This simple yet beautiful story conveys the trauma of looking for the missing person and the aftermath that follows, even when that missing person returns. It shows healing of the whole community after the shock and of course importance of having someone close to you who tries to understand and support you no matter what.

Even though not much happens in the story plot or action wise, it is full of wonderful and not too obvious life lessons and gradually developing relationships with family and friends. The book shows how fantasy and our real world don't mix well .

The flowing writing style has a pull of its own. There isn't a lot of describing places or people that would help you visualize it or build an atmosphere, but all the feelings are conveyed beautifully.

This book is primarily intended for a younger audience as it is a middle-grade book, but older readers would also gain quite a lot from reading it.

For me the book felt a bit empty and too simple because not much has happened throughout it.
Nonetheless it was a nice, short, emotional and beautifully written read.

"The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S." by David Levithan is a thought-provoking novel that explores the power of belief and the complexities of family relationships. The story revolves around Aidan, who vanishes for six days and then reappears with a seemingly impossible tale of where he's been.

The book's premise is intriguing, and it raises questions about the nature of truth, belief, and the lengths we go to protect our loved ones. The narrative is told from the perspective of Aidan's brother, Lucas, who grapples with the challenge of standing by Aidan's side in the face of skepticism and ridicule from others.

David Levithan skillfully delves into the emotional turmoil and loyalty between siblings, making Lucas a relatable and sympathetic character. The exploration of bullying and peer pressure adds depth to the story and addresses important themes relevant to young readers.

However, while the novel's concept is engaging, some readers may find the execution less satisfying. The pacing can be uneven, and the resolution of the central mystery may leave some wanting more. Additionally, certain aspects of the plot may require readers to suspend their disbelief to fully engage with the story.

Overall, "The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S." is a thought-provoking read that explores the power of belief and the challenges of standing by a loved one when everything and everyone else tells you not to. It earns a three-star review for its intriguing premise and emotional depth.

I love David Levithan. I will admit that I was afraid when he opened up Pandora's Box so close to the end of this book, but I should have known better. He handled the ending of the book with the finesse I have come to expect from him over the years.

Aidan disappeared. For 6 days his family and friends searched frantically for him. The whole town did. On the sixth day Aidan reappears as if by magic in the attic wearing his pajamas. His brother Lucas finds him and asks him where he had been, Aidan's answer is unbelievable.

Though the family tries to keep Aidan's location under wrap, word soon gets out and many of the formerly supportive friends and neighbors turn not just on Aidan, but on the whole family. The novel chronicles the days after Aidan's reappearance as Lucas, seemingly Aidan's only true ally, tries to be supportive as he comes to terms with his brother's story.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) , is a sweet, mysterious story about telling the truth and a special relationship between brothers. This is a middle grade story that is a quick, easy read.
Thanks NetGalley for the eArc.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this book incredibly interesting the author really kept me hooked until the end. very well written I highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Thanks to NetGalley for a digital review copy. I’m a big fan of David Levithan. This book is a middle grade fantasy book that unfortunately I’m too old for. I wasn’t a fan of the tired troves of this book.

This was a fun read and I loved the theme of family, especially the sibling relationship of Lucas and Aiden. It was a fascinating story but moved a bit slower then I wanted. Nothing seemed to be happening and I felt it wasn"t really going fast enough.
Levithan does have a easy and fun writing style and that made for a very quick read. Overall it was just fine, nothing spectacular. I would defiantly will read more from this author in hopes that it is a faster pace with his easy going writing.

I really felt for the characters in this book, it was such a wonderfully done tale. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and getting to know these characters.

YA novel. Fun story about the bond & love between two brothers.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending this advanced reader's copy in return for a fair and honest review.

This was a very different book for me as it was all narrated by Aidan’s brother. In saying that, it made the story more beautiful if that was possible. I have a similar relationship with one of my brothers and I think this is why I identified so much of us in the story (not the disappearance though). It was especially difficult as Aidan does not want to say where he has been. Sadly, the ending was just abrupt. I didn’t get answers to my many, many questions. It is a lovely book.

Right from the beginning I was really intrigued about what was happening in this story. It opens up with Aidan disappearing and his brother very confused as to why he’s gone and not fully understanding what’s happening. 


I have a habit of not reading a synopsis before reading a story so I was hoping that this wasn’t going to turn dark and twisty and I’m glad it didn’t because this was a beautiful story about brotherhood. 


The relationship between these two brothers is complicated because Aidan is struggling with people not believing him about where he’s been and needing his brother to believe him. Lucas has no idea what to believe which causes friction between the two. 


This story had some slight fantastical and magical elements which I liked but also still don’t really understand because we don’t get an explanation about it. 


The story does end quite ambiguous because we don’t get many answers about where Aidan went and why so I was left feeling a little sour. In my stories I like a conclusive ending where everything is explained but I still really enjoyed this story and think a lot of children would get some great lessons from it.

This was a quick and simple read but I was more interested in the world than in the lies they told the parents and everyone else.

I had a hard time starting this book. I was so worried it was going to be a disturbing child abduction story. Once I was reassured that it wasn't, I picked it back up and was so pleasantly surprised.

This book is about what it would feel like to be the kid that travels to Narnia (or some other fantastical land) and when you get back you have to explain where you've been. No one believes you and you have been through this adventure that you can't explain and you can't get back there.

This is not a perspective I had ever really thought about. Usually the book is about the adventure that takes place in the fantastical world and when the child comes back home, the story ends. But what about after they get back? They are not the same person and no one else can understand why.

What a unique idea!

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this title! Originally, I thought this story was going to go one way; depict the magical world Aidan slips into in all its depths. This wasn’t the case and when I was early in my reading experience I read some reviews which confirmed this and helped me see this book for its true message: listening and being there for someone when the need arises truly matters. It was with this new outlook that I saw it for what it was going for and ultimately really enjoyed the storytelling. The relationship between the two brothers throughout the story was great to see as it developed and I can’t applaud the author enough for how well this book was written.

The first part of the book had me engaged while looking for Aiden. After he was found, the story slowed down and wasn’t what I expected.

lucky to get an e-arc from Netgalley. And yes, I did enjoy most parts of this book. But somehow, it fell short for me.

For one, there were so many loose ends. I don't know if it was the author's intention, and if it was then superb, but if not, then well. It was a slow burn mystery but I felt like so much more could've been done. One thing that really disappointed me the most was the ending chapters. Gosh, I just don't know what happened? It was so abrupt? Nothing continued, it just ended?

But maybe there's an overarching metaphorical meaning to this whole story that I might have missed. Maybe I wanted there to be some overarching metaphorical meaning to the disappearance and other world.

Alas, I admit that I simply wasn't the audience target for this book and hence was let down. But I think young kids into the mystery and suspense genre might like it.

I waited a long time for this one, as I have read other books by the author and wanted to try this one that is targeted to younger readers. I am still not sure how I feel about the book as I felt as confused as the brother in the beginning and still am not totally sure where the lost brother went or ended up. I think that it is short enough that lots of readers will enjoy the book and might encourage them to think about how the people in their families care about them.

While I’m clearly not the targeted reader for this novel, I love the occasional Middle Grade and I’m always up for anything by Levithan. This story felt like an ode to The Chronicles of Narnia but one that never really went anywhere and I just wanted more from this fun concept of a story.