I'm a HUGE fan of David's for his impeccable writing and story-telling. This novel is no exception to that! I don't find this story over the heads of middle grade kids wanting to read it. I loved this and proud to now have it sitting on my shelf!

A weird one. A story told from the perspective of the brother of a boy who goes missing and claims to have been in a fantastical Narnia-esque world. Sort of meta - like one of those books that tells the story from an alternate perspective outside the main action. Is Aiden telling the truth? Can the fantasy world be real? How do you tell that to your family? The police? Your friends at school?

Aiden and his brother are middle schoolers and that's the ostensible target audience. I'm sure there are some tweens who would like this, but probably not most? Seems more of a read for someone like me: an adult who used to read the Narnia books (etc.) and wonder what would realistically happen if someone came and told everyone around them that they had just been to another world.

This was such a sweet story!

Imagine being one of the siblings from The Chronicles of Narnia... except that you were the one that was left behind. That's almost exactly what happened to Lucas. His brother, Aidan, went missing for six days. For six days, everyone they knew was out searching for Aidan, their parents were worried sick, and the police kept questioning Lucas about Aidan's whereabouts. When Aidan reappeared just as suddenly as his mysterious disappearance, he told Lucas what really happened - that he stepped into the wardrobe in the attic and travelled to a whole other world. But Lucas wasn't sure what to believe. On the one hand, he wants to be a supportive brother, but on the other hand, magical realms don't exist... or do they?

While I quite enjoyed this book, I found the pacing of the story rather slow. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced, action-packed, high-fantasy novel - instead, this was a character-driven novel (with a bit of magical realism) that focuses on the aftermath of what happens when a missing kid returns home. People will demand answers and unsatisfactory explanations will lead to frustration and anger. But the most important thing is that the kid is back, safe and sound, right?

At its core, I think this was ultimately a book about brotherhood. I absolutely loved the relationship between Aidan and Lucas and watching them bond and grow closer while family, friends and strangers try to pressure them into providing a more plausible explanation around Lucas' disappearance.

I also really liked that this book was written from Lucas' point of view, rather than in the point of view of the kid who travelled to another world. This gives the book such a unique perspective and makes the narrative so much more interesting. Aidan was such a likeable character who clearly looks up to his older brother. Although he may have initially felt betrayed and possibly even a bit jealous that his brother left him for a magical place, in the end, his only priority was to ensure his brother's well-being. He stood by and looked out for Aidan throughout the entire ordeal, which was so heartwarming.

Finally, the writing was beautiful and has a classic/timeless quality to it, which I think will make it a hit amongst middle-grade readers for years to come.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S is the story of what happens after the kid comes back from "Narnia". One night 12 year old Aidan disappears and six days later is found on the floor of the attic staring at the empty dresser stored their, Aidan accidentally tells his brother, who finds him, the truth about where he has been, Avienieu. This is a different world where the sky is green and no one eats the animals. Aidan believes he had been there for about a month. Within a couple of days of being back someone at the police station "lets it slip" that Aidan had been to another world and things start to get worse. The community gets angry, the kids make fun of him, and the press start to hound them. The big question is whether or not Aidan is telling the truth.
This was a cute book but felt like it was lacking something. I am not sure what and maybe it is just that I do not read this type of fiction very often but it felt like it dragged and then resolved really quickly. Also I am guessing that the point of the story was to say that you should always tell the truth and those who need to believe you will but it felt lost at the end. Like I said this is not my normal type of reading so it is hard for me to judge but I will say that if is a fine book that feels geared towards the preteen boy reader segment so if you are looking for that category give this a try.

thank you net galley and text publishing for providing me an e-arc for an honest review. lucas’ brother goes missing for six days. all of a sudden aidan reappears. aidan tells the story of where he’s been, but people don’t want to believe him. i was so excited to read this book because i’ve read from david levithan before. this book was very entertaining and fast-paced. it made me want to keep reading. however, the ending felt really rushed. i feel like the ending could’ve included a few more pages. also, the kids didn’t feel like their ages. they felt much older. overall, i had a really fun time reading this book. (ebook & arc copy)

This was lovely.

I was sure I've read Levithan before - I feel like I'm so familiar with his works?? - but upon checking, I realised that Aiden S. was in fact my first one, and I'm so glad it was.

I've also realised that I love shorter books that are narrated by kids, but are no less deep and serious for it. The narrator here is perfect: his childlike observations are laced with equally childlike honesty that cuts to the heart of the matter without being obnoxious or self-congratulating. From a child's perspective, you are allowed to see the world in a clearer, purer form without the muddling complexities that adulthood brings, and that's a rare joy to experience.

I know that some people will feel like they wanted more answers by the end of Aiden S., but to me, the ending and the level of explanation throughout the book was perfect. I don't need to know more about Aiden's fantasy world to know that I adore both him and his brother, and that's enough for me.

For the most part, I liked this book. I was able to read it all in one sitting. It's fairly easy and a quick read. The idea behind the story and the disappearance and the "why" is really good. What happens to us and our brains when we are sad or things "go wrong" are definitely apt for kids. Very enjoyable.

3/5 Stars

What is believable and what is truth? What if the truth was unbelievable? David Levithan has a way with words, and his first middle grade novel does not disappoint. I love the bond between brothers that develops as it becomes clear that no one wants to believe where Aidan disappeared to other than Lucas. The realness left me yearning for things to just be okay for them.

Lucas, 12, tells us the story of his brother, Aidan. It's been 6 days since he disappeared without a trace and no one knows where he is ... Until he mysteriously reappears in the attic of the family home.
This was the first David Levithan book that I read, although I already know the author. I really liked his writing! The book is light and fast to read, with a very interesting story. I expected a little more magic at the end, but I still liked it and recommend it.
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Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

At the onset, this book may seem about Aidan and his Narnia-like adventure –the place, the people, and the creatures. Deeply, this is about a family moving on from a tragedy. As a mother myself, I understand his parent’s fear. The possibility of losing a child is a nightmare no parent would choose to go through. And more often than not, fear leads to anger and impatience. (Thanks, Yoda.) Similar to any post-tragic events, support is very important. I appreciate how flawed and honest Aidan’s parents are. And I also appreciate their humility to seek help from others, and see the importance on working as a team. I appreciate Aunt Brandi and Officer Pinkus for letting Aidan to be true to his self. Above all, I love Lucas’ composure in all these, his understanding that Aidan needed a sympathetic listener more than anything.

This book is also about community –on how we can hold a prayer vigil for a lost boy today, and then demand the truth the next day. This is also about our tolerance for one another.

It was a bittersweet ending, but overall, I believe the takeaway is more than interesting. It was enlightening.

Note: Review is live on February 8, 2021, 730AM, CST

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was a pleasantly surprising read! I really enjoyed the concept of the narrative following Aidan's brother and the prose of seeing the aftermath of his disappearance. The simple fact that this is a middle grade book and it managed to entice me to feel for these characters on a deeper level was well done. I enjoyed the brotherly dynamic, the insight of how children interact with one another, the bond between family and how seamlessly the magical elements of the story tied in.

I have only read a few books by David Levithan but he managed to create this small world of magic and realism while effortlessly writing in a fun and easy style that I'm not used to from him. Overall, my only deciding factor why this is a 3/3.5 star read is simply because I wish we got to see more of Aidan's story prior to the disappearance. A few short scenes or a chapter dedicated to his time in the "Aveinieu" would have been lovely!

Overall rating: 3/3.5 stars

This is a very interesting middle grade read and while I enjoyed reading, it didn't do a lot for me. I think it was definitely a "me thing" not a "book thing." I was expecting more of the story to be about Aidan's trip to Aveinieu (think Narnia) but in fact the story was more about how his family, friends, and community dealt with his return. I wanted to hear more about the magical, fantasy, world of Aveinieu and we didn't get that.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this story which made for a quick read in just one sitting. While the pace was fast, there was not much happening.

While this one wasn't a favorite for me, I can see a lot of young readers enjoying it and I will definitely be looking at more works by this author!

Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.

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.

I'd describe this as a middle-grade story written for adults. It's been a while since I was a kid, but it felt too emotionally mature for a middle-grade book. (The vocabulary and tone of the writing weren't quite right for the age range this seems to be aimed at.) This felt a lot like the Princess Bride or Miss Peregrine's Home; quirky and strange, but just this side of possible and nostalgic.
The writing flows smoothly and the story is just unique enough to stand out. I enjoyed the development of the relationship between the two main characters, but didn't quite believe the town's reactions or behavior. (I really enjoyed the possibility of a story like Zeke's in comparison to Aidan's.)

Read via NetGalley.

Every Day by David Levithan is one of my favorite books and I love everything he writes with Rachel Cohn (Dash and Lily's Book of Dares is pure Christmas perfection), so you better believe I was extremely excited when I saw he had written a middle grade novel. That excitement increased x10 when I saw this was available as a read now, I hit that download button so fast and started reading immediately. I ended up finishing this in a day because it was such a quick read and I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. Although I did enjoy this, I think I was expecting more to happen. The plot of the book is what takes place after Aidan's disappearance whenever he's back home and everyone is wondering what happened to him. I was hoping to learn more about Aveinieu (the world that Aidan traveled to) and the reason for him discovering it. We see a lot of how Lucas and their parents are dealing with Aidan's disappearance and return, as well as how Aidan is adjusting to his life that is no longer magical and exciting now that he's back home. Even though I wanted to know more about where Aidan had been, I really did love the theme of family and sibiling relationships. Even when Lucas was questioning everything Aidan was saying, he didn't let Aidan know that because he knew that somebody needed to be there for him and believe that what he said happened did in fact happen. This was a fun read and David Levithan has such a wonderful writing style. Something that I feel is also important to mention is the LGBTQ rep that David included! There is a trans character as well as a m/m relationship. I'm happy I read this and I look forwarding to reading more middle grade stories that David might write in the future!

Thank you so much to Text Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

My son enjoyed reading this. He thought it was a little bit like The Chronicles of Narnia. He said it was engaging and fast paced.

I'm on the fence here. There is alot that's great, one weird thing, and no real sense of having accomplished anything. I know I'm not 100% the intended audience here, but I'm not sure that accounts for this sense of...blankness.

This was just what I needed after a really heavy historical fiction novel!
It was a very fast read, but a cute and powerful one too. The idea that we should dismiss children's account just because we think it is imaginary or implausible is, to me, extremely relevant. Who are we to tell children that? And why would it be wrong?
The characters of Aidan and Lucas shine through this book and their relationship makes me warm inside!
A really enjoyable children's book!

This was an outstanding middle grade book. The themes discussed are so important— peer pressure, fitting in, living up to expectations, going along with the norm, standing up for yourself, telling the truth, handling gossip— it goes on and on. But these themes were presented in an engaging and magical story with lovable characters. An excellent book that I highly recommend for anyone in the late elementary/middle school years. The story does not go in depth about where Aidan was when he disappeared but spends more time talking about the reactions of others when his reason for the disappearance doesn’t align with their expectations or beliefs. The author does an excellent job at handling these difficult topics.

Thank you to Net Galley and Text Publishing for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

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 in reality.
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 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.