The London Eye Mystery
Encyclopedia
The London Eye Mystery is a children's mystery novel by English
author Siobhan Dowd
. First published in 2007, it tells the story of how Ted, a boy with Asperger syndrome
solves the mystery of how his cousin Salim seemingly vanishes from inside a sealed capsule on the London Eye
. It was Dowd's second children's novel and won six awards , including the School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award 2008.
boy who is the same age as Ted. Many people with Asperger syndrome have interests of intense focus. Ted has a fascination with the weather, while Salim appears to have a similar condition, involving a fascination for large buildings, although it is never confirmed whether Salim also has Asperger syndrome.
Salim says that he "loves the large structures in London
" and seems especially captivated by the old Barracks building, which is on the same street as Ted's home. The next day, Salim, Ted and his older sister Kat decide to take a ride on the London Eye, bemoaning the hour-long queues. When a stranger approaches them with a ticket for the Eye, claiming that he is afraid of small spaces and cannot ride on the Eye, they decide to give the ticket to Salim as he has never had a ride on the Eye before. Salim climbs into the Eye at 11:32, waving at his cousins as the Eye ascends. Half an hour later, Salim's capsule lands. Kat and Ted start forward to collect Salim, but cannot find him.
When Aunt Gloria and Ted's mother find out, they are extremely angry at Kat for allowing Salim to take a ticket from a stranger. That evening, the two siblings examine Salim's camera
and decide to have it developed in case the photograph
s hold clues. Then the family receives a phone call from the police, saying that a boy of Salim's age and description has been found dead. Ted's father travels to the hospital morgue
to see the body, but reports that is not Salim. The next day, Kat, Ted and their father (who works with a demolition
company) visit the chemist's to have the photographs developed. They then ride on the London Eye to see if there was any way that Salim could have hidden in the capsule or avoided getting out. They uncover no clues, but line up for the souvenir
photograph at the end of the journey anyway.
When they arrive home, Ted and Kat examine the newly developed photographs and gain only one clue; the stranger who gave them the ticket is in the background of one of the photographs, wearing a t-shirt with writing on it. The writing says "ONTLI ECUR", which they soon work out that some letters are missed off and it is saying 'FRONTLINE SECURITY' a security company which is currently at work within a local motorbike exhibition. Kat goes to attend the exhibition, and Ted soon works out where she has gone and follows her. They soon find the stranger who sold them the ticket, but he simply avoids their questions, denying any connection with Salim's disappearance.
Ted then figures out how Salim managed to leave the London Eye without being noticed and calls the police. The police arrive with Marcus, a friend of Salim's, who confesses to helping Salim to escape. Marcus had bought two tickets for the same capsule, using one himself and convincing his brother to pose as a claustrophobic man who would give his ticket to Salim, pretending not to know him. Salim, who knew the plan, pretended not to know Marcus' brother and entered the same capsule as Marcus, who was dressed as a teenage girl. When the others in the capsule lined up for the souvenir photo, Salim and Marcus swapped outfits, however there was a coat jacket sleeve in one of the pictures and that was how Ted worked out that the girl who left the pod was in fact Salim now dressed as a female. Once they left the capsule, Salim and Marcus spent the day together and separated at Euston
London Underground
station. That was the last time that Marcus saw Salim. Ted then deduces that Salim is in the old Barracks because he showed such a fascination with it the day that he arrived. Eventually, they find Salim in the old Barracks Building which was going to be demolished the next day. Salim eventually agrees to fly to New York with his mother, Aunt Gloria, to try it out for 6 months.
Best Children’s Books Award and the Book Links Lasting Connection Award 2008 .
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author Siobhan Dowd
Siobhan Dowd
Siobhan Dowd was a British writer and activist.-Biography:Siobhan Dowd was born in London to Irish parents...
. First published in 2007, it tells the story of how Ted, a boy with Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome
Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...
solves the mystery of how his cousin Salim seemingly vanishes from inside a sealed capsule on the London Eye
London Eye
The London Eye is a tall giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England.It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually...
. It was Dowd's second children's novel and won six awards , including the School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award 2008.
Plot summary
The story of The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd begins when Aunt Gloria visits Ted's family home with her son Salim, a half-IndianNon-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
boy who is the same age as Ted. Many people with Asperger syndrome have interests of intense focus. Ted has a fascination with the weather, while Salim appears to have a similar condition, involving a fascination for large buildings, although it is never confirmed whether Salim also has Asperger syndrome.
Salim says that he "loves the large structures in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
" and seems especially captivated by the old Barracks building, which is on the same street as Ted's home. The next day, Salim, Ted and his older sister Kat decide to take a ride on the London Eye, bemoaning the hour-long queues. When a stranger approaches them with a ticket for the Eye, claiming that he is afraid of small spaces and cannot ride on the Eye, they decide to give the ticket to Salim as he has never had a ride on the Eye before. Salim climbs into the Eye at 11:32, waving at his cousins as the Eye ascends. Half an hour later, Salim's capsule lands. Kat and Ted start forward to collect Salim, but cannot find him.
When Aunt Gloria and Ted's mother find out, they are extremely angry at Kat for allowing Salim to take a ticket from a stranger. That evening, the two siblings examine Salim's camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
and decide to have it developed in case the photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s hold clues. Then the family receives a phone call from the police, saying that a boy of Salim's age and description has been found dead. Ted's father travels to the hospital morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
to see the body, but reports that is not Salim. The next day, Kat, Ted and their father (who works with a demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
company) visit the chemist's to have the photographs developed. They then ride on the London Eye to see if there was any way that Salim could have hidden in the capsule or avoided getting out. They uncover no clues, but line up for the souvenir
Souvenir
A souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
photograph at the end of the journey anyway.
When they arrive home, Ted and Kat examine the newly developed photographs and gain only one clue; the stranger who gave them the ticket is in the background of one of the photographs, wearing a t-shirt with writing on it. The writing says "ONTLI ECUR", which they soon work out that some letters are missed off and it is saying 'FRONTLINE SECURITY' a security company which is currently at work within a local motorbike exhibition. Kat goes to attend the exhibition, and Ted soon works out where she has gone and follows her. They soon find the stranger who sold them the ticket, but he simply avoids their questions, denying any connection with Salim's disappearance.
Ted then figures out how Salim managed to leave the London Eye without being noticed and calls the police. The police arrive with Marcus, a friend of Salim's, who confesses to helping Salim to escape. Marcus had bought two tickets for the same capsule, using one himself and convincing his brother to pose as a claustrophobic man who would give his ticket to Salim, pretending not to know him. Salim, who knew the plan, pretended not to know Marcus' brother and entered the same capsule as Marcus, who was dressed as a teenage girl. When the others in the capsule lined up for the souvenir photo, Salim and Marcus swapped outfits, however there was a coat jacket sleeve in one of the pictures and that was how Ted worked out that the girl who left the pod was in fact Salim now dressed as a female. Once they left the capsule, Salim and Marcus spent the day together and separated at Euston
Euston
Euston may refer to:Communities*Euston, Suffolk, UK*Euston, New South Wales, AustraliaStations*Euston railway station, London, UK*Euston tube station, London, UK*Euston Square tube station, London, UKOther...
London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station. That was the last time that Marcus saw Salim. Ted then deduces that Salim is in the old Barracks because he showed such a fascination with it the day that he arrived. Eventually, they find Salim in the old Barracks Building which was going to be demolished the next day. Salim eventually agrees to fly to New York with his mother, Aunt Gloria, to try it out for 6 months.
Awards and nominations
The London Eye Mystery won several awards, including the Book Sense Children's Pick List Award 2008 , the School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award 2008 , the Booklist Children's Editors' Choice Award 2008 , the Horn Book Fanfare Award 2008 , the Kirkus ReviewsKirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
Best Children’s Books Award and the Book Links Lasting Connection Award 2008 .