Ticket to Ride™ : An Unexpected Journey
Sale price
$2184
Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2025

Ticket to Ride™ : An Unexpected Journey

Written by Adrienne Kress

Book #1 in the Ticket to Ride series

A train journey turns mysterious as reroutes and a missing charm lead to unexpected adventures.

3.2/5 Goodreads · 49 ratings
208 pages
$22.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Twelve-year-old Teddy wins a ride on the Excelsior Express, a dream train journey across North America. But when the train is repeatedly rerouted and his lucky caboose vanishes, Teddy, along with new friends Olivia, Mina, and musicians Allie and Dex, uncovers a web of corporate corruption. As the stakes rise, Teddy must navigate this unexpected adventure. Will he find his caboose and solve the mystery before it's too late? Embark on a thrilling ride filled with intrigue and friendship, where every turn of the track reveals a new surprise.

From the publisher

All aboard the journey of a lifetime! Ticket to Ride is an immensely popular board game where players test their skills in teamwork, strategy, and luck. This new, 100% official, and high stakesTicket to Ride book will whisk readers all throughout the North America, is perfect for fans of all ages, with black-and-white illustrations by artist David Miles and chilling, pulse-pounding prose by bestselling author Adrienne Kress. To say twelve-year-old Teddy loves trains is an understatement. He is obsessed. He knows everything there is to know about them, has the most amazing model train setup in the basement, and he carries around a classic caboose, a small model of a caboose of a 19th century steam engine that he received as a birthday gift. It’s his good luck charm! So when Teddy wins a Ticket To Ride the Excelsior Express in a writing contest, he can’t wait. The Excelsior Express is a train that’s modeled to look like it’s from the 1920’s but is outfitted with a high-tech locomotive system. This will be the train’s flagship journey, and it’s a dream come true for Teddy. Plus, he’ll get to see his grandparents in Los Angeles, and travel all across North America from his hometown of Toronto, Canada. Wait . . . dream come true? Or maybe a nightmare. When the train gets rerouted from Omaha to Pittsburgh, at first, Teddy doesn’t think anything of it. Trains get rerouted all of the time. But then the train gets rerouted again. What’s more, his lucky caboose is missing. As it turns out, this ticket to ride takes Teddy, his new friend Olivia, a woman always dressed in yellow named Mina, two traveling musicians named Allie and Dex, and their fellow passengers on an unexpected journey and through some pretty hefty corporate corruption. Based on the hit board game, Ticket to Ride, author Adrienne Kress weaves fascinating story with adventure in this book that’s full of mystery, adventure, and friendship, in a style reminiscent of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl. Illustrator David Miles’s spot art leaps off the page . . . and onto a train track. Fans of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and Adrienne’s own Bendy and the Ink Machine novels will love this series. “Perfect for readers who love trains and adventure. A valuable addition with an entertaining story line and enjoyable artwork.” - School Library Journal “With a crisp, engaging voice and sharp wit, Adrienne Kress is always a treat to read.” - Kelley Armstrong, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

At a glance
Format
Hardcover
Pages
208
Reading age
8–12
Audience
Middle Grade
Lexile
710L
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The fine print

Book details

Reading levels
ATOS
~4.5
F&P level
~Q
Publication
Published
March 11, 2025
Edition
Language
English
Type
Chapter Book
Identifiers
ISBN
9781524893774

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