The London Eye Mystery

I grabbed this book for two reasons: 1.) I love a good mystery. 2.) I love people with British accents. With high expectations for a good mystery involving funky British sayings, this book did not disappoint.

Ted and Kat live a relatively normal life in London with their parents. I say "relatively" because Ted lives with a brain syndrome that makes him think differently than everyone else.

However, when Aunt Gloria and her son, Salim, come to visit Ted and Kat their lives becomes much less normal and much more interesting.

Upon their arrival, Salim declares that he would like to visit the London Eye, a ginormous Ferris-wheel type ride that allows for amazing views of the city. While their mothers wait for them to buy tickets, a man approaches the three children and offers them his ticket for free. He explains that he is claustrophobic (afraid of small spaces) and can't bring himself to ride. The children happily accept the ticket and give it to Salim, who excitedly walks onto the next pod. Kat and Ted watch Salim get onto the ride and follow his pod all the way around, with Ted timing his descent to the exact minute. When Salim's pod finally reaches the ground they watch all of the other people file out, keeping a close eye out for Salim. Minutes pass, and as the pod empties they realize that Salim is not there.

They wait patiently as the other pods empty, but still no sign of Salim. What happened to him? He couldn't have just disappeared!

So begins Kat and Ted's impressive attempts to piece together all of clues left behind and solve the mystery of Salim's disappearance. Sounds cool, huh?

Go on, you know you love a good mystery, too! You super sleuths out there may even solve it before Ted and Kat do...

"I want to ride on the Eye, mummy!"

Here is a list of some of my favorite British words. Can you guess what they mean? Keep scrolling down to see if you were correct.

Fun British Words
1. Banger
2. Bloke
3. Bobby
4. Rubbish
5. Gobsmacked
6. Higgledy-piggledy
7. Ice lolly
8. Jumper
9. Loo/Water closet
10. Nappy
11. Numpty
12. Telly
13. Trainers
14. Post
15. Queue
16. Biscuit
17. Tube

Recipe to Read By: Digestive Biscuits

Fancy a biscuit? Despite their weird names, these cookies are very popular in Britain and resemble a crumbly graham cracker. After baking a batch of these simple, yet tasty treats,

practice your British persona by raising a pinkie, dunking a biscuit in some tea, and asking in your most elegant and regal voice, "Pardon me, but could you direct me to the loo?"

Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon rolled oats
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Mix in the oatmeal. Cream together the butter and the sugar and add to mixture. Stir in the milk until mixture forms a thick paste.
3. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Roll out dough to approximately 1/8" thickness. Cut into rounds with cookie cutter about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Transfer to cookie sheets and prick with a fork.
4. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Let cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight tin.

5. In your best British accent, walk around asking people if they "fancy a biscuit."

Recipe courtesy of http://www.allrecipes.com/

American Equivalents to Fun British Words

1. Banger=Sausage 2. Bloke=Man 3. Bobby=policeman 4. Rubbish=garbage 5. Gobsmacked=utterly astounded 6. Higgledy-piggledy=in disarray 7. Ice lolly= popsicle 8. Jumper=sweater 9. Loo/Water closet= bathroom 10. Nappy=diaper 11. Numpty=stupid person 12. Telly=TV 13. Trainers=sneakers 14. Post=mail 15. Queue=a line you wait in

16. Biscuit=cookie 17. Tube=subway