MMGM: THE TRAIN OF LOST THINGS by Ammi-Joan Paquette

Posted by & filed under Middle Grade Review, Reviews.

Hello, MMGM friends! It’s been a bit since my last flurry of reviews and even longer since my last middle grade review, but I was in the revision cave and then at the Lake of the Ozarks enjoying time with my family. On the way back, I started THE TRAIN OF LOST THINGS by Ammi-Joan Paquette and ended up finishing it that evening. Despite the fact it deals with a sad topic, it was a quick and engaging read that I couldn’t put down. My ten-year-old son also read it a few days later and enjoyed it as well. But on to the description.

The Train of Lost Things by Ammi-Joan PaquetteMarty has always loved to hear his father tell the story of the Train of Lost Things: a magical engine that flies (yes, flies!) all around the world, collecting children’s lost objects. Then one day, Marty loses his most precious possession–a jean jacket packed with memories–which was given to him by his dad, who’s now very sick. Marty is devastated. He thinks the Train of Lost Things is just a story–but what if it’s real? Marty embarks on a desperate adventure to find the train, which is now his only link to the irreplaceable jacket.

To Marty’s shock and delight, he learns that the train is real! But it’s also gone out of control. Instead of helping return the lost items, the train has become an ever-growing heap of toys, trinkets, and memories. Along with Dina and Star, two girls he meets aboard the train, Marty sets about to learn what’s going on and to help put it right. And hopefully find his jacket in the process.

Here are the five things I loved most:

1. The jacket – What a wonderful idea to create a jacket full of memories, every pin and patch a representation of an activity Marty and his father had done together. My heart dropped with Marty’s when the jacket went missing.

2. The magic – I love the concept of a place where all the lost treasures go. Who hasn’t lost something at some point, something you’ve never been able to find again, no matter where you looked? It’s nice to think it might be out there, waiting for you.

3. The descriptions – I’ve read several of Ammi-Joan Paquette’s books now, and I always love her descriptions. Here’s an example of Marty climbing up to the top of the train.

It was a weird feeling, hiking up a tiny curlicue staircase on a moving mystery train. The steps were so narrow that Marty almost had to take them sideways. The whole thing was a bit like watching–no, like being–a fizzy bubble zooming up the inside of a bottle. Like he said, weird. With an extra dose of super weird on the side. Especially because he got to the top faster than he expected, and before he knew it his head and shoulders had oozed right through the opening window hatch, and then he was half in and half out of the train, and for a second his eyes blurred over because it was literally the craziest thing he had ever experienced.

4. Marty’s journey – Marty was such an authentic character to me. I felt so deeply what he was going through with his dad as well as the distance he felt from his friends. I appreciated how his adventure on the train helped him.

5. The ending – I expected this story to be sad based on the premise, but I was very satisfied with the resolution of the story. Now, my son had one more thing he wanted to happen at the end, but overall he was good with it too.

Have you read THE TRAIN OF LOST THINGS? What did you think?

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Responses to “MMGM: THE TRAIN OF LOST THINGS by Ammi-Joan Paquette”

  1. Natalie Aguirre

    I’v never read anything by Ammi, but always admired her as an agent. This sounds like a fantastic read. Glad your son liked it too.

    • Michelle I. Mason

      He actually read the first Princess Juniper book as well and really loved it. Definitely not just for girls despite the purple cover :). Lots of adventure!

  4. Ms. Yingling Reads (@MsYingling)

    My students often check out books like this but bring them right back and want something happier, so I’m not sure I’ll be purchasing for my library. I generally like this author. Also, trains circulate about as well as creepy carnivals in my library– not well. Every library is different, though, so The Train of Lost Things is a book people should investigate.

    • Michelle I. Mason

      I’m not usually one for sad stories either, but there was a feeling of hope in this story despite the sadness. Interesting about the trains, though!

  5. Greg Pattridge

    I’ve not read any of Ammi’s books and this one would be a good place to start. An appealing plot and a double recommendation is all I needed. Thanks for the great review.

  6. Andrea Mack

    The concept of this book is intriguing! I haven’t read any of Ammi’s books either, so I’ll be looking for this one.

  7. Patricia Tilton

    Thank you for introducing me to Ammi’s book. This sounds like a unique novel — a combination of magical realism?? I enjoyed your review! Gorgeous cover!

    • Michelle I. Mason

      Yes, I would think it probably does fall under magical realism, as the train is the only magical element in the story. Such a tricky label :). I also love the cover. Once you read it, you notice many more details about it.

  8. Anonymous

    Great review!! I have not read this book, but I can’t wait to read it now!
    The subject kind of reminds me of “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane”, which tells a story of a china rabbit that travels to different owners over many years. We as readers never think of Edward as “lost”, because we always know where he is.

  9. rosihollinbeck

    I love the title, I love the cover, and I really love the story concept. I will definitely check this one out. Thanks for telling me about it.