readable book.

What I didn't like is that the Americans dialogue wasn't done to be American, it was still in British. As an example,
"Okay, Jacob, it's just gone six now. We'll be seeing you at half past, then?" This was said by an American. Simple editing would make this book so much better.

Also, I don't mind suspending belief, but this was a bit out of control for 14 year olds to be getting away with so much without anyone noticing and intervening.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

This one made me laugh out loud!! What a riot! Reminded me of a kid's book version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me this arc to read.
I found this book to be fun and an interesting read. I think having this in my classroom library for middle schoolers would be nice, and I wouldn't mind purchasing a few copies once this book is released as well as his other books. I especially think the humor would make the reading enjoyable for the kiddos.