Based on the Peabody Award–winning podcast, this tech-filled adventure series

pits intrepid Mars Patel and his outcast friends against a brilliant, enigmatic
billionaire as they race to figure out why kids are disappearing from their school.

Sheela Chari

Mars Patel’s friend Aurora has disappeared! His

teachers are clueless. His mom is stressed out
about her jobs. But Mars refuses to give up—after
all, his own dad disappeared when Mars was a
toddler, before he and Ma moved to Puget Sound
from India. Luckily, Mars has a group of loyal
friends eager to help—smart Toothpick, strong
and stylish JP, and maybe-telepathic Caddie.
The clues seem to point toward eccentric tech
genius (and Mars’s hero) Oliver Pruitt, whose
popular podcast now seems to be commenting
on their quest! But when the friends investigate
Pruitt’s mysterious, elite school, nothing is as it
seems—and anyone could be deceiving them.
Slick science, corporate conspiracies, and an
endearingly nerdy protagonist make this a fresh,
exciting sci-fi adventure.

Sheela Chari is the author of Finding

Mighty and Vanished, which was an Edgar Award
finalist. She lives with her family in New York.
ON SALE OCTOBER 6, 2020
HC: 978-1-5362-0956-3
$17.99 ($22.99 CAN) • Ages 8–12 • 304 pages
Also available as an e-book

#marspatel
About the Show
The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel is a scripted podcast for middle-
grade kids performed by middle-grade kids. It is a fun, high-quality serial
mystery that can be described as Goonies meets Spy Kids meets Stranger Things
for eight- to twelve-year-olds. It was selected as one of the top fifty podcasts of
2016 by the Guardian, was honored with a Peabody Award, and was nominated
for two Webby Awards (Best Audio Drama and Best Sound Design/Original Music
Score). The show is enjoyed around the world by kids and adults alike. Check out
more about the podcast on www.marspatel.com.

Marketing and Publicity Campaign

• Consumer online advertising • Online giveaways

• Trade, school, and library • Featured title at librarian

advertising previews

• National publicity campaign • Featured title in Candlewick

CIRC e-newsletter
• Blogger outreach
• Select author appearances
• Promotional bookmark

• Social media campaign

Illustration copyright © 2020 by Yuta Onoda