When I first picked this one up, I thought it'd take a little more historical twist. Silly me. I knew the title sound familiar, but was in a reading flurry and didn't think further, right away. Most of you have probably already guessed that this one is written with thoughts on the popular, same-named, boardgame. Which I realized, I haven't played! That is amazing because our family is into board games. I have probably over 50 in my game boxes (which explains why the wooden boxes have long been overfilled and my collection is in a several feet pile next to this more organized stash, too). And I hear whispers that we're going to be adding to this collection come the end of the month. Time to find a new storage option!
Anyway, we've managed to somehow not get our hands on this one yet. Which makes me even more excited to dive into this read.
So, grab those tickets because it's time to board this reading train!
TICKET TO RIDE
An Unexpected Journey
by Adrienne Kress
Illustrated by David Miles
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Middle Grade Mystery
208 pages
ages 8 to 12
COMING...
MARCH 11th!!!
To say twelve-year-old Teddy loves trains is an understatement. He is obsessed. He knows everything there is to know about them, has the most amazing model train setup in the basement, and he carries around a classic caboose, a small model of a caboose of a 19th century steam engine that he received as a birthday gift. It’s his good luck charm! So when Teddy wins a Ticket To Ride the Excelsior Express in a writing contest, he can't wait. The Excelsior Express is a train that's modeled to look like it's from the 1920's but is outfitted with a high-tech locomotive system. This will be the train's flagship journey, and it's a dream come true for Teddy. Plus, he'll get to see his grandparents in Los Angeles, and travel all across North America from his hometown of Toronto, Canada.
Wait . . . dream come true?
Or maybe a nightmare.
When the train gets rerouted from Omaha to Pittsburgh, at first, Teddy doesn't think anything of it. Trains get rerouted all of the time. But then the train gets rerouted again. What's more, his lucky caboose is missing.
As it turns out, this ticket to ride takes Teddy, his new friend Olivia, a woman always dressed in yellow named Mina, two traveling musicians named Allie and Dex, and their fellow passengers on an unexpected journey and through some pretty hefty corporate corruption.
Based on the hit board game, Ticket to Ride, author Adrienne Kress weaves fascinating story with adventure in this book that's full of mystery, adventure, and friendship, in a style reminiscent of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl. Illustrator David Miles's spot art leaps off the page . . . and onto a train track. Fans of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and Adrienne's own Bendy and the Ink Machine novels will love this series.
MY TIDBITS
With a mix somewhat reminding of Murder on the Orient Express meets A Series of Unfortunate Events, this fast-paced read engages and has readers wondering until the end.
Teddy loves nothing more than trains. His obsession is really extreme, so when he has the chance to enter an essay contest to win a ticket for a trip on the Excelsior Express, he's more than onboard. Upon winning, he can barely contain his excitement, and every minute on the train is like a dream. Since he was the only one to win the ticket, he's taking the journey alone, which soon has him eager to find a friend in one of the other passengers. The amazing trip is ever more riddle with slightly odd occurrences, but none of these throw him off-balance...until his favorite toy caboose goes missing. What at first seems to be a little mishap soon evolves into a huge mystery with very powerful players and high stakes.
This read, obviously, was inspired by the game, Ticket to Ride, which already puts a high bar on the expectations. Starting with a heavy narrative style (reminding of Lemony Snicket's works), the reader is first introduced to Teddy with the beginning moments kept at an arm's length away from a more personal connection to the tale. The narration tone holds humor and snark with a touch of wandering thoughts to create a lighter atmosphere. This style holds on for the first couple chapters or so. Just as it borders on lasting too long (I did yawn once or twice), the style switches gears and slowly slides over to Teddy and lets the adventure take flight. Bouts of narration still pop in here and there, but the story speeds ahead with one grabbing moment after the next.
Once the story gets going, it doesn't stop. Something is always happening as Teddy meets various passengers, runs into curious situations, and the clues start mounting up. The author makes sure to express certain tiny details with emphasis, even before the mystery really gets going. This was a lovely way to spark readers' attentions without giving but a whisper of a hint at what the importance of these details might be. It's a fun way to ease mystery fans into the 'pay attention' mode.
There are detailed and well-done illustrations sprinkled through-out the read, which help readers visual the setting and scenes. These work hand in hand with the story and bring the amazement of the train and characters to life.
The writing works well for the younger end of the middle grade age range. Even slightly younger readers, who are very sure of their words, will feel at home in these pages. The writing feels a lean toward chapter books, but the length and slightly heavier amount of text root it to the 7-9 age range. It does take a bit for the tale to grab, but even then, the playful tone is enjoyable. Especially mystery fans are sure to enjoy the webbed plot and find most aspects very hard to guess until the last pages.
And here they are...
Adrienne Kress is a Toronto-born actor and writer. Her books include the award-winning and internationally published novels Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate, and Hatter Madigan: Ghost in the H.A.T.B.O.X. (with bestselling author Frank Beddor), as well as the steampunk novel The Friday Society and the gothic novel Outcast. She is also the author of the quirky three-book series The Explorers. Adrienne's first foray into writing licensed work came with her work on the Bendy and the Ink Machine novels. Find her at AdrienneKress.com and on Twitter/Instagram @AdrienneKress.
David Miles spent his youth perfecting the art of the Cherry Meringue pie. After repeat failures as a baker (although he still tries) he has since retreated to a subterranean lair somewhere in Kalamazoo, MI. There, he works to the droning sound of a dehumidifier as he creates artwork with the most amazing people he's never met. It's a wonderful life.