Found Sound

A sound-inspired scavenger hunt and fast-paced mystery about family and friendships lost and found.

“A harmonious blend of STEM intrigue and heartfelt emotion that emphasizes listening closely to what really matters.” —Kirkus, starred review

Felix used to love summer vacation, when his family would trade the bustling noise of New York City for the small-town quiet of Blissfield, Massachusetts. But vacation hasn’t been the same since his big brother left home, and Felix is sure this summer is going to be the worst yet. Then he finds a mysterious box with the words OPEN ME written on the outside. Inside, there’s an audio recorder, headphones, and a list of timecodes. What does it mean?

Felix and his offbeat neighbor, Marigold, follow a string of clues through town. But as the hunt builds to a crescendo, Felix begins to wonder about the identity of the anony­mous puzzle-maker behind their adventure.

This delightfully harmonious mother-son collabora­tion from bestselling author Meg Wolitzer and sound editor and music producer Charlie Panek will change the way you listen to the world“Both an affectionate ode to the textures of everyday sound and a sensorial adventure, this freewheeling novel seamlessly integrates lessons in recording, remixing, and engineering, lending the mystery an accessible STEAM sheen.” —Publishers WeeklyMeg Wolitzer is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels for adults, including The Interestings, The Ten-Year Nap, The Wife, and The Female Persuasion; the young adult novel Belzhar; and the middle-grade novels The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman and To Night Owl From Dogfish. Wolitzer lives in New York City.

Charlie Panek is a music and audio producer and editor. He crafts music from scratch using field recordings to turn next-to-nothing into something with restorative and creative problem solving. Panek recognizes that audio is crucial to successful storytelling across various mediums. Found Sound is his first novel.When Felix pressed PLAY, an unfamiliar voice came from the speaker. “And from thing in town branch out and find here on out record what’s all the tallest around.”

“That makes no sense,” Marigold said. “It sounds like the poetry my mom’s friend Annie likes to recite for us when she comes over for dinner. Maybe you’ll hear it sometime.”

“I’m busy that night,” Felix said. He checked the note again. “I don’t think it’s poetry. It almost sounds like a message or something. I think the words are out of order.”

“Could be.”

“What if,” Felix proposed, “the numbers on this sheet of paper tell us how to listen to it? Look at the first one.” He pointed to 00:00:04–00:00:06. “Hold on,” he said. He pressed PLAY again, and as the numbers whizzed by, he heard the beginning of that same recording. But this time, when the numbers hit 00:00:04, he noted whatwas said before 00:00:06 passed. He slammed his finger down on STOP.

“I think ‘Branch out and find’ are the first words in the sentence,” he said to Marigold. She took out her note­pad, and on a fresh page, under the heading Unrelated to Housesmells, she wrote it down.

He repeated what he had just done, but with the sec­ond set of numbers: 00:00:10–00:00:11, watching and listening.

“The tallest,” he heard, and Marigold wrote it down.

After they had gone through the whole list in order, she read aloud: “Branch out and find the tallest thing in town. And from here on out, record what’s all around.”

The skin on Felix’s arms suddenly felt strange. Almost . . . carbonated. He and Marigold stared at each other. He said, “Maybe it’s a riddle. You know, a riddle could be a kind of game, right?”

“Maybe. Which could explain why this box was in a games closet,” Marigold said.

“Okay, let’s say it’s a riddle. You’re the one who lives in Blissfield. What is the tallest thing in town?”