A good mystery that can be appreciated by adult and children. It's well plotted, compelling, and the characters are fleshed out.
Entertaining and enjoyable.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

First, I want to start off by saying this was an adorable read. I loved the relationship between the brother, Ollie, and his older sister, Alex.

A bit about this book:
-This is a middle grade book about two siblings who must solve clues to find their father after he disappears. They learn that he was doing investigative journalism about a crime group producing and selling illegal marijuana to the local area. As they solve these clues and go against this evil crime organization they must come closer together, stay strong, and also rely on a kind elderly neghbor, Mr. Peebles, whom they form a friendship with.

What I loved:
-Neurodivergency REP - Ollie is confirmed early into the novel as having ADHD, but also shows traits of autism.
-Alex is a dedicated older sister who knows Ollie's moods and stays strong during their dad's disappearance. Making sure to keep a level head while trying to solve the mystery. I found this very relatale as someone who was responsible for my sibling often. Alex displayed a lot of courage and maturity that may speak to other kids who face responsibilities beyond their age.
-Mr. Peebles is a delightful character who is self-aware.
-There are some truly sucky people that act as the villians to the story, that made my skin crawl. I love a good villian to hate.


Some critiques I do have:
-Some parts of the formatting for the ebook were wonky on my device. Certain areas where there was a time jump, there wasn't a paragraph break or indent to identify the area as a change in the timeline.
-Quotes were often not closed properly. The quote would end, then it would explain who said it, then go back into conversation without adding more quotations.
-I noticed once when Lara Tate was mentioned, the name was misspelled as Tait.
These were all minor issues that weren't too hard to work through, but may make younger readers confused.

Rating: 5 ⭐
TW: drugs, abandonment, child abuse, kidnapping


After reading the synopsis for this book, I had to see what it was all about. I'm so glad that I did! This was such a treat to read! With two young heroes who are brothers, it gives you the feels when they do everything they can to work together. It's stated multiple times that Ollie is different, or special. And I wish they could have given him a more definitive diagnosis.

I'm so glad to see that there is more representation about those kiddos that are different and special. Because they deserve to be seen just as much as a regular kid does. And we cannot forget about Mr. Peebles, I absolutely loved him and how much he played a part in helping with the boys. Everyone knows or knows of someone who is like him, but always play them off as something they aren't. But this gem of a man became their "grandpa" of sorts while they were searching for their dad.

This was such a wild ride between the kids being alone to getting into a tree farm that was being used otherwise. You couldn't keep these kids away from making sure they found their dad. Working together made them the dream team, and they were able to uncover so much more than they ever expected. It was such a great read!
Content Warnings

Thanks to Hilton Press for providing me with a free e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I don’t usually write reviews for books I DNF, but since this is a review book, I thought I’d share my thoughts. I stopped reading this at around the 25% mark, even though I could easily have finished it, seeing as it’s such a short book. Unfortunately, I simply didn’t want to.

I have a few issues with this book. Firstly, it’s riddled with errors and inconsistencies. I am aware that it’s likely an uncorrected proof, but this book literally seems like there has been NO editing. These aren’t small issues that slipped through the cracks; they are things that can easily be spotted during a quick read-through.

I could have still coped with that, but the fact that this is a middle-grade is mindblowing to me, considering the subject matter. One of the characters has a ‘condition’ (up to where I read, no further information was given about this) and the other has panic attacks and seems to be suffering from PTSD. Now, I fully think that these things can be included in middle-grade books, but I don’t think they were handled very sensitively in this book. But the thing that made me go ‘nope, not reading any further’, was when I realised that the major plot point of this book centres around drugs and drug dealers, and just. . . I don’t think that should be in a middle grade.

I would argue that this book should be a young adult book, but the writing was too simplistic for that. Overall, it was just weird and I don’t get what the author was trying to do. I wish I could say that it simply wasn’t for me but unfortunately, I don’t think anyone should read this. The topics discussed aren’t suitable for kids, and I don’t think older readers will find the writing or plot engaging enough to keep them entertained.

This was a fun middle-grade chapter book! The story was exciting and fast-paced, and it for sure will keep the little readers interested and will keep those pages turning.
The only thing I did have a slight issue with, was the language. There were way too many funky spelled words, although I do understand that it was done with an intention to mimic the conversation going, but I am not entirely sure that this was done in the best way and that it really adds to the story. Also, I had a slightly confused tween who does not talk like that with their friends and therefore could not understand why someone would talk like that. So, probably the funky language is also kind of dated, because I guess I have to agree with my child, kids nowadays do not speak like that even when no one is around to correct their use of language. That is something that was around some 20 years ago, not today.
Otherwise, this is a great way to introduce a child to the world of books of mystery and thrillers. Yes, there are some slightly disturbing scenes, but that is a part of the genre, and I think those are age-appropriate.

Quite good for middle grade

SUMMARY:
Alex and Ollie are both brothers who were abandoned by their mother and now live with their father in their grandmother's house🤪. One day, when their grandma went to the hospital for a knee replacement, their father went missing, and someone left a printed clue in capital letters that read "TALKING TEAPOT" on the floor of the TV room. Then Alex thinks his father just left them and vanished because apparently to Alex his father didn't really love them, but he didn't bring anything with him. So it's odd how a person who was just there a while ago is suddenly gone.

This story is told in Alex's POV.

Alex
He's so mature and collected, considering his age. He loves his brother, and the way he describes his thoughts is good. Through Alex's character this book can teach how youngster suppose think before they act.

Oliver
He's a special needs child, and he has dyslexia. However, with his deficiency, he can solve the clue and think in a way that ordinary people can't. Even though people tend to see him as weak, but he can defend himself and protect his older brother in his own way.

MY THOUGHTS:
•I love the detail in which the author describes things they love or like and their behaviour. I found it funny when they talk about "Finding Nemo."

•But for a middle grade's book, there are too many slang words that used such as "havna," "didna," "dunno", etc. For me, it is better to teach a middle grade a proper English language instead of slang. Also, a few detectable typos are in the pages.

THE FACT:
The character that speaks slang in this book is a man who is over 80 years old is not make sense to me. The older generation tends to speak in a proper way, but in here, I've lost count of how many times he speaks "didna". And that bothers me a lot.

•There are plot holes here.
1. What happened to their mother at the end?
2. What story do their father and the villain have together?
3. Why had their mother left them with their grandma?
I want to point out another plot hole, but that will be a big spoiler, and I don't want to spoil anything for the sake of your reading experience.

•And there are some scenes that are confusing.
For example:
There's a character who suddenly appears after I thought that person would never make an appearance, but just after that character gone again. Without any further explanation, "why?" And "how?'.

•I do love the first half of the book, but I lost interest in the second half of the book. I invested so much in the early chapters, but as the story goes, it doesn't live up to what I expected it to.

•It does have a violent, kidnapping, and abusing scene, but in my opinion, it is still appropriate for middle grade.

WHAT I LIKE:
-The mystery and thriller in this book I do think it's suitable for middle grade.

-This story is giving same vibe as "Home Alone", where the kids are left alone in their home and have their own adventure. Trying to solve and reveal a secret when someone tries to take their home from them

CREDIT:
Thank you NetGalley and Hilton Press, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Quick and easy middle grade mystery. Resembles a Nancy Drew type mystery. However, not as in depth with the characters. Which given the target age isn’t a huge issue.

I enjoyed the story and relationship Alex & Ollie had with their neighbor Mr. P.

I will certainly save this one for my daughter when she reaches this reading level.

This was a very sweet mystery. I loved the kids and the Mr. P., the old man next door. I would recommend it.

The Mystery of the Missing Tea Drinker is reminiscent of the Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys book series, and it is written in an easy-to-read style for a younger audience.

The mechanics, however, fall a little short of being a completely convincing story (for example, the father's occupation of a journalist unearthing a dangerous drug ring and getting kidnapped while being the sole provider for his two children). It was difficult to understand why the drug dealers would bother with the kids at all or how they had managed to extract the father from the house without a sign.

In the end, I DNFed this book halfway through because it started using language I did not appreciate in a middle-grade novel.

5/5

This book was great. The Mystery of the Missing Tea Drinker is a light read full of intrigue, exactly what I needed. The characters are wonderful, the adventure keeps you hooked, and overall, it's an amazing book. I absolutely would recommend it if you want a book that is free of all the typical adult drama and centred around a few smart kids who just want to get their dad back.

I would certainly recommend The Mystery of the Missing Tea Drinker by Bryl Davidson to any middle grade or YA readers looking for a good mystery with good characters and a lot of suspense. Both Alex and Ollie are realistic protagonists and the search for their missing father is a captivating story.

Th8s was so cute!! I read this in one sitting. I absolutely adored this book.
I just reviewed The Mystery of the Missing Tea Drinker by Bryl Davidson. #TheMysteryoftheMissingTeaDrinker #NetGalley
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This was an interesting tale to say the least and im not sure the age meant when it comes to young readers but I would say 8th grade or higher. The book contains some acts of violance, cussing, and indications of acts of abuse.

It was a riveting tale that I wasn't expecting at all, I thought it would be a whimsical mystery so I was definately suprised at every turn. I appreciate the author cutting to the chase and not dwindling in over use of detail. Giving us enough to enjoy the book.

The Mystery of the Missing Tea Drinker by Bryl Davidson is an action packed mid grade story that made me think of the tales in the A Series of Unfortunate Events series. Alex and Ollie are both unique characters who read as Neurodivergent. Alex also is suggested to be non-binary and the story takes care to reflect that with careful writing. There are many heavier topics covered in this book, like attempted SA, dementia, elder abuse, neglect, and adultery) but the author weaves them in seamlessly and they help to explain the urgency of some of the scenes. Overall this was a fun mystery with a bunch of tense situations that kept me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters and it was wonderful to see how much Alex and Ollie cared for each other.

A nice and fun middle grade thriller/mystery. Young readers will for sure enjoy this adventure. The characters are fun and enjoyable, and the setting was interesting. I liked the relationship of the main characters and how it developed. One complaint is that I felt like the author relied a little heavy on exposition and told us instead of showing us. I noticed this a lot at the beginning, where one of the main characters told us about his past instead of it coming through the story in a more natural way. But overall it was a fun read that I’m sure kids will like.