Entangled

When Thomas’ sister Tia wins an art prize of a trip to Venice it’s obvious that Thomas should go with her to help her navigate the city following her recent sight loss. Nevertheless he is anxious about the trip because he has become increasingly clumsy of late – knocking things flying seemingly at random. They get  to Venice safely, though as usual, despite his best efforts, Thomas manages to knock over a stand of  tourist leaflets as soon as they arrive. The children settle in to a smart hotel with their chaperone and two other prize winners – Karam and Candy. Tia chooses to go off sight-seeing with new friend Candy and is mysteriously abducted. Thomas takes on the hunt for her as the adults seem clueless as to what to do about her and another girl – Affie – who has also vanished. Thus begins an enjoyable chase across Venice on the trail of Tia and Affie with Thomas putting his photographic memory to good use. Who are the mysterious criminals behind the abductions, what are their motives and can Thomas rescue the girls before it is too late? In a world of shady canals and dark alleyways, who can he trust?

This is a sophisticated read for young teens – the story’s main protagonists Tia and Thomas and Affie are believable characters with warm yet realistic relationships. It is also  good to see what might be considered disabilities – Tia’s blindness and Thomas’ likely neurodivergence portrayed in a positive light. The description of Venice – its sights, its smells and history is faultless but where I felt the book fell down was the rationale behind the abductions, which was a little disappointing. This was a pity as the set up to the big reveal was fantastic and well-paced with plenty of tension. Still this is a minor quibble – you have to admire Emma Rea’s audacity as a storyteller to successfully combine quantum physics, Leonardo Da Vinci , Dylan Thomas and flood barriers- all within a lively mystery story based in Venice and its famous Carnevale. It’s bound to encourage young readers to want to explore Venice and retrace Tia, Thomas and Affie’s steps and adventures for themselves.