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Kidnap on the California Comet
by M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman
Hal crosses America by train with his uncle, and a billionaire's daughter disappears somewhere between Chicago and the Rockies.
A story about children, adventurous and wry in tone. We would put it with children of 8–11, and at a reading age of about 9 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Mild peril
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Part of a series
This is book 2 of the Adventures on Trains series, so there is more to read if it goes down well — which is worth a great deal with a reluctant reader.
Our take on this book
Hal is aboard a luxury express train crossing America when the daughter of a tech billionaire is kidnapped, and — with his notebook, his sharp eyes and his uncle Nat — he sets about solving the crime before the train reaches its destination. M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman's Adventures on Trains series revives the golden-age railway mystery for a new generation: a closed set of suspects, a moving train, real clues laid fairly for the reader, and gorgeous illustrated maps and puzzles. This second outing stands alone but rewards fans of the first. The peril is a proper mystery's worth — tense but never frightening — and the pleasure is genuinely solving it alongside Hal. For a nine- to twelve-year-old who likes detective stories, it is a smart, satisfying, atmospheric read with the romance of great train journeys built in, and a series that turns children into methodical little sleuths.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Small Change for StuartLissa Evans
Arsenic for TeaRobin Stevens
High-Rise MysterySharna Jackson
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.