This was an entertaining and mildly scary middle grade fantasy. Cara and her brothers Max and Jax are all missing their mother, a scientist, who has gone away. No seems to know, or at least no one is telling them, where she has gone. They are all dealing with her absence in their own ways. Max is hanging out with friends and burying himself in his music. Jax is attending science camp. Cara is spending time with her friend Hayley and wondering what happened to her mom. Their dad has also withdrawn but does sometimes try for some of their normal family activities like movie nights. But soon things start getting spooky. Cara and Jax see a creepy man who looks like he has water running off him. They call him the Pouring Man. He brings a sense of menace whenever he appears. Jax is very bright and also telepathic. When Cara finds a clue that says to talk to the leatherback, Jax communicates with this old rescued sea turtle. The kids have to face a number of danger on their quest to find out what happened to their mother.The character set reminds me of A Wrinkle in Time with Cara as the main character, a normal older brother, and a special younger brother. That was also a quest to find a missing parent. This one is the beginning of a series, though, and doesn't have as a clear a resolution. At the conclusion of this one, the battle that their mother has gone away to fight still rages and the children have all been enlisted to help with the fight.This was a good story for middle graders. I think they would like the characters and the adventures in the story.
