No Passengers Beyond This Point - Hardcover

Choldenko, Gennifer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803735340 ISBN 13: 9780803735347

Publisher: Dial Books, 2011

Synopsis

Three siblings - India, Finn, and Mouse - have less than forty-eight hours to pack up all their belongings and fly, without Mom, to their uncle Red's in Colorado, after they lose their house to foreclosure. But when they land, a mysterious driver meets them at the airport, and he's never heard of Uncle Red. Like Dorothy in Oz, they find themselves in a place they've never heard of, with no idea of how to get home, and time is running out.

In a total departure, Gennifer Choldenko tells a story of adventure and survival, set in a fantastical place with rules all its own. Sharp dialogue, high stakes, and taut action make this a book that will stick with you long after you read the incredible ending..

About this title

About the Author

Gennifer Choldenko is the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor Award-winning author of ten children's books, including Notes From a Liar and Her Dog, If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, No Passengers Beyond this Point, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Al Capone Shines My Shoes, and Al Capone Does My Homework. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

Reviews

Gr 5-7-When their mom loses their house to foreclosure, India, Finn, and Mouse must move in with a relative in Colorado. The journey turns peculiar when the kids' flight lands in a strange location where cell phones don't work and they are cut off from the normal world. In a feather-covered cab with a child driver, they enter Falling Bird, a Coraline-like alternate reality where things seem better than the place they left behind, but where something indefinably sinister lurks beneath the surface. And the citizens seem determined to keep the siblings there, with false promises of an easy existence and the lure of a "dream house." But when their dream houses literally break apart, the kids are thrust again into a homeless existence that mirrors their real-world limbo. The story is fast-moving and entertaining, but it's hard to figure out the significance of the many devices: there's a white cat, a black box, some puzzle pieces, clocks that count backwards, and a magic phone that knows their intentions. It's all a bit confusing, but, if readers don't sweat the details, it's a fun ride, full of adventure, suspense, and good characterization. Brainy little Mouse is aptly described as "like Einstein on a sugar high," and self-centered, desperate-for-approval India taps into her inner power by the end of the tale and comes through for her siblings. An additional purchase, for readers who like clues and adventure, and aren't daunted by a puzzling ending.-Emma Burkhart, Springside School, Philadelphia, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Three siblings board a plane after their mother loses the family house and sends them to live with their uncle in Colorado. But instead of Colorado, they land . . . somewhere. They�re dropped off at their individually tailored dream houses but only have one day to live there before they each get a ticking clock counting down to zero. Trying to circumvent the baffling bureaucracy of this lightly Kafkaesque dreamland, they attempt to figure out how to return home but get tripped up by a weird set of rules about finding a dog and a black box and putting three puzzle pieces together. Choldenko drops a few hints along the way but only fully reveals what�s happening behind this fever dream in a blistering resolution that doesn�t quite answer the dozens of questions readers may have stored up. Still, the ultimate point�that family ties, prickly though they may be, are the surest thing to hold on to when the world goes bonkers�is delivered with an unusually thoughtful dose of weirdness and honest sentiment. A fast-paced mind-bender. Grades 5-8. --Ian Chipman

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial Books
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803735340
• ISBN 13: 9780803735347
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256