I was pleasantly surprised by this book that was reminiscent of Narnia and mystery books I read as a child. Aidan disappears one night causing the town the family lives in to join together and begin the search for him. Six days later, Lucas awakens to find Aidan in the attic almost in a trance and talking about an unknown world he's been in during the time he's been gone. Lucas is torn about trusting his brother or trying to uncover what he feels might be the truth. The story focuses on sibling relationships and trying to fit in within a world you don't feel you belong for whatever reason. The writing was so smooth and flowed nicely. My only complaint is the ending felt a little rushed.

“The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan. S (as told to his brother)” by David Levithan is an incredible middle grade book perfect for readers 5th grade and up.

This book was such a great blend of a realistic story with mystery, magic, and fantasy. The relationship between the brothers, Lucas and Aidan, was the best part. The story is told from the perspective of Lucas as he deals with the aftermath and trauma of this event alongside his brother. He longs for the relationship they had “before,” while trying hard to support his brother in the “after.” Lucas realizes he took their relationship for granted and is struggling to not only believe his brother, but also to reconnect to him in their new reality.

While reminiscent of classic fantasy/magical realism books, Levithan gives this story a fresh perspective and a unique spin that will make readers think about what really makes a story true.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced digital copy. This book gets 5 stars from me!

Do you believe in Narnia?
Of course not, Narnia is a fantasy dreamed up in the author's head.

But Aveinieu isn’t like Narnia, Aveinieu is real and Aidan spent 6 days there. His brother Lucas is the only one that seems to believe him when he talks of a world with green skies, blue leaves, maddoxes, and yes, unicorns.

A great fantasy with drips of real-world understanding of what it may be like to try to go back to life as normal. Two brothers recover from different sides of that disappearance and fantastical return.


CAWPILE Rating: 9.14

When Twelve year old Aidan suddenly goes missing the entire town looks everywhere for him. Everywhere. Including the attic where he loves to hang out. His brother Lucas is endlessly questioned. After 7 days when hope is fading Lucas hearing a thump in the attic goes to investigate and finds his brother curled up in the floor. When Aidan is questioned he tells the story of opening the attic dresser and seeing a land beyond steps in to investigate where time, creatures and people are different. Unfortunately no one believes him.
The story feels unfinished to me. I wanted to hear more detail about why Aidan was sent home, why the other boy recognized him, and I expected more to happen. The story became the same thing over and over, Aidan telling the truth, no one believing him over and over. It became monotonous, and I found it disappointing, no matter what level it was written for.

I love this book - just enough magic and mystery to keep it interesting without crossing into actual fantasy - pacing and dialogue was perfect. The relationships within Aidan and Lucas’s family feel extremely realistic, and Aunt Brandi is excellent.
This would be a fantastic book club selection for 5th grade +.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

Absolutely loved this book and the author. its a great one to add to your middle grade shelves and I cant wait to read it to my son when he gets just a little bit older!

When Lucas's brother Aidan disappears for almost a week and then suddenly reappears in the family's attic, claiming to have been residing in a magical world, Lucas is not sure what to think. Suddenly, all of the community's attention is on Aidan and Lucas's family and they must deal with the repercussions of Aidan's disappearance. When a tragedy occurs and a child is the primary victim, there often isn't a lot of attention paid to the siblings of the victim. In this story, author David Levithan focuses on Aidan's brother and his struggle with his sibling's disappearance. With a touch of magical realism, Levithan tells an often untold story in a way that children will be able to relate to. Recommend!

The story is complex, but easy to read and understand. Truly well written and not "dumbed down" because it is a middle grade book. Definitely marketed for middle grade, but I think everyone would enjoy this story. Would also probably be a good read aloud for younger kids. An exceptional book - will definitely be purchasing this one for my middle school.

11-year-old Lucas has a close relationship with his brother 12-year-old brother, Aidan. As is typical with siblings of this age, they tease each other mercilessly, but they really love each other and can't imagine life without the other. One day, Aidan disappears, leaving no trace or evidence behind. Six days later he returns to the attic, seemingly out of nowhere, in his pajamas, looking dazed. His explanation for where he's been is completely unbelievable to his parents and the police. . The only one who believes him is his brother Lucas. So, Aidan slowly begins to tell Lucas more about the time he spent in this mystical world he found inside an old dresser in the attic and the discoveries he made there.

I found this book a sheer delight to read! The pacing was fantastic, I literally could not put the book down and read it in one sitting. The chapters are short but meaningful, not a one is wasted. Character development was top notch! I could feel the bond that the two brothers had and how Aidan's disappearance (and subsequent explanation) strained the family and their standing in the community.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will start by saying I really like David Levithan's books. I was unsure with this one before starting simply because it is so different from his other works.

Aiden disappeared without explanation or signs for 6 days, in which his family was understandably distraught. Just as mysteriously, he reappears. His younger brother, Lucas, has always shared a room with Aiden and feels some responsibility, in that he believes he should have heard something or known his brother was leaving. Lucas is the first to realize that Aiden is back, but still doesn't understand what has happened. The story Aiden tells him seems very unbelievable, but the important thing is - Aiden is back.

The story continues with their parents, the police, classmates, friends, neighbors, and especially Lucas, trying to understand what really happened over those 6 days. Where did he really go? Was he kidnapped and released? Did he simply run away and has concocted a story to cover up for it? We see how different people respond to the situation, the inevitable rumors, etc. and their impact on Aiden and Lucas.

I really enjoyed this story - the relationship between the brothers, the mystery about what happened, and the generally realistic ways in which various people responded both during and after his disappearance. This was a quick read, but may be a bit slow for some middle grade readers since there isn't a lot of action here. However, the right readers will love it!

A fun middle school read for those who love fantasy and mystery. I can see this morphing into a series to complete the desire for more details of where Aiden went!

Despite reading a lot of "portal" fantasy (stories about hidden/alternate worlds, in the vein of Narnia) in the last few years, I don't think I've read one from this perspective—or, strangely, for this, the original Narnia-reading age group. It was really interesting and unique to have the story told from the perspective of a brother and a family left outside of a singular experience, and despite being clear that the experience of Aidan S. is not a metaphor, it was wonderfully allegorical.

I can't stop thinking about this book. While the closest reference I have is the Chronicles of Narnia, this is set firmly in contemporary time which makes it a little bit of a mindwarp to imagine that Aidan physically travels to a fantasy world via a cupboard in his attic. The story begins with Aidan missing, but soon he returns to the astonishment of everyone, including his younger brother who finds him. Skillfully intertwining tidbits about this other world with the reality of the world we live in, Levithan leaves the reader wanting more of the fantasy. I wish Aidan could somehow bring lessons of the other world and apply them to his world. A book that will stay in your thoughts long after you finish.

David Levithan's first middle grade did not disappoint, although I'm not sure exactly who it's for. It's not quite a fantasy, more of a psychological thriller to me. But very interesting!

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. is a wonderful mystery. Aidan has an experience that he feels like no one will understand. Slowly, he tells his brother more and more about what happened. Everyone is interested. Where was he? Why did he disappear? What's the real story? This one keeps you turning pages!

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) has an intriguing premise: Lucas's 12 year old brother, Aidan, disappears without a trace. For six days, the whole town looks for him everywhere. Then suddenly, Aidan returns, with an impossible to believe story about where he has been. Is he telling the truth? Or covering something up? Readers will race through this clever book to find out the answers.
And the answers? Well, some of them are left up to the reader to decide, which may frustrate some. I enjoyed the story and would recommend to my middle grader readers. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Aidan went missing. But then he came back. Lucas and his mother and father had searched everywhere, even the police were involved, then the rest of the town. But then he came back. He came back and his story made no sense. Could Aidan have really gone to an impossible place? Lucas must figure out whether to trust his brother or to stand with the people poking for the 'real story'. He isn't sure if the place was real but he does know that something about that 6 days away changed Aidan, and Lucas wants to find out what.

This was such an exciting and fast-paced read and it played with some popular middle grade tropes in a super engaging way. I honestly couldn't wait to find out what happened to Aidan with Lucas! The adult characters were represented realistically to me and the touch of magic propelled me through the story. If you're looking for a unique read with a fascinating mystery, then look no further than The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told by his brother)!

I’m not sure how to categorize this book as I prepare to share it with students. It’s definitely a mystery; definitely fantasy. I wish a few more characters had been developed more deeply, and I wish I had been able to learn more about the fantastical elements and setting. I found myself wanting the author to “spend more time” there. Not what I expected, but I’m certain it will find an audience.

This is a perfect light fantasy-realistic fiction readers will enjoy the missing-person mystery without being put off by the fantastical elements, while fantasy fans will enjoy the magic.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) by David Levithan

I enjoyed this book a lot. I particularly liked that the story was told by Lucas, Aidan’s brother. I loved the relationship of the brothers as well as the relationship they had with their aunt and friends at school. I really appreciated the relationships in this story most.

I wish there were more details about Aidan’s time away. I knew it was true right away, but as a reader I still kept waiting to see if there was something else that happened to Aidan. I appreciate the closure at the end, but it wasn’t enough for me. I realize I’m an adult reader, but I just wanted a bit more. I liked what I read but was left wanting or needing more to feel like the story was complete or more satisfying for me. It was well-written though and I appreciate the advance e-copy very much.