"A warm-hearted, moving family saga with a difference, as a boy faces up to the reasons for his mum’s disappearance"
September 2022 Debut of the Month
Jake’s mum has disappeared and he can’t work out why no-one else is as worried as he is. Determined to find her in time for Christmas, only nine days away, Jake draws up a list of all the places she might be: Dad’s house, prison, Tesco, Oxford Street, the Bahamas, hospital, methodically working his way through them until only one option remains.
As Jake narrates, readers will pick up his pain, confusion, and anxiety, and gradually realise that there are things he’s not telling us, or even admitting to himself. The one thing we are always certain of however, is Jake’s love for his mum, which makes his narrative, funny as it often is, even more moving. All ends cheerfully, with Jake confident, secure in his abilities and the strength of his family, and looking forward to the year ahead.
A sensitive and warm-hearted examination of one boy’s experience of a parent’s mental illness this has much to say to all readers.
One to recommend to readers of The Rollercoaster Boy by Lisa Thomson or Jacqueline Wilson’s The Illustrated Mum.
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One day, Jake wakes up to a different world: his mum seems to have vanished into thin air! Whilst his grandma's snoring in the kitchen and his older sister Rose is spending hours getting ready for school, it's down to Jake to start the search for his mum by making a list of places she might be: Tesco? The EU? Hospital? The Bahamas?
Being a detective turns out to be quite hard work and everyone Jake turns to for help seems frustratingly busy. Life at home wasn't perfect, but he can't understand why she would simply run off like this. And why doesn't everyone else seem more concerned?
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Mystery of the Missing Mum and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
The Mystery of the Missing Mum features in the following genres: Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers
The Mystery of the Missing Mum is available in Paperback
The Mystery of the Missing Mum was written by Frances Moloney and published by Pushkin Children's Books
The Mystery of the Missing Mum has 189 pages
£7.19
