Wolitzer, Meg. Found Sound. Addl. Creator Charlie Panek. Dutton, 04/2026. 224 [+6]pp. Fiction. Trade $17.99. 978-1-1019-9462-7. GRADES 4–6. ADDITIONAL.
Rising sixth grader Felix finds a field recorder in his summer vacation home along with a scavenger hunt clue and an instruction: “From here on out, record what’s all around.” When Felix teams up with his eccentric neighbor, Marigold, the two embark on a series of increasingly difficult tasks to learn how to create electronic music out of their recordings and solve the mystery behind the clues; as each step takes them deeper into the science of sound, they also come to appreciate the value of family and friendship. Meg Wolitzer and her son Charlie Panek excel in their creation of realistic, relatable, and highly likable. The mystery suffers, however, from overly-complicated clues that require the reader to follow a rather advanced series of lessons on sound theory. Readers interested in music may enjoy the mysterious hunt, but most will likely prefer to focus on the characters themselves. Characters read as white. Back matter includes author notes, resources on creating electronic music, and acknowledgements.
Jennifer Taylor—Palo Alto City Library