Overview
In a vast African landscape, four teenagers and a journalist vanish without a trace from a camp below a steep rock ridge. As Ella, the sister of one of the missing girls, helps Inspector Murothi piece together what happened, she realizes there are terrifying possibilities for her sister and the four others. There has been sinister behavior and bullying in the camp where the missing were staying. Has there been foul play? Then one of the missing turns up—but with no memory of what has happened. As the search helicopters continue their constant hum over the rock ridge, Ella and the inspector begin to wonder whether they are already too late.
Synopsis
In a vast African landscape, four teenagers and a journalist vanish without a trace from a camp below a steep rock ridge. As Ella, the sister of one of the missing girls, helps Inspector Murothi piece together what happened, she realizes there are terrifying possibilities for her sister and the four others. There has been sinister behavior and bullying in the camp where the missing were staying. Has there been foul play? Then one of the missing turns up—but with no memory of what has happened. As the search helicopters continue their constant hum over the rock ridge, Ella and the inspector begin to wonder whether they are already too late.
VOYA
Fourteen-year-old Ella rushes to Africa alone when she learns of the disappearance of her sister Charly, a journalist covering a student trip, along with three students and a local teen. When one of the lost boys is found miles from the camp over mountainous terrain that would be impossible to climb, Ella believes his blocked memories hold the key to finding her sister. How did he get there and where are the others? Is it foul play or did the group wander off in the harsh and unforgiving land? Can they figure it out before its too late? While Ella joins the Inspector in his investigation, she becomes increasingly aware of a strange atmosphere in the camp and wonders if she, too, is in danger while she waits for word on her sister. This novel starts a little slowly and might turn off some teens when Birch switches to the adult Inspector's viewpoint. The author, however, manages to reveal clues in a subtle manner that does not merely lead the reader but lets her put together pieces of the mystery herself. Birch also brings in a healthy dose of archaeology techniques to stir amateur archaeologists everywhere. Set in the imaginary Chomlaya, the story only loosely fits the fantasy genre in that the reader is left with a sense that the mountain itself may be responsible for the events in the story. In all, Birch offers a decent mystery that is not easily predicted. Reviewer: Joyce Doyle
Editorials
Children's Literature -
Ella, a young British girl, flies to Africa when she discovers that her only sister and guardian, British journalist, Charly Tanner has gone missing. Charly had been spending her time at the school camp at the base of the Chomlaya Rocks, excited about documenting the experiences of the students in this adventurous environment. Three British teenagers from the camp also went missing, as well as a local African boy, Silowa Asumoa. Of the three teenagers, who disappeared with Charly—Joe Wilson, Matt Fisher, and Anna Benham—one, Joe Wilson, was found unconscious on the other side of the Chomlaya Rocks. Unfortunately, Joe had no memory of what happened to him or the others once he regained consciousness. Inspector Murothi, the official investigating the disappearances, takes Charly's sister, Ella, under his wings, and she, Murothi, and Joe work together to solve the mystery and save the others. Despite Joe's fragmented memories and the uncooperative teachers and students at the camp, Murothi remains determined and vigilant in his questioning and searching; he states to the uncooperative, camp administrator, Elisa Strutton, "…today is a new day, and with a new day, new light always shines. Things may reveal themselves that were obscure yesterday." Readers will eventually be drawn into this compelling and intricate plot, but the awkward shifts in the third person, subjective point of view, and awkward verb tense shifts (due to the broken English accents of certain characters) prove to be a little confusing. This piece is an appropriate and interesting selection for young adults who enjoy reading about other cultures, mysteries, and interpersonal conflicts. Reviewer: Jamaica JohnsonConnerVOYA -
Fourteen-year-old Ella rushes to Africa alone when she learns of the disappearance of her sister Charly, a journalist covering a student trip, along with three students and a local teen. When one of the lost boys is found miles from the camp over mountainous terrain that would be impossible to climb, Ella believes his blocked memories hold the key to finding her sister. How did he get there and where are the others? Is it foul play or did the group wander off in the harsh and unforgiving land? Can they figure it out before its too late? While Ella joins the Inspector in his investigation, she becomes increasingly aware of a strange atmosphere in the camp and wonders if she, too, is in danger while she waits for word on her sister. This novel starts a little slowly and might turn off some teens when Birch switches to the adult Inspector's viewpoint. The author, however, manages to reveal clues in a subtle manner that does not merely lead the reader but lets her put together pieces of the mystery herself. Birch also brings in a healthy dose of archaeology techniques to stir amateur archaeologists everywhere. Set in the imaginary Chomlaya, the story only loosely fits the fantasy genre in that the reader is left with a sense that the mountain itself may be responsible for the events in the story. In all, Birch offers a decent mystery that is not easily predicted. Reviewer: Joyce DoyleSchool Library Journal
Gr 6-9
When three students, their native friend, and a journalist disappear from their archaeological camp in the African wilderness, investigators begin to learn strange things about their visiting school group. Their head teacher is surprisingly uninterested in finding them, and many of the students seem to be keeping secrets. Joe, one of the missing boys, is soon found wandering in a place where he could not possibly be and with no memory of what happened. As he recovers, he works with the investigators and the journalist's young sister to retrace the steps of those still missing and find them before they die of exposure. As they uncover clues, they slowly piece together what went so horribly wrong at Chomlaya camp. As the tension and desperation build, the investigators also learn whom they can trust and who might be hindering their investigation. This is a suspenseful mystery with a little bit of the supernatural to it. Birch does a fine job of describing the mysticism of this fictional locale where human life began and integrating it into the story.-Stephanie L. Petruso, Anne Arundel County Public Library, Odenton, MD