Imagine that you are in middle school and you are excited to go on a school field trip. But, things start to go wrong 
very quickly. Natalie Mariano, is attending Midway Middle School and is anxious about going on her trip. She feels her mom is a little bit over protective, especially if there is traffic, its too dark or its going to rain. Natalie is given a fieldtrip form that requires a signature from her parents and worries that her parents will not approve for her to go.
Natalie decides to do what she can to prove to her parents that she is reliable and trustworthy, but unfortunately, just before she rides her bike to her friend Zoe’s house, her mom tells her it is too dark. The next day to Natalie’s dismay, her bicycle is stolen and she experiences a setback to her plan of being responsible. Eventually after a long discussion, Natalie’s parents let her go to Philadelphia and Natalie is super excited.
During her field trip, Natalie is given a scavenger hunt assignment list that she has to fill out and complete. On her first day, Natalie visits the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Mutter Museum, which is filled with various scientific and anatomy body parts. Natalie has so much fun with her friends, she decides to stay up late, which causes them to be out of sorts the following morning. On the second day in Philadelphia, Natalie’s trip goes wrong very fast, especially when she is at Washington Square Park with her classmates. Shawn, the troublemaker, plays a prank on Natalie and tricks her into believing there is a snake next to her. In a panic, Natalie jumps up screaming and leaves her cellphone behind. While Natalie and her friend Fiona are visiting the Liberty Bell, Fiona discovers that her puppet sock Argyle is also missing. In a panic, the girls decide to backtrack through the city to find Natalie’s cell phone and Fiona’s puppet sock. The girls end up on a wild goose chase as they end up in various parts of Philadelphia, separated from their classmates and growing more hungry by the minute.
As the clock is winding down to the final hour for their school trip, Natalie finds herself in a panic and fears that she will be stuck in Philadelphia forever, being doomed to eat cardboard granola bars. Finally a brilliant idea pops up in Natalie’s mind, when she decides to follow the other tour groups back to their bus stop. While searching through all of the buses, they run into their annoying school mate, Shawn and find their teacher. Natalie tells her teacher about her wild adventure and her teacher offers to help her find her phone. Natalie and her teacher backtrack to Independence Hall, and thankfully Natalie is able to text her mom, even though the phone is on low battery. Thankfully, a schoolmate has found Fiona’s puppet sock.. So Natalie’s field trip ends on a happy note.
When Natalie returns to school, she remembers all of the places she had visited in Philadelphia, and despite not having her phone on her, is able to create drawings that document her adventures. The drawings are enough for her to earn raffle tickets and be entered into a drawing for a brand new bike. Natalie is super stoked for the drawing but discovers that she ends up winning a yo yo instead. The story ends up on a happy note, when Natalie’s friend Luca wins the drawing and the new bike and decides to give it to his friend Natalie, who needs the bicycle more than he does.
Although the recommended age group for this comic book series is for those aged 8-12, I would recommend this story for younger readers who are attending grades 3 thru 5. The comic book is drawn in a modern comic book style, with thick bold lines and colorful images, which makes it a delightful read for younger readers.
All is Nat Lost
By Maria Scrivan
Scholastic GRAPHIX, 2024
ISBN: 9781338890587
NFNT Age Recommendation: Picture Books (3-8)
