What do you think?
Rate this book
Greetings from Somewhere #4
The Mystery in the Forbidden City
Ethan and Ella find an ancient map and explore a Chinese palace in the fourth book of Greetings from Somewhere, a chapter book series about mystery, travel, and adventure.
From the Great Wall to the dumplings, Ethan and Ella love China so far. And the Forbidden City in Beijing doesn’t leave anything to be desired, either! When the twins get separated from their parents, however, they get do some exploring on their own.
As they are wandering, the twins happen across an ancient-looking scroll that appears to have a map on it. Being the mystery-solving duo they are, Ethan and Ella attempt to navigate the map...but they get lost in the palace. There are thousands of rooms, and they all seem to look the same! Will the twins figure out where the map is leading them? And will they ever make their way out of the Forbidden City?
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Greetings from Somewhere chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
From the Great Wall to the dumplings, Ethan and Ella love China so far. And the Forbidden City in Beijing doesn’t leave anything to be desired, either! When the twins get separated from their parents, however, they get do some exploring on their own.
As they are wandering, the twins happen across an ancient-looking scroll that appears to have a map on it. Being the mystery-solving duo they are, Ethan and Ella attempt to navigate the map...but they get lost in the palace. There are thousands of rooms, and they all seem to look the same! Will the twins figure out where the map is leading them? And will they ever make their way out of the Forbidden City?
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Greetings from Somewhere chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
130 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2014
16 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 24, 2022
Another cute one. The kids get separated from their parents in Beijing and find an adventure. I love the connection to their grandpa. I just hate that they keep running away. Love the mix of education and mystery in these!
November 7, 2024
When The twins Get lost, they run all over the place. When Lost, stay where you are.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2022
4th book in the series about the twins, Ethan and Ella, who are travelling around the world with their parents (their mother is a travel writer) and solving mysteries - in this one, they visit the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, and look for their grandfather's favorite spot in the gardens . . . and along the way, find a missing ancient map! Unfortunately, the book frequently calls the Mandarin language "Chinese," but other than that, it was pretty great . . .
August 25, 2021
This book starts with a breakfast scene, in which the kids are weirded out by the [positively delicious] [notoriously foreigner-friendly] BBQ pork bun and would rather eat waffles or blueberry muffins. The daughter finally tastes it, and gives a vague "It tasted good!" but not really any description of what it is or tastes like.
And then the son sticks his chopsticks in his hair like antennae. The adults say nothing.
...
I was unimpressed, to say the least. What purpose does this scene serve? It offers nothing meaningful to the plot, but merely reinforces already-prevalent ideas that Chinese ways are so foreign as to be incomprehensible and not deserving of basic courtesies.
As the story progresses, these two 7yo kids meander around the Forbidden City unattended (lost although the text tone doesn't reflect it) and sneak into a building which is not opened to the public -- for no reason, except they can. They lie (by omission) later -- again, for no reason, except they can. There are no stakes, no intrigue, no unanswered questions they work to solve which might ameliorate this. The "mystery" in the title is nonexistent...
FWIW, speaking as someone who lives in sort-of south China (Macao, which both is and is not like the northern Mainland) here's no authenticity to the "China" atmosphere, either. It reads like it was written based on a one-paragraph children's atlas callout and nothing else... no basic Chinese Zodiac research, no myths or legends or folk tales from China, not even dim sum at the local Chinese joint on a Sunday.
At the end of the book, there's a preview for the next title. The son wakes up and is confused by his surroundings, including a "gaudy" gold bed curtain. The setting for that one is Maasai Mara reserve.
So, no. Don't buy, don't borrow. We won't be reading any others in the series.
And then the son sticks his chopsticks in his hair like antennae. The adults say nothing.
...
I was unimpressed, to say the least. What purpose does this scene serve? It offers nothing meaningful to the plot, but merely reinforces already-prevalent ideas that Chinese ways are so foreign as to be incomprehensible and not deserving of basic courtesies.
As the story progresses, these two 7yo kids meander around the Forbidden City unattended (lost although the text tone doesn't reflect it) and sneak into a building which is not opened to the public -- for no reason, except they can. They lie (by omission) later -- again, for no reason, except they can. There are no stakes, no intrigue, no unanswered questions they work to solve which might ameliorate this. The "mystery" in the title is nonexistent...
FWIW, speaking as someone who lives in sort-of south China (Macao, which both is and is not like the northern Mainland) here's no authenticity to the "China" atmosphere, either. It reads like it was written based on a one-paragraph children's atlas callout and nothing else... no basic Chinese Zodiac research, no myths or legends or folk tales from China, not even dim sum at the local Chinese joint on a Sunday.
At the end of the book, there's a preview for the next title. The son wakes up and is confused by his surroundings, including a "gaudy" gold bed curtain. The setting for that one is Maasai Mara reserve.
So, no. Don't buy, don't borrow. We won't be reading any others in the series.
August 30, 2019
A simple book, tolerable for a very young reader, but one of the most disappointing in the series.
There is no actual mystery, the twins just stumble across a lost map, and then stumble across the people looking for it. They are separated from their parents while exploring the Forbidden City in Beijing, because both the parents and children are infuriatingly irresponsible.
Instead of staying put or looking for someone in charge, the twins just wander around, which is a TERRIBLE lesson for kids. I get that this is necessary for the very thin plot, but it's the exact opposite of the lesson the book should teach.
In the end the two of them do nothing right, and are rewarded for things they did by chance. Extremely lackluster and disappointing.
There is no actual mystery, the twins just stumble across a lost map, and then stumble across the people looking for it. They are separated from their parents while exploring the Forbidden City in Beijing, because both the parents and children are infuriatingly irresponsible.
Instead of staying put or looking for someone in charge, the twins just wander around, which is a TERRIBLE lesson for kids. I get that this is necessary for the very thin plot, but it's the exact opposite of the lesson the book should teach.
In the end the two of them do nothing right, and are rewarded for things they did by chance. Extremely lackluster and disappointing.
July 13, 2019
I’m going to give it a 3 because my twins really liked it. I like the idea of introducing kids to the world, but this book lacked imagination for me. My 6 year olds loved it though, as a read-aloud so we are going to try out other books in the series.
July 28, 2018
The mystery was kind of fun, but I didn't like that their parents didn't even ask what they had been up to. They were supposed to be spending time together as a family, and they don't even seem worried that their young kids went missing in a place with more than 900 buildings and 8,000 rooms. I wish less authors showed completely irresponsible parents.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2017
Around the world with the Briar twins we go! My 5yo can't get enough of this series. Frankly, neither can my husband and I. Sweet mysteries, twins traveling with their parents but spurred to safe adventures by emails from their grandfather back home.
This book took us to China. So many teasers -- things to go learn more about: Chinese emperors, including the 2yo (What?!?! Said my son) and animal symbolism in different cultures.
The key, however, is that these books are clearly meant to be read in order. There are growing connections even though the books also stand alone. Each smaller mystery/adventure seems to be part of a larger mystery/adventure being revealed book by book.
This book took us to China. So many teasers -- things to go learn more about: Chinese emperors, including the 2yo (What?!?! Said my son) and animal symbolism in different cultures.
The key, however, is that these books are clearly meant to be read in order. There are growing connections even though the books also stand alone. Each smaller mystery/adventure seems to be part of a larger mystery/adventure being revealed book by book.
November 1, 2021
I will have to read another book in this series to see if I can recommend it for my fourth grade students who have a mystery unit. They need a mystery story that has clues and a solution at the end. This story didn't have anything a reader could use to solve the mystery. The kids found a map stuck to a tourist's shoe, got lost from their parents, found the pine tree their grandfather had told them about and found their parents again. So disappointing! I feel bad for all the students I recommended this book to in the past. Hopefully the other books in the series are better!
September 17, 2018
The Forbidden City was very good. It had a lot of detail, but if I told you what it was about, it would spoil the whole book. Most of the book took place inside the Forbidden City. I really liked the names of the buildings (like the Hall of Supreme Harmony) and the descriptions of the statues in the Imperial Garden. --Hailey
August 13, 2021
Better than the last GFS book we read. Still a bit thin on plot. I think I might appreciate these more as independent readers, if my kid was ready for that. As readalouds, not my favorites. I do, however, appreciate how the books always mention cities and landmarks my kid recognizes from nonfiction and reference books included in our geography units.
May 19, 2018
Read this as a preview for Will, really fun book that encourages reading and teamwork. Fast-paced and adventure, for early readers.
Read
May 19, 2021If you like: The Magic Treehouse series you might also enjoy this much simpler chapter book mystery. Follow twins Ethan and Ella as they travel the world and solve mysteries.
June 24, 2021
It was amazing. I learnt about China today.
September 12, 2022
Awesome
Awesome! We read the first four books. And now we are at fifth book! A Great adventure story for kids!
Awesome! We read the first four books. And now we are at fifth book! A Great adventure story for kids!
February 9, 2023
Love the adventures of Ethan and Emma
Read
March 11, 2025read this as a kid...damn these little kids didn't know how privileged they were to travel so often 😭
September 24, 2020
M and P
August 31, 2014
After their adventures in Venice and Paris, Ella and Ethan have now traveled to Beijing with their travel-writer mother and homeschooling father. But when they discover an ancient map, they are so engrossed in interpreting it that they lose their tour group. Can the twins find both the tour group and the purpose of the map before their parents discover they've gone missing?
This is another wonderful installment in the Greetings from Somewhere series. Like the books that came before, the twins work well together and are clever without seeming too adult. The entwined mysteries provide enough suspense to keep young readers guessing, and the details of the setting will likely make many readers want to visit Beijing while also teaching them a little something about the area. The large font, plentiful illustrations, and fairly simple wording make this good for those who are new to chapter books. Ella and Ethan do refer to previous adventures, which makes it more difficult -- though not impossible -- to read the books out of order. Includes a glossary with several words in Chinese, although a pronunciation guide would have been helpful.
This is another wonderful installment in the Greetings from Somewhere series. Like the books that came before, the twins work well together and are clever without seeming too adult. The entwined mysteries provide enough suspense to keep young readers guessing, and the details of the setting will likely make many readers want to visit Beijing while also teaching them a little something about the area. The large font, plentiful illustrations, and fairly simple wording make this good for those who are new to chapter books. Ella and Ethan do refer to previous adventures, which makes it more difficult -- though not impossible -- to read the books out of order. Includes a glossary with several words in Chinese, although a pronunciation guide would have been helpful.
December 15, 2014
Easy to read book about a set of twins traveling around the world with their parents and coming across small mysteries that they solve. Although simplistic, I could see younger children enjoying the adventures.
Read
December 8, 2020Eleanor and I would both like to visit the forbidden city. My favorite part was when they went into the little red house and saw the gold statues. Eleanor’s favorite part was when Ella and Ethan found their parents.
November 13, 2014
This book grabbed my attention because it had lots of mystery. I enjoyed it and wanted to read more. I wish there were more of these books available.
September 26, 2015
I'll let this represent the 3 I read from the series today. They are quick reads; less complicated than Magic Tree House, but just as fun.
children-s
April 5, 2016JEC
May 6, 2016
Cute transitional chapter book about brother and sister twins who travel around the world with their parents and solve mysteries.
October 12, 2016
I enjoyed this book because it was fun reading about the kids wandering around the Forbidden City. I also liked the secret map.
August 29, 2017
cool mystery.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews