FOUND SOUND

A summer of boredom becomes an unexpected adventure of discovery and reconciliation.

After a septic explosion shuts camp down early, 11-year-old Felix Frank faces a tedious July in Blissfield, Massachusetts, where his family spends each summer. Overshadowed by genius younger brother Miles and feeling alienated from absent older brother Dylan, Felix discovers a mysterious wooden box in the closet. Inside: a field recorder with a cryptic audio message launching him and his 11-year-old neighbor Marigold Tanizaki-Weathers—a fearless girl with hair dyed multiple colors who wears combat boots year-round—on an elaborate scavenger hunt. The clues immerse them in sound science: anechoic chambers, frequencies only animals can hear, and images hidden within recordings. What begins as a puzzle slowly reveals a deeper purpose as Felix uncovers connections between the hunt’s locations and his own forgotten memories. Wolitzer and Panek construct a genuinely original premise, weaving acoustic phenomena into both plot mechanics and emotional architecture. The sound-science elements enlighten rather than overwhelm, while the mystery’s resolution delivers resonant meditations on family and disconnection. Felix’s journey from tuned-out middle child to engaged participant feels earned, and the conclusion may border on implausible, but it’s deeply touching. Felix is described as pale-skinned, but characters’ racial identities aren’t explicitly noted. Final art not seen.

A harmonious blend of STEM intrigue and heartfelt emotion that emphasizes listening closely to what really matters.