BOOK REVIEW - The Weird Disappearance of Jordan Hall

The Weird Disappearance of Jordan Hall

By Judie Angell

1987

Middle Grade

Fiction

121 pages

When one is told about a book which has your name in the title, one is likely to take notice. I owe a debt of gratitude to my friend and former school librarian, Joane Greene for turning me onto this book. As a child I was an avid reader and wished many times to be in a book, but never really considered it possible. Then one day Mrs. Greene says she ordered a book with my name in the title; I did not believe her, but I was hooked and eagerly awaited its arrival. When it showed up, I had to wipe the egg off my face in order to read my name on the cover.

I don’t recall how I felt about the book when I read it as a kid. I was more into adventures and sci-fi books at the time and never understood why people would retell things that already happened in the real worlds. I wanted new, or hidden worlds; this books provides a version of plausible whimsy. More than just the title, this book was oddly close to me, the main love interest’s name is Emma, who happens to be my grandmother’s name. I had difficulty taking that to heart both go rounds.

Regardless, for no reason that I can recall, I thought of this title recently. After a quick internet search, I secured a copy-the seller caught the joke and commented on the receipt-see pic.

Now to the book. As nice as it is to see your name printed on a page, I would have liked to see myself represented in a more cheese-laden way. That said, the novel does well to keep things grounded despite its title. This book is a bit of a sprint, and a light one at that. Taking place in New York City, most of the action is in a magic shop in Midtown. A straightforward romp for 1987, it feels more middle grade than young adult as the main pair of students are juniors in high school (age 16). When Jordan gets a job at Major Magic, a magic shop that just happens to be owned by the family of his new crush Emma Major, things escalate quickly.

Jordan is welcomed by Emma’s family and the pair enjoys working together as their admiration grows. Major Magic makes a big score from an estate sale of a renowned magician, and it is while organizing the numerous costumes and props Jordan stumbles into a box from the old performer. Jordan becomes invisible when he exits the box! ‘Weird disappearance’ turns out to be more of a magic trick on the fritz, but given the world created it is quite believable.

As the Major’s and Jordan hunt for the mysterious answer for invisibility, Jordan’s mother and school principle are invited into the action. They are both a bit too understanding as they toss themselves into the mix. I had many questions, as in, are his clothes invisible? Is he naked? Can he shower, can he move things? Are only the clothes he entered the magician’s box unseeable? You won’t find answers to these questions and a few more. But, it wont matter, because that is not the focus of the book. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

The wit is dry and punchy at times with inside jokes forming naturally to help the reader feel like part of the group. NYC as a backdrop is lightly used but there is a sequence of shenanigans at an arcade and restaurant straight out of every kid’s daydream. You won’t have to work too hard as you gobble down these 121 pages, but you will wonder where the time went.