The Missing: Book 1 Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This book is another children's novel, and again is a nominee for this year's Sasquatch (kid's choice) Award.
"Found" is the first book in a new series...and its an attention-grabber, to be sure. The book opens with a passenger jet arriving unscheduled in the middle of the night at an airport; there is no pilot, no record of the flight, no crew - and the only living things on the plane are babies, one to each seat.
It's a good opener, and the book continued to hold my interest from there. The pacing is good, the tension and forward plot momentum is sustained, and the characters are believable and realistic. Kids who are confident readers will not want to put this book down, and it also scores points for being one of those rare gems that will appeal equally to boy and girl readers. I don't want to give too much away, but suffice it to say that this book falls into the "X-files" genre of fantasy/science fiction: the truth is out there and, yes, it does involve both time travel, sinister clandestine organizations, and a government conspiracy. Its good, gripping, page-turning writing.
My only fault with the book would be its length; although 314 pages is not over the top, it's really the fact that the length is just gratuitous. There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary filler and details in the book that could/should have been edited out. It almost seemed like the author or publisher just wanted a fat-looking book, and padded the story accordingly. I think this book could have weighed in at a more kid-friendly 250 pages and been even more brisk and captivating.
That's just personal preference, though; at the end of the day, this was a book that I really enjoyed reading, and one that I know my students will enjoy reading as well. Now it's just a matter of waiting for Book 2...