The Train of Lost Things

January 15, 2018
A boy believes in magic and its curative powers.Marty accompanies his mother on a business trip only to have to rush home as his critically ill father worsens. He has always been close to his father and is devastated when he realizes that a denim jacket with its collection of special buttons--a gift from his father--is missing. But Marty's father has told him the story of the magical Train of Lost Things, and he just knows in his heart that if he finds the train, he can reclaim the jacket and all will be well. Paquette now focuses her story on Marty and the train: how he finds it, boards it, and meets another passenger, a girl named Dina Khan. Unfortunately, the train is not running properly, and the piles of lost treasures are strewn all helter-skelter. There is one more person on the train, a girl named Star, who explains the train's problems. Marty disembarks, and after his father's death, he receives a special, unmarked package with the best gift of all. The adventure on the train is engaging enough, but it subsumes the real-life impetus for Marty's search. Readers may find it difficult to sort out mourning the very real loss of a parent from all the magical elements herein. The ethnicity of the characters is not specified beyond Dina's name, implying a white default. The death of a father is rendered palatable by the magical properties of a train. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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February 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-With a hat tip to The Polar Express and the Hogwarts train in the "Harry Potter" series, this is the story of Marty and his quest for his lost and beloved jacket-a gift from his dying father. The titular train is a magical place where beloved objects are stored and cared for until they can be reunited with their owners. On the hunt for the special jean jacket given to him by his dad, Marty stumbles upon the train. Each of the lost objects has a story which Marty becomes privy to-each tale reveals itself in a video cloud, almost like a social media post. As it turns out, the train is in trouble. The conductor is missing and the train has started to steal objects instead of just collecting and preserving lost items. Marty and his new friends, Dina and Star, must figure out what's wrong and fix the train. Situated firmly within a magical realistic frame, Paquette's descriptions of the train and its curiosities, otherwise known as "heart's possessions," are the most compelling aspects of the narrative, with the sleekness of the machine itself and the range of lost items swirling in the fantastical fog. Marty's pain is undercut by a self-conscious sarcasm which is, at turns, funny and off-putting. Readers will empathize with him and acknowledge the importance of his journey, but his endless quips can be grating. Marty's inner dialogue will appeal to readers of Gordon Korman, Jeff Kinney, and Dav Pilkey. VERDICT Recommended for larger collections and readers of Harry Potter fanfiction.-Alpha DeLap, St. Thomas School, Medina, WA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 A heartbreaking reality is settling over Marty. His father's cancer has aggressively returned, reducing their time together to a matter of days. Compounding this terrible news is the fact that Marty has lost his beloved jean jacket. This seemingly minor loss takes on new significance as readers learn that the jacket was a gift from Marty's dad and covered with pins commemorating things they've done together. Grief can manifest in strange ways, and in this case, Marty becomes convinced that only the jacket and its memories can jump-start his dad's recovery. After remembering an old story about a train that collects lost items, Marty strikes out to find the train, recover the jacket, and hopefully save his dad. The unfolding adventure aboard this magical train never loses sight of the grim truth underlying Marty's story, but the quest for the jacket is essential to his being able to accept his father's condition. Paquette writes with compassion and a childlike sense of belief, and Marty's journeyboth personal and fantasticwill speak to readers on many levels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)