The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel is a fun science fiction adventure story featuring 6 friends - one of whom is missing from the very first page. Mars and his group of friends might not be as concerned as they are if it didn't feel like the adults were intentionally not caring. Well, the problem is also that they go to a very odd school with Code Red drills and harsh detentions for non-incidents.

This book is unusual in that it is based off of a scripted podcast. If you go to the podcast's website it says "podcast for middle grade kids, performed by middle grade kids'. I even downloaded and listened to a few minutes of the first episode. Perhaps it is because of this the book has additional formats between chapters that help to engage readers - such as text message between friends, Oliver Pruitt's podcast and comment section, as well as notices from the school administration.

The science fiction mystery is fast-paced and entertaining and ends on a definite cliffhanger - or one you hope is a cliffhanger.

Rating 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for the advanced reader copy and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

A solid meh from me. Nothing about the book was objectionable, it just did not keep my attention; I put it down and didn't remember to pick it up again. I'd try another book by the author, though, the writing itself was fine.

Mars Patel and his friends are brilliant but also outcasts at school. They are constantly correcting teachers and things around school, which lands them in detention. One of their friends has been missing for days, but no one is really worried about it. When another friend disappears suddenly, Mars knows something is wrong. Everything seems to be connected to Pruitt Prep, an elite school which accepts gifted students. Mars is obsessed with the podcast that Oliver Pruitt, the creator of Pruitt Prep, creates. He hears clues to finding his friends on the podcast, which sends him and his friends on an adventure.

I wasn’t familiar with the podcast that inspired this book before reading it, but I’ll have to look it up now. This story was thrilling and creepy right from the start. Mars’s friends disappeared without a trace, including their home phones being disconnected and their homes being emptied. When Mars would get a warning from the podcast that something would happen, I got goosebumps, because it was like the podcast was speaking directly to him.

The story ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. The final chapters were very intense, but not as creepy as the beginning of the story. It felt like a new story was beginning on the final pages. I would love to see what happens to Mars Patel next.

This is a great middle grade novel.

Thank you Candlewick Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Because this book is based on the podcast and written for the middle school crowd, it is definitely one I would add to my classroom library. The story is fun, the characters are middle-school-relatable, and the mystery/creepy factor hold the reader's attention. I appreciated the additional character information - more insight into JP's character, for example - and students who have already listened to the podcast will probably enjoy the book because the plot is so closely aligned to the podcast.

This book is a fun adventure story for middle grade kids based on an award winning podcast. I love podcasts...so jumped right on this to try reading the book & I listed to a few of the season 1 episodes of the pod cast. Fun!

Mars Patel and his friends are super smart. They all have their own particular strengths and work together to solve problems that arise. Then two of their friends disappear....and they discover that other kids have also gone missing. A strange billionaire and popular podcaster seems to be giving hints about the situation. Where did the kids go? And why?

The pod cast is fun and entertaining. This novelization was also fun to read! It definitely ends on a cliff hanger so I assume this will be a series. The characters are varied. The plot is fast-paced and interesting. I'm 52 -- definitely way out of the target demographic for this series -- but I still enjoyed it! I will definitely be reading more, and I'm listening to the podcast too. I feel like a rebel -- the podcast tells adults not to listen that the story is for kids. ha ha -- I do what I wanna do! I'm gonna listen anyway! So there!

:)

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Candlewick Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This book is all over the place. I could never tell if it was meant to be taken seriously or if it's supposed to be a spoof. The first half felt like a comedy but once we get into more detail it felt entirely serious. And it changes tone suddenly and drastically. With the ending cutting off suddenly and with nothing resolved, I can't recommend it.

Thanks to Librarything Early and Candlewick Press and NetGalley for this ARC n exchange for an honest review.
The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel is about Mars Patel and his five best friends, Aurora, Jonas, Caddie, Toothpick, and JP. Aurora and Jonas go missing and no one cares, so Mars starts his own search. This causes him to get into all sorts of trouble. He gets caught in the middle of one of the biggest mysteries of his time. His search leads to his hero, Oliver Pruitt. And the end of the synopsis really is true: nothing is as it seems—and anyone could be deceiving them.

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel was a good book. The premise was intriguing to me when I read the synopsis, and I was happy when I won the book. It takes a few chapters to get going, but once it did I couldn’t put it down. I ended up reading this book in one day because it was so good. The story was captivating, and the writing wasn’t anything of dreams, but all the author really had to go on was sounds. The mystery was so twisty-turny and confusing that I had to get to the end and find out everything.

But that brought me to the cliffhanger. Now, I don’t have anything against cliffhangers on chapters or books other than mysteries, but this was a mystery and the fact that season 2 of the podcast was a few clicks away on my phone probably ruined the second book. And while there were some differences from the podcast, it didn’t really stray that much, and there were a lot of the same quotes. The characters acted above their age, but that’s not exactly the author’s fault. I might sound harsh, but this is definitely a book I’d recommend.

All in all, The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel is a really good mystery for middle grade readers.

Perhaps this review comes with a little bit of a bias and thus the three star rating. I have listened to the audio drama when it was airing and I did enjoy it. And that is the primary reason why I picked up this book.

Manu "Mars" Patel is a middle school kid who along with his friends investigates disappearances of two children from his school. Mars suspects Oliver - a Tony Stark/Elon Musk sort businessman wunderkind who also runs an elite prep school of sorts. Its quite an action packed book, an easy read accessible to the age group it targets to. Even with that reference, except for Mars, perhaps the rest of the cast needed a little bit more meat on their characters, needed to be written out more than what was just told as a part of audio drama.
While the voice acting covers certain nuances, the writing could cover even more and perhaps expanded on the other children backstories a little bit. With that expectation not met, the last act of the book became very info heavy. This book ends with a cliffhanger and I sincerely hope there is a follow up book to this.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Candlewick Press for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review. </i>

As someone who loved the podcast, I was super excited to see this was a book! But as other reviewers have said, I think this story translates better as a podcast than the story. I couldn't get into it as much as I got into the podcast. It didn't give me the same action packed feeling. However, with that being said, I know that for some of my students listening to the podcast was a bit of a struggle. Because the book follows the storyline closely, it would be useful in my classroom and I know my students who were struggling with getting through the podcast would enjoy this book very much.

Mars Patel is a middle schooler with a penchant for getting in trouble. He and his friend, Aurora, love pranks and practical jokes that land them in detention, but when Aurora disappears - followed by his friend, Jonas - Mars is determined to find out what happened. All signs are pointing toward Oliver Pruitt, a tech genius (think Elon Musk) and Mars's hero. Pruitt runs an elite school for the best and brightest; a school that Mars's own school tests for every year, and he has a podcast that seems to be dropping hints tailor-made for Mars. Mars and his group of friends - Toothpick, JP, and Caddie - start digging and investigating, which puts them on Pruitt's radar, and that's when the kids learn that Oliver Pruitt may not be the benevolent mentor everyone thinks he is. Based on an award-winning podcast, this is the first in a series that mixes mystery, sci-fi, and a little touch of the paranormal. 

There is so much going on in this book that I didn't want it to end! Mars and his friends are a great group of kids; well-written and fully realized on the page. There's a lot happening that we don't know about in this first volume: what does Mars's mom do for a living, for starters? All roads in this book lead to Oliver Pruitt. There's science, conspiracy theories, and, at its heart, an engrossing character-driven story told in narrative, e-mails, and text messages. The end will leave you impatiently waiting for the next volume, and I've just subscribed to the podcast to learn more. A definite win for bookshelves and readers.

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel has a starred review from School Library Journal. You can read a sample and get a free, downloadable discussion guide at Candlewick's website.

This book was not for me. It looked different so I thought I could give it a shot. Try as I might I did not get invested in the gang or their fate. I did not finish the book.

Being the spin off of a successful podcast, I expected more from this book then I probably should have. I enjoyed the first half of the book that was largely focused on establishing the characters, but once the conflict took center stage in the narrative the writing seemed derivative and the storyline more and more preposterous. Sadly, by the time the book finished I was less excited about the cliffhanger ending then I was in it just plain ending. It's a shame really, because I think the characters have a lot of potential and deserve better.

A funny, whimsical middle grade adventure, a podcast novelization. Mars, its amiably nerdy Indian American protagonist, is all set to navigate sixth grade at H.G. Wells Middle School, including the entrance exam to the much-touted Pruitt Prep, when his friends—first Aurora, then Jonas—disappear. The mysterious inventor Oliver Pruitt’s podcast frames the narrative. Podcast transcripts, texts, e-mails, and news clips are sprinkled in between the chapters. A series of dramatic events ends in a cliffhanger, a promise of more to come. It’s most refreshing to see this mystery/adventure tale with a brown kid as protagonist.

Mars Patel is an enthralling mystery with a motley group of diverse kids you can’t help but root for. While most questions are answered in this book, the cliffhanger ending opened up ever more for me. I can’t wait to read the sequel when it comes out and see where Chari takes these characters.

This story is based on the podcast of the same name. I really don't know anything about the podcast so I don't know if it helps or hurts the book.
Mars Patel is a leader at his school - but he often leads his friends into trouble. Or is it the other way around. Either way - he and his friends, all very smart in their own ways, spend lots of time in detention.
Mars is a fan of Oliver Pruitt, a genius who has a podcast that Mars follows religiously and a highly prestigious school. When Aurora, one of Mars' friends goes missing and then days later another friend disappears as well Mars is determined to figure it out. But at what cost?
This was fun and full of action. My biggest complaint was the ending which had Mars hurtling to... Mars.

My girls and I are fans of the podcast and we were excited to see it in book form. While we did enjoy the book I think the story translates better in the podcast. I think having listened to the podcast helped to bring the story more alive to us. A fun, fast, moving adventure. Would recommend for a younger middle grade.

I was super intrigued by the premise of Mars, and by the fact that it is based on a podcast! Okay, I admit I’ve never heard the podcast before, but I also haven’t heard of many books based on podcasts, so I immediately signed up for this tour!

Mars Patel is an Indian-American pre-teen, who is an ardent listener of Oliver Pruitt’s podcast. One day, he wakes up to find that one of his best friends has vanished off the face of the earth. At least, that’s what it seems like. It’s up to Mars and the rest of the gang to find them now! It doesn’t help the fact that Oliver Pruitt’s podcast hits too close for comfort to their situation.

The characters in this book are all so cute! I loved the 4 main characters our book follows. And the midway PoV shift was also done quite well! Mars is so very loyal and determined it physically hurts. Someone protect this smol cinnamon roll 🥺. Caddie is so incredibly strong! JP is ahmayzing, and hilarious. Toothpick is just the sweetest! This cast is also pretty diverse, with Mars being Indian-American, as I already mentioned, and JP using the pronouns (they/them). The part where we see what JP has to go through on a daily basis really touched me. All the characters have incredibly distinct voices, and I had no problem following all their PoVs.

Okay, so I was definitely NOT aware of the sci-fi aspects of the book before I signed up! I really enjoyed the way bits of sci-fi are woven into the story. I also love the illustrated podcast pages! I just wish there were more illustrations throughout 🙈 The story did lag and sound a bit repetitive around the 60% mark, however, it quickly regained its pace. I would’ve loved to see the scenes at the end fleshed out a bit more.The cliffhanger at the end though! 😱 I. Can’t. Even.

Ultimately, this was a really nice and quick read! Do pick it up if you enjoy sci-fi and middle-grade, you’re in for a bunch of twists and turns.

A big shout out and thank you to Lonely Pages Book Tours for including me in the tour and to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel is my first MG read since I started blogging (and for a very long time before that) and I can definitely say it won’t be my last. I’ve suddenly got a little part of me interested in and curious about the MG genre and I can’t wait to dive into the many many choices out there. So that’s something I will always remember this book for.

TUDoMP is a super fast paced sci-fi, mystery and adventure that will for sure take you on a ride that you hadn’t prepared for. The story follows Mars and his friends down the path of intrigue, danger as they begin to notice and follow all the strangeness that begins to surround them.

I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book very very much. I sailed through comfortable and excited about the fast pace and loved seeing what each character brought to the table with their unique personalities and was right there with Mars and his friends as they raced in search for the truth.

But, as the story progressed I did feel that both the story and the unique personality of each character started to dull and merge a bit. Perhaps this was in reaction to the focus of the writing shifting completely to all the mysterious things that were happening, I’m not sure, but it did tire me out a bit because it felt like a race with no purpose or anchor that remained constant at the face of all the change. However, the book does keeps you guessing until the last page.

There is also an accidental misrepresentation of a character in the narration that made me lose a bit of connection to the story, but however I’m aware I had an uncorrected reader’s copy so hopefully that will be edited out in the final version.

3.5 stars! Thank you for joining us in the tour for The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel and I hope you dropped by everyone on the tour and enjoyed their posts! Happy reading and stay safe!

I was really hoping to like this one because it was so fast-paced right out of the gate.
However, I felt that the characters were flat. Toothpick was smart, JP was strong and always hungry, Caddie could read minds/emotions. Mars was the most well-rounded but even then I wasn't as sucked in by his character as I wanted to be.
The book is mostly a mystery as to what happened to a couple of Mars's friends, but nothing really happens until around 80% and then it lost me. A lot of things were thrown at us at once, and the book ends on a huge cliffhanger on what feels like the climax of the story.
I want to know more, but I don't know if I'll pick up the next book.

FYI, there are trigger warnings for transphobic (?) dialogue, misgendering of a non-binary character, and a Code Red (lockdown) at school.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book opens with the main character, Mars Patel texting his friend Aurora, with no response. After a few days, he begins to grow worried and alerts his other friends, all of whom think he’s being ridiculous until a second friend, Jonas, goes missing.

Mars, who is an avid listener of a podcast run by Oliver Pruitt, takes everything that man says to heart and thinks listening to said podcast will help him find Aurora and Jonas. Mars and his friends are part of their detention squad – that is, they constantly play pranks and land themselves in detention, though all of them are incredibly intelligent.

The whole book is really cute and I love the found family trope in this book so much. Mars’ dad has been missing since Mars was a few years old and it seems like his mom is never present and it seemed like the author was trying to hint that Mars likes Aurora and that Caddie likes Mars. An awkward love triangle that doesn’t really go anywhere since Aurora’s nonexistent for the whole book (other than flashbacks).

Oh also, Oliver Pruitt is a billionaire and runs a fancy prep school and seems pretty psychotic but these kids seem to worship him (they’re around 11-12 so I don’t blame them but soon, they will learn that rich people are always evil).

Overall, it was a really fun book to read, 4/5.