Lost in London

Lost in Europe #1

by Cindy Callaghan

A tween's foreign exchange experience lands her in London luxury—and some hot water as well!

Twelve-year-old Jordan isn't unhappy, but she's definitely bored. So when she gets the chance to take part in a London exchange program, she's thrilled to ditch her small town in Delaware and see the world across the pond.

Unfortunately, Jordan's host sister in London, Caroline, isn't exactly enthusiastic about entertaining an American girl. Despite the chilly welcome, Jordan finds herself loving the city and Caroline's group of friends, who are much nicer than Caroline herself.

And then a major misstep leaves Jordan and Caroline trapped together overnight—inside Daphne's, the world's largest department store. Given they have complete access to all the fancy shoes, designer dresses, and coolest makeup around, there are worse places to be stuck. But when the girls' fun has not-so-fun consequences, Jordan's wish for excitement abroad turns into a lot more than she ever bargained for...

Genres: Middle Grade, Travel, Young Adult, Childrens, Juvenile, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2013

About the author

Cindy Callaghan is an award-winning and producer. She's best knows for Just Add Magic and Just Add Magic 2: Potion Problems which were developed into an Emmy-nominated Amazon Original series distributed worldwide via Nickelodeon. She has also published five mega-popular Lost in books: London, Ireland, Paris, Rome, and Hollywood, and two stand-alones: the award-winning Sydney MacKenzie Knocks ‘Em Dead and Saltwater Secrets. Saltwater Secrets is set up with a major studio.

The Girl Who Ruined Christmas has been an Instagram sensation.

Be on the lookout for My Big Heart-Shaped Fail this fall.

When asked what it is about her books that tweens love, she chuckles and says, “The funny! Without a doubt, it’s the funny situations, characters and dialogue.”

In addition to writing, Cindy’s passions include animal advocacy, running, movie-going, reading, podcasts, wine and girlfriends, all of which take a backseat to her three children, husband and menagerie of rescued-pets.

Cindy holds an MA and MBA, and has over twenty years of business experience. The Delawarian (by way of Los Angeles (USC)) is a Jersey girl at heart. She lives in Wilmington, and escapes to her PA mountain retreat whenever time will allow.

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

For something called Lost in London, I expected more Lost, and less of a girl who knew everything about London and knew exactly where she wanted to go.

Our main character was pretty great. I loved that instead of shopping, she preferred to go out and see the sights of London. I also love how she tried all kinds of stuff out. Not only foods, but also words and also tried new clothing.

Caroline was a bitch. I am sorry, I didn't like her one bit throughout the book. Even when she was nice, I was just sure that she was acting, because otherwise her mummy and daddy would be angry and she might not get her precious stuff. And sure, I know with the ending she turned better, but I still don't and won't like her.

Sam was a great character, though I hated the whole phone thing that kept popping up. Once was fun, Twice was so-so, but after 3 or 4 times I just was thinking that he should grow up.

Ellie, I am still not sure what to think of her. Most of the times, I just thought she was annoying and an idiot. She was just so frustrating.

Sebastian? Seriously, what is up with that guy. Even to the last page, even when we found out stuff, I just wanted him erased from the book.

I loved what they did to Caroline, the bitch had it coming.

The whole robbery stuff? I didn't feel like it fitted with the book. Especially since we already had quite a bit of things going on. Caroline + attitude, a new place, new friends, Sebastian's stuff.
But it made for a nice ending, I was at first worried that they would just skip it and not resolve that little problem.

The sights and touring through London were fun and I really enjoyed them.

All in all, a pretty decent book, but I still can't give it more than 3 stars.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jordan spends Spring Break in London and comes home with some unexpected insights and baggage. Like most of us, Jordan's expectations and anticipation grow in proportion to the magnitude of our destination. When she gets there and encounters an unpleasant tour guide, it looks like the week may not provide the report info she needs to satisfy her reluctant parents. Fortunately, Jordan finds out that tweens in London are not really so different from America and discovers a new set of friends. What I really loved about this book was the detailed info on the places Jordan was visiting making it a mini guidebook and no doubt piquing the interest of readers in visiting themselves. This series makes for great summer reading, especially with travel restrictions still in place due to the pandemic. Readers can still visit Europe and dream about going there in person someday.

[Madeline Flowers]

Good

[Lily Dervin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was very mysterious and lots of plans were trying to be made. I would recommend other people reading this book.

[Maci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that the book Lost in London was amazing! I am not the biggest fan of books, but I even enjoyed this one! It was the perfect mix of funny, entertaining, thrilling, and exciting! It all started off with a girl that thought she was the most boring, typical teenager. She thought that going to london for a school project would be a great opportunity to become not-so boring. On her journey she had to stay with her mom's old friend and her daughter. On their adventure, they went through many crazy and funny experiences such as getting stuck in a mall, trying to not get in trouble by the police, but at the same time seeing all the beautiful monuments in London. So, overall I would definitely recommend this book for many reasons. It is entertaining, funny, adventurous, and exciting.

[Cherry Wu · Rating 5 out of 5]

BROOOO I CANT BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT THIS

I'm not even kidding when I say I thought about this book just now in the shower. I was thinking and bam! I remembered.

I've literally read this so many times in the past. ITS ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD!!! Caroline was kind of a b word at first but all good now. Anyway, I really enjoyed it haha. I definitely need to reread this soon.

Anywhooooooo it was pretty relateable. Boring place, boring life, very blah. Wanna go explore and live independently for a bit. Same.

I'm just silently sitting here in the corner waiting for an opportunity like Jordan. I just have one concern.... WHEN WAS JORDAN TWELVE YEARS OLD?????!!??!??!!? Like I'm sorry? London exchange program...TWELVE!??!!?! She was definitely older. DEFINITELY. right...???

[Library Lady 📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute enough. It's a light fluffy read, not meant to be life changing. But it should have been quick, and instead, it took me almost a month. I just wasn't drawn in to the point where I *had* to pick it back up. At times it felt rushed, or so sparse I couldn't tell what was happening, like when she was riding the horse. Sometimes little things happened and then nothing came of it. IDK, it was a cute read but not my favorite. I won't be reading the rest of the series, but I'm sure it will appeal to kids interested in travel and not concerned about little details like that.

[Charlotte Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jordan has wanted to go to London for a long time using an exchange program she finally gets to do so.
In this story it’s about all Jordan and her friends from London and her moms friend, that lives in London, daughter. When Jordan goes to London she meets Caroline and her soon to be friends, Sam, Gordo, and Ellie. While in London she gets locked in Daphne’s store that has everything in it from food to clothes she didn’t know what to do until she found out Caroline is stuck with her and since the security cameras aren’t on they run around the stores and try everything. Later in the story they find out that this guy named Sebastian is trying to get them into trouble by blackmailing them into doing his homework. Whenever they don’t listen to him he posts a video of the girls running around after the mall closes. After that they find out that there was things stolen from Daphne’s the night that they were there and since Sebastian put the video out there thinking it was Jordan and Caroline. They’re calling them the Daphne’s duo. My favorite part of this story would have to be when Jordan and Caroline get locked in Daphne’s because of how they are free to do everything that they want when they’re in each store. My favorite part of this place in the story would have to be when they go into the dress shop and try on the dresses then go to the trampoline store and jump around while wearing dresses and how they bounce on the trampoline. I also like how Caroline acts when she’s just with Jordan in Daphne’s instead of trying to be the best person in her group. There is another part of this story I really like and that is when they prank Caroline by pretending to get “taken” after they go to in the boat and when Caroline comes out how she freaks out because she thinks her friends are gone. I also just like this whole book because it’s in my genre of stories and of how Jordan wants to go to London which is a place I have always wanted to go. I would recommend this book to my friends and people younger than me from ages 8-14 probably because you can relate to it whether you want to go to London or you dad is the principal at your school. This book makes you feel like you’re really there and that you’re one of Jordan Caroline, Sam, Gordo, and Ellie’s friends. Lastly I want to say about this book is that I would love to read more of these books because of how Cindy Callaghan writes her stories to feel like your inside the story and how she puts all her feelings into these stories.

[Liviania · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOST IN LONDON is the story of Jordan Jacoby, a perfectly normal twelve-year-old girl. When she gets a chance to study abroad for a week in London, she knows it is her chance to do something out of the ordinary. Soon she and Caroline, the daughter of her hostess, are out and about. But this might not be the trip she expected!

I thought LOST IN LONDON was super cute and pretty fun. There's an excellent sense of place - not just the places visited, but the slang and food all reminded me of my trips to London. (I even thought there was a Cornetto on the cover, until I noticed the straw. Just a shake.) There's also good use of technology. J.J. and her new friends are constantly taking photos and videos with their cells, which sometimes causes trouble.

There are a couple of expected plots, and a few that were more surprising. J.J. and Caroline have trouble getting along at first, of course. Caroline is a bit hot and cold. Caroline's friends are more accommodating, but their classmate Sebastian is causing trouble for everyone. I liked that J.J. and Sam, one of Caroline's guy friends, had a bit of a flirtation but that the romance angle wasn't really played up. And the fact that their relationship revolved around a shared love of eating was adorable.

Less expected was the plotline where J.J. and Caroline accidentally implicate themselves in a massive heist. They've got to dodge the police since they're afraid they can't prove they're innocent. (Oh to be twelve and think the police would actually believe you're a master thief.) It's a plotline that relies quite a bit on coincidence, but who cares when it's hilarious?

The book also works because the characters are wonderful. J.J. is awkward, but she's got enough confidence to stand up for herself, and she's learning to be more confident. Ellie, Caroline's best female friend, is a secretly talented space cadet. Caroline is a bit spoiled, but that doesn't mean she's rotten. Gordo isn't manly, but that doesn't mean he isn't a cool guy. Sam is friendly and constantly hungry. The characters elevate the simple plot, as they should.

LOST IN LONDON is a terrific choice for young Anglophiles. There's friendship, hijinks in an empty mall, pranks, revenge, and a few history lessons slipped in for good measure. I'm definitely interested in reading Cindy Callaghan's next novel, LUCKY ME, coming July 2014.

[Crys · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable tween read.

Jordan wants a bit of excitement in her life, and nothing says excitement like a trip abroad to London. But can she convince her parents? Of course. I mean, it wouldn’t be a story if the answer was no, right?

But what happens when Jordan arrives is nothing she is prepared for. After all, she is there for an adventure, and she finds one. One that is more than she bargained for.

Tween readers will find themselves thrown into the plot quickly. Callaghan does not wait to build her story; after all, she has to get her readers to London, right? By chapter two, that is where we are—and we do not stop until the novel’s conclusion.

While reading, I found myself giggling out loud as well as face palming. I mean, we are dealing with characters that are thirteen, so some of their choices are just…ridiculously ridiculous. But, I am not the audience of this novel, and the true audience will eat it up.

Jordan is a likeable character. She wants to be friends with everyone, live life to the fullest while in London, leave nothing out. Readers will see her transform throughout the novel into a more confident young lady, and that is what I really enjoyed about the novel. She is not a stagnant character—she grows, much like her adventures, and Callaghan shows readers what growing up is really about: taking life and going with it. It will not always be fun. The best decisions will not always be made. But, you deal.

As for Caroline, I really enjoyed her. After reading the description I was afraid she would be really unlikable, like ‘Mean Girls’ unlikeable. But that was not the case. She is just a typical teen is who forced to hang with someone when all she wants to do is do her own thing. How many of us can relate? I think tween readers will as well.

All of the characters brought a fun feel to the novel—Caroline’s friends quickly accept Jordan and take her under their wing. They are all fun. I want to hang out with them because they are smart, clever, and have British accents. What more could a girl want in friends?

I recommend this novel for fourth grade readers +. It is fun. It has a great message. But mostly, it is fun.

There is a discrepancy in the summary—it says Jordan is twelve, but in the novel she is actually thirteen.

[Angelc · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This was such a fun middle grade/tween book! I was so caught up in Jordan's (aka JJ) adventures, that I couldn't put the book down. While it's still a very age appropriate book for middle grade readers, I think it would satisfy an older MG reader, who is not quite ready for YA but wants something a little more sophisticated.

I love that JJ and her friends romp around London completely unsupervised by adults. It's a great way to see tweens earning their independence and stretching their boundaries. All of the characters in JJ's group are very well rounded and multi-faceted. None of their personalities are stereotypical teens.

The ONLY drawback that I saw in the book was the focus that JJ seemed to have on clothes, makeup, etc. While her style does mirror her transformation, I just would have liked for JJ to focus on the other ways she was developing as a person, not just her style.

Otherwise, this was a super fun, fast-paced romp through London by five friends (and maybe one frenemy). It was fun to see London through the eyes of the jaded Londoners, and the young American tourist. You could really see the ways they bonded and helped each other see new things every day. The action was a mile-a-minute, and made for a book that was hard to put down.

Overall, this was such a fun read for tweens, with enough action and drama to keep even older MG (and adult!) readers interested. Highly recommended!


book sent by publicist and publisher in exchange for an honest review

reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com

[Tess (Book_Voyage) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining book. It had lots of laugh out loud moments. I also appreciate that it was a fast read. However, I feel that it was a little young for me. I mean, for goodness sake, they're tweens! Not even in high school yet! Also, even when I was in middle school, I hated those girls that wore makeup and fashionable clothes to be popular. They were so fake, and this book was filled with girls like that. I honestly only read this book because it was set in London. I am very excited for my trip abroad and I wanted to read books related to travel because of that. However, I think from now on, I'll be sticking to my teen fiction books, among the many other genres that I read. Now don't get me wrong, there are still children's books that I love (Warriors, The School for Good and Evil , Harry Potter, etc.). It just means that next time I decide to read a kid's book, I will be more selective with my choices.
I gave one star for it being set in London, and one star for the outrageously funny situations that Jordan managed to get herself into.

[Courtney McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jordan just got to London for a school trip and the girl she's supposed to be good friends with already hates her. Although when she gets locked in a department store overnight and a bunch of thefts keep taking place right after they go to the different sites, Jordan wonders if she should have gone on this trip after all.

I gave this book five stars because I really couldn't put it down! I thought it was really good and can't wait until the other two "Lost in..." come out! I would recommend this book to people who like action filled, mystery fiction books.

[Jen Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally adorable and every kid's dream to be locked in a department store. It's like Corduroy for the tween set. Plus: LONDON.

[sophia ! · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have literally read this book 10 times and I used to love it SO much and now I can’t bring myself to donate it so it’s still sitting on my bookshelf 😊

[Jordan Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books especially this 1 I've read about 3 times! Authors are awesome!

[K.A. Goodsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost in London is a middle-school read about a 13 year old named Jordan who wants to get out of her small town of Wilmington DE, reshape herself into someone "cool" and experiences something international. When an opportunity arises within her school to do a foreign project, her parents reluctantly agree and off she goes to London for a whirlwind week!

Well, at least she thought it would be.

When she arrives she finds out that the daughter of the family she's staying with, Caroline, isn't a huge fan of chauffeuring around someone to all the tourist sights during her holiday break week. Then, they get stuck in a mall overnight and have to evade security but they try to have a bit of fun, learn more about each other and maybe break the ice. Until, they find out that there was also a robbery that night at the mall and they're the prime suspects because of Caroline's arch nemesis who leaked photos and videos of them parading around the locked mall.

Will they be arrested and tried as suspects? Will they finally become friends? Most importantly (to her parents), will she get her report done in time in order to make her trip worth it?

4 Stars. This was a really cute read. I could see myself in middle school really enjoying it. The characters are well written, they're age appropriate and I thought some of the London sites and information provided was interesting and factual.

Now, I'm off to have some tea.

Review will also be posted to my blog (www.kagoodsell.com/book-reviews), GoodReads, and TikTok (@unearthingeco)

[Ciara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jordan is thrilled when her parents finally agree to let her go on a week-long trip to London. She'll get to see some of the most famous landmarks... but it will mean having to deal with a rude host sister named Caroline, whose friends are nicer to Jordan than she is. When Jordan and Caroline get stuck inside Daphne's, a huge department store, overnight, they start to bond... but then things spiral out of consrol and Jordan realizes that her wish for a non-boring life has beenranted... but not in the way she expected.

Overall, this was a fun, quick, and enjoyable read. I do have a few issues though. For starters, I felt that the mystery solution was a bit predictable, however I did like the creative way Jordan solved it. Also, I felt that the way the characters were picking on Sebastian was a little much, considering the only reason he was mean was because they were mean first, and I wished that would have been addressed because he comes across as nice but misunderstood. Overall though, an enjoyable read that middle schoolers who have always wanted to go on a trip abroad will appreciate.

[Jane Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I think this you should read this book because the Jordan is not really lost she is just lost in thought of her making a deal with her parents and she spending not really important things like makeup.She sneaks around stores and lost in being not really good like the deal she made with her parents to go to London.Her parents wanted her to see the sights and less shopping too.So I feel like this book has some crazy adventures and events.This is a cool book to me and I recommend this book to you.Most of her friends are kind but expect one... which is Caroline.I think that Caroline was mostly acting because when Jordan came to visit Caroline just did what she wanted and did not talk with Jordan.So Lost in London was amazing for the adventures not about Jordan being lost in London.

[Ana(stasia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected, but I didn't think it would be just one night stuck in Daphne's. I still liked it though. I loved the characters- Sam, Caroline (she got nicer toward the end), Ellie, Gordo, Ellie, and Jordan (she got her friends to call her J.J). I was so surprised that Hamlet was the thief at the end! And I couldn't help but notice that Jordan mentioned Cup o' Joes and Darbie from Just Add Magic, which I've read. Not to mention, they both live in Wilmington, Delaware, so I think there is a connection. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the next ones in the series.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute story about a young girl’s adventures with a reluctant host while traveling in London. Everyone wants to fit in, but when you’re new to a country that is hard. Jordan Jacoby, J.J., had lots of sights she wanted to see while in London for a week. Her hostess, Caroline, wasn’t interested in what J.J. wanted to do. While trying to keep her hostess happy, but still seeing all the great historic places around London the girls try to stay out of trouble. I loved this book and had an aha moment when I realized there really was a mystery to solve. Great book!

[Gretchen]

This is one of my stepdaughter's books, so I picked it up to see what was up. I have mixed feelings about the series in general. I liked that at least they did some sight-seeing in this one, and I liked that the main character seemed kind and down to earth, but Caroline was tough to read about - she was such a flat character in that she was JUST negative, without really good reason and without much change (if she wasn't being negative I felt that I couldn't trust her motives).

[Pubudini Jayakody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in my bookish niece's bookshelf. She has a nice sense of good reads so I picked it up.
I found this book interesting from the begining to the end. This is based on JJ who gets a chance to visit London with a school exchange program. There she faces a lot of adventures she never expects to have; ever.

[Tina Bäuchl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah the beginning everything didn’t make very much sense. The title is Lost is London but she always knew where she wanted to go it where she was. It was cute tho that she didn’t wanted to go shopping everyday and instead see the city and the sights. Everything in all the book wasn’t the best but also wasn’t the worst. When you don’t understand something quick then you shouldn’t read the book.

[Kuhu Bisht · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of a person whose name is Jordan Jacoby. Her life is boring until she goes to London. There she makes friends with many people, visits many places. And the best part is that she got DE-BOREDIFIED

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that it was really good and entertaining through the whole book. The thing that ruined it was the ending, everything worked out too well in the end that it was unrealistic and made the book seem like a joke.

[Zazie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved almost every part of this story, but won't go into details of what I would rather have seen happen to the jerk in the book. Not what happened at all.

Despite the outcome, I am excited to read the next book in this series. Might be right after I finish the other book I'm reading right now. Maybe right away. I'll think about it for a bit.

I recommend this book to you all. Some Aladdin Mix books are worth the time it takes to read them and this was one of those books.

[Bookworm📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!!! Epic & awsome

[Yaretzi V · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a super ecititing book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[*Weebles* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book! Quick and easy read.