The mysterious disappearance of Aidan S. will make you question the truth and wonder of this story. A beautifully written middle grade story about family, friendship and the stories that make us.

Aiden has been missing for six days... six whole days. Search parties have been out and now the police fear the worst. Lucas, his brother, is asked question after question and all Lucas can think is he would know if he was dead, right? Then just as quickly as Aiden disappeared he reappears with the strangest of stories, one that he’s sticking to. Is it the truth? Or, is Aiden trying to hide the fact he ran away?

I am always looking for read alouds for my class and I was drawn to this story. It is a little too mature for my students as it is a middle grade book, but I do think it will make a fantastic read aloud or curriculum book for 5th - 7th grade.

Aiden goes missing and the whole community is out looking for him. Six days later, he is found in the attic of his own home, unharmed. Aiden tells of a new land called Aveinieu, where time moves differently and everything is more intense. Lucas, Aiden’s brother, seems to be the only one to believe him.
I liked this story and thought there were important parts to it, especially the talk Aiden has with Officer Pinkus about running away and feeling like you have no where to turn. However the ending left me underwhelmed. I wanted a little more about Aveinieu and didn’t get it so the book just felt a little unresolved to me.

Would give 3.5 stars if possible. Thank you to netgally for the opportunity to read this book! All thoughts and feelings are my own.

*3.5 stars. This was such a quick and fun read! I finished this book within a day and really enjoyed it. The book is set in the real world but contains magical elements. I loved that the reader was kept second-guessing reality throughout the novel and only found out the truth in the end. Sadly, I predicted the ending of this book and therefore I was a bit let down by it. However, I do think the ending wrapped up the story nicely. Further, even though the concept of the book can be seen as unique, I did not view it as very original because I found a big part of the concept very similar to the concept of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. Still, that did not take away from my enjoyment. I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of the magical realism genre. If you loved the Wayward Children series, be sure to check this one out too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I felt that this story had a lot of messages for younger readers

I adore the love between Lucas and Aidan. It shows how mean other kids can be, and how those words and actions can affect others.

Good for primary school kids.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this e-Arc!
I am new to middle grade books and this book makes me want to read more. I always thought I was too old to enjoy middle grade (even though I am only 19 lol) but this book proved me wrong!

This is a story about Aidan who disappears for six days and then comes back with the story of a place called Aveninieu. No one believes him but his brother James (as much as he can at least). It is a story of brotherhood, family, life and growing up and dealing with the world.
I did really enjoy this book but it didn't WOW me. It was light and fun and had a interesting storyline. I wish it was longer and we got to "see" more of Aveninieu.
I would definitely suggest reading this if you like David's other books (which I love and if you haven't read them then you should!)

Also posted on Goodreads and soon to be on Instagram

This sweet MG story is about 11 yo Lucas and his 12 yo brother Aidan who disappears for six days and tells his family he has been in another world: Aveinieu. His parents don’t believe him; Lucas wants to, though. But isn’t Aidan’s story implausible? And does it matter if Aidan’s story is possible or not? Because Aidan is back safe and isn’t hurt, although Lucas notices he changed. Since his return, Aidan is quiet and seems lost. He only is happy when he tells stories about Aveinieu. But then Aidan’s story gets out, and everyone has an opinion.

I don’t read middle grade often, but I do read a lot of YA books. Never read one of David Levithan, though. I found <i>The mysterious disappearance of Aiden S</i> on NetGalley, and because I could read it without requesting it, I just gave it a go. And I’m glad I did.

I loved the relationship between the two brothers, how Lucas tried to get Aidan talking about Aveinieu and wanted to defend him when other kids at school got nasty. It shows kids what happens when they are mean to each other. Next to kids being jerks and brotherhood, I liked the way queer characters were presented in the story; aunt Brandi was the best!!

Sometimes I found the pacing a little slow, but overall I liked this story a lot!