London Eye is like a giant bicycle wheel in the sky. At least that’s what Ted thinks... For other people London Eye is just the largest observation wheel ever built with thirty-two capsules. But Ted is different. He thinks different, acts different... He’s also the hero of the story!
Ted lives in London with his parents and his older sister, Kat. Ted wants to be a meteorologist one day. He likes weather more than anything! Kat is the opposite of him. The weather doesn’t seem so fascinating for her and she isn’t as smart as her brother. This is what Ted thinks of his sister: “She slammed the door in my face. I saw her silhouette go down the path. I slumped to the hall carpet and a feeling like molten magma churned in my belly. My foot banged up against the skirting board, my hand shook itself out and my brain went into a whirling vortex of bad feelings. Katastrophe. Kataclysm. Katalogue of Disasters. Hurricane Katrina. Mean, mad, mad, mean Kat.” (pages 188-189)
Aunt Gloria, the sister of Ted’s mother, and her son, Salim, visit Ted’s family. They have just moved from Manchester. Now, they want to go to Manhattan. But first, they want to stay a few days in London. Ted and Salim, even though they’re cousins, become good friends. One day, they decide to go to London Eye because Salim likes large buildings. While Mom and Aunt Gloria are waiting for the kids in a cafe, Ted and Kat take Salim to the Big Wheel. Meanwhile, Aunt Gloria’s son gets a call from someone: “That phone of yours!” Aunt Gloria said when he’d finished the call and folded the mobile away. “Who was it this time?” “Just another friend,” Salim said. “Calling from Manchester to say goodbye.” (page 47)
From that moment, Salim starts to act in a strange way. He loses his temper and wants to get to London Eye as quickly as possible: “Let’s keep going. We’re running late.” “Late for what, Salim?” I asked. “Late for the Wheel.” “You can’t be late for the London Eye,” I said. “It turns all day long, two times an hour, every hour. Until after dark.” (page 47) Ted realizes that Salim acts different and he doesn’t know why...
While the three children wait in queue to get a ticket, a strange man approaches them. He offers them a ticket, telling them that he changed his mind about getting aboard. He is afraid of small places. Salim accepts the ticket and goes into one of the London Eye’s capsules. Ted and Kat wait for him. The ride lasts half an hour. Salim’s capsule rises from the ground at 11:32 A.M. At 12:02 P.M., the capsule lands and everyone gets off. Except for Salim... Ted’s parents and Aunt Gloria find out what happened and start to get worried. But Ted and Kat try to keep calm and solve the mystery of Salim’s disappearance...
Ted and Kat have to work together. They have a few adventures in London, but they can’t find out any clues. One day, Ted’s brilliant brain works out the mystery. He calls the police. The police officers come by Ted’s house with a boy called Marcus Flood. Marcus is Salim’s best friend. He’s the one who called Salim before getting into the London Eye. Marcus explains to everyone that Salim didn’t want to go to Manhattan with Aunt Gloria, so that’s why he ran away. This is what the two friends did:
Christy, Marcus’s older brother, who lives in London, was the stranger who came to Ted and Kat to give them the ticket. Salim went with Christy’s ticket inside the capsule, the same capsule... where Marcus was! Marcus was dressed up as a girl. When the capsule got to the top, Salim changed his clothes with Marcus’s, so no one could recognize him. The two friends almost died laughing when they got out of the capsule. Ted and Kat had freaked-out faces because they couldn’t see Salim anywhere.
For the rest of the day, Salim and Marcus spent their time together. After a while, Salim realized that he had made a mistake. He shouldn’t have run away from his mother just because he didn’t want to go to Manhattan. He told Marcus that he wouldn’t come with him to Manchester. So they said goodbye to each other in Euston Underground Station. That was the last time Marcus saw his best mate...
Ted and his family need more information about where Salim is now. Marcus mentions one last thing: “Then when we got to the top Salim went quiet. He was looking straight at the sun. “Salim,” I said, “what’re you staring at?” “Manhattan,” he said. “It’s London,” I said, “not Manhattan.” “It’s my fate, Marcus. I’ve got to face it.” (page 285)
For Ted’s parents, Kat and Aunt Gloria, this thing isn’t useful at all. However it is for Ted... Ted remembers the night Salim told him that he used to fancy large buildings. In Manhattan, there are lots of huge buildings, such as the Empire State Building. Ted thinks of any large building near London Eye: the Barracks. Ted’s father works for a demolition company. The Barracks is about to be destroyed the following day, so Ted and his family go to this place to see if Salim is here. This is their only hope...
Luckily, Salim is found in the Barracks. He’s back again to his family! Ted is happy because he solved the mystery. Even the police officers are impressed with Ted’s genius mind.
If you’re looking for a mystery book, you can read “The London Eye Mystery”! This story has lots of breath-taking moments. I give the book five stars! :)
P.S. During the story, Ted mentions many Underground Stations I've been to when I went to London. :)
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