Frederik Sandwich and the Earthquake that Couldn't Possibly Be

When the impossible happens, Frederik Sandwich leaps into the fray! No, actually not. He runs, hopes not to be noticed, but cannot help but tell the truth anyway, despite every adult insisting nothing happened and the dire punishments for talking about it. Drawn ever deeper into the mystery by the impulsive, full-of-bad-ideas Pernille, Frederik tries desperately to avoid having to save the day and be declared an Outerloper. Full of laughs and chilling encounters with unkind neighbors and underground passageways, this book is sure to please.

Fans of mystery adventures with memorable characters will have fun with the story of an earthquake that couldn't possibly be. Frederik Sandwich lives on Frederik's Hill, a place where everyone follows the rules. Because his parents were foreigners who moved to the city, Frederik tries extra hard to be good and do what is expected so that everyone will see that he belongs. The problem is that his plan doesn't work and the kids at school tease him about his name, his accent (which he denies having), and anything else they can think of to make his life miserable. When everyone is shaken awake in the middle of the night, the mayor sends out word that there was no earthquake and that no one should mention the word because it might scare visitors away from the upcoming International Festival. Normally Frederik would follow those instructions, but he and a strange girl from his neighborhood discover an odd train that rumbles beneath the city and an odd man who warns them of dangers and zombies down in the train tunnels. Could he be right? Or is he plotting something sinister to ruin the festival and hurt the mayor? They have to find out the truth!

Frederik is a boy swept up into events that are out of his control. He can't stop the neighborhood bullies from picking on him. He can't get any adults to listen to what he has discovered. He can't even get his new friend (the strange girl) Pernille to call him by name; to his annoyance, she calls him things like melon, enchilada, and other food items. Pernille is a very striking person with dark skin and white hair, unlike anyone else in the city - which makes her an outsider like Frederik. She is also convinced that the two of them can solve the mystery and save the day, although it would be easier if they were orphans. "It takes an orphan to solve a mystery, you see. Nobody else will do." Pernille has learned this from reading children's mystery adventure fiction. Between the two of them, readers are pulled along as if they are trapped on one of those trains running beneath Frederik's Hill.

An entertaining mystery perfect for middle grade fans of Lemony Snicket and similar stories of children facing seemingly unbeatable foes.

It's a Little Edgy, and I Like It

In one sense this is a simple buddy/adventure. In another sense it's a pretty thorough examination of what it's like to be an outsider in a heavily regimented and closed society.

Frederik's parents are immigrants to Frederik Hill, but by gosh Frederik was born here! and feels he should be treated as an insider. No one else thinks that though, and so he is bullied mercilessly. Frederik is also small and passive, which doesn't bode well for him, even though we suspect that there is a hero within this smart, sensitive and observant boy. Then one night there's an earthquake, which Frederik knows to be impossible as a matter of geology and soil dynamics, (I told you he was smart). The next day Frederik is frustrated to find that all of the insiders have circled the wagons and decided to totally suppress any acknowledgment of whatever the event was. Frederik may be an unquestioning and rather timid rule-follower, but he also wants answers, darnit.

Enter Pernille, (rhymes with vanilla, she says). Pernille is the middle grade version of a manic pixie dream girl, but I mean that in the most positive way possible. She is the neighborhood weird girl, and unlike Frederik, who yearns to fit in, she revels in that distinction. She takes poor, diffident, rule following Frederik under her wing, and decides that the two of them will solve this earthquake mystery. (Here's my favorite Pernille line, and a good indicator of her character in the book: After Frederik admits he has never read "children's adventure literature" Pernille observes, "How tragic. No wonder you're at sea in mystery scenarios. I shall have to lead. Follow me." If that line tickles you then you'll love this book.)

Thereafter, and along the way, the two partners define their outsiderness, ally with other outsiders, and challenge the corrupt insiders. Also along the way they have exciting adventures, discover a strange world, (including a brilliantly described and atmospheric abandoned subway under Frederik Hill), delve into a Borgesian library, and learn that some rules were made to be challenged. I should note that the mystery itself is sort of wacky, but I didn't care about that at all.

At the outset this felt like a grim sort of bullyfest with Frederik suffering page after page of subtle and not so subtle humiliation. But, early on you realize that there is going to be a point to this, and the narration is just playful and whimsical and edgy enough that you know there is an underlying method and there will be relief eventually for poor Frederik. And of course once Pernille enters the picture, the book opens up into a glorious tale of Frederik loosening up and Pernille coming back a bit to Earth. Along the way there are numerous touching, sympathetic, funny, sad, and confused characters who aid or frustrate our heroes.

So, with two unusual and engaging heroes, tons of sly observations and throw-away lines, and a good deal of subtle irony, (and with an underlying edge regarding who belongs and who doesn't), this book struck me as an unmitigated success and a finely crafted treat for an ambitious reader with an appreciation for the awkward and the absurd. A nice find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)