Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Reviews

Book Review: No Passengers Beyond This Point

By Sandy Amazeen Nov 22, 2010, 3:04 GMT

Choldenko’s inventive new book opens as fourteen-year-old India, her eleven-year-old brother Finn and six-year-old sister, Mouse have their world torn apart with the news that despite their mom’s best efforts, they have lost their home. Worse, as a schoolteacher looking to continue work, their mom must remain behind until the school year is over while the siblings fly to an uncle they hardly know in Colorado. Boarding the plane is hardly routine and their arrival even less so when they are met at the airport by a young driver wearing fake sideburns to appear more normal.

Upon arrival in a strange new community, each sibling gets their own dream home stocked with everything they could desire. Their dreams last for a day before a different reality kicks in. Now, what one sibling decides directly effects the future of the other two and though Finn and Mouse want to leave, India is convinced this place is exactly what she wants. Finn and Mouse aided by their driver embark on a riddle-laden treasure hunt while searching for a way to convince their older sister to give up a dream job before time runs out for all of them.

Highly imaginative, this fast-paced story told from each sibling’s perspective captures readers’ attention and doesn’t let go. Additionally, the story deals with some real world issues like the foreclosure crisis, peer pressure, and family strife in a straightforward, understandable manner while illustrating what is most important in life without appearing to do so. This inventive tale will captivate the most reluctant young reader while offering surprises to the very last page.