“The Time Travelers,” by Linda Buckley-Archer
“The Time Travelers,” by Linda Buckley-Archer is the first book in a series of time traveling adventures. This book was formerly known as “Gideon the Cutpurse.”
When an antigravity experiment goes bad and Peter Schock and Kate Dyer are mysteriously thrown into eighteenth-century London, it is the start of an journey that will take the two young people into dangerous situations that their modern day lives have not prepared them for.
No sooner do the children arrive in the past, then their time travel machine is stolen by an infamous eighteenth century villain called the Tar Man. This villain has a grudge against the world ever since he was hung for a crime that he didn’t commit. Fortunately the hanging didn’t kill him, but unfortunately ever since he has been a master criminal and thief. With the help of Gideon, a former cutpurse turned gentleman Kate and Peter must try to recover their time travel machine and return to the present.
Meanwhile in the modern day world investigators are searching for Kate and Peter. With the children’s parents under suspicion and a determined investigator on the case hiding the truth is becoming more and more difficult. Will Kate and Peter return in time to clear the suspicion, or will they even return at all?
Linda Buckley-Archer’s story has a very well researched feel. The characters are interesting and unique. Also the depictions of eighteenth century life are very thorough. But the thrilling plot and action in “The Time Travelers” is the best point of all. The action, intrigue, and treachery make this book a very interesting read. The second book in the series is “The Time Thief.”
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“The Wanderer,” by Sharon Creech
“The Wanderer,” by Sharon Creech is a Newberry Honor Medal winning novel about a sailboating journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
Sophie is a thirteen-year-old girl, who loves the sea and begged her way onto “The Wanderer,” her uncle’s 45 foot long sailboat. With her cousins Cody and Brian and three uncles, Sophie will be able to experience the ocean first hand on a cross Atlantic trip to visit her grandfather.
The story is told through the travel logs of Sophie and her cousin Cody. Little do they know but both of them will be changed forever by this trip. Cody is a fun loving boy who loves to goof off, but he wants to prove himself to his demanding father. Sophie loves the sea, but she fears it as well, and facing the sea personally will help her to uncover a piece of her forgotten past.
The first time that I read “The Wanderer,” I was highly impressed by Sharon Creech’s voice and character development. The plot is very rich and the interrelationships between the six characters who must live in close quarters on the small sailboat make the story interesting. “The Wanderer” is about an epic journey, but the most sublime and important things, I think, happen on the small scale, in the Wanderer’s confines.
Sharon Creech’s “The Wanderer” is an admirable Newberry Honor book that I would definitely recommend to you.
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“Wayside School is Falling Down,” by Louis Sachar
“Wayside School is Falling Down,” by Louis Sachar is a nearly classic children’s book about a very strange school.
Those who have read the first book in the Wayside School series will remember that Wayside School is highly unusual institution. To begin with, the building has thirty stories, one for each class. And although there are thirty stories, there is no nineteen story, as Louis Sachar consistently reminds his readers.
The Wayside School series focuses on the experience of the children in Mrs. Jewls class, the class at the very top of Wayside School, on the thirtieth story. The book is chock full of humor that is obvious satire. For example, when Mrs. Jewls’ class receives a brand new computer with “a full-color monitor and two disk drives” Mrs Jewls uses it to teach the class about gravity – by dropping the computer out of the window. “Thank you…” says Mrs. Jewels, “I’ve been trying to teach them about gravity all morning. We had been using pencils and pieces of paper, but the computer was a lot quicker.”
Throughout “Wayside School is Falling Down” the students will experience strange adventures and even stranger characters. Back in elementary school I enjoyed reading “Wayside School is Falling Down” because it humorous, but now, reading it again from a point of view over a decade later, I see more meaning in Louis Sachar’s writing. Beneath the seemingly shallow storyline is a much deeper philosophical message about the the institutions and traditions that we tend to take for granted.
I would definitely recommend “Wayside School is Falling Down” to any young reader.
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Book Review Carnival #3
Inkweaver Review is proud to be a supporter of the third Book Review Blog Carnival.
This time the carnival is being hosted by Books, Books, and more Books!. Visit the carnival today for links to an impressive collection of book reviews of all genres and for all ages.
“Letters from a Slave Boy – The Story of Joseph Jacobs,” by Mary E. Lyons
“Letters from a Slave Boy – The Story of Joseph Jacobs,” by Mary E. Lyons is a historical fiction novel about a young slave boy and his experienced growing up.
In 1830 Joseph Jacobs would have been considered lucky for a slave. Not only is he living with his free grandmother, but the man who owns him is actually his father and he doesn’t make Joseph work. Joseph is even learning to write from a white boy who is his friend. There is only one problem, Joseph’s mother is still owned by a cruel master who she has run away from. Joseph hasn’t seen her in over seven years, and little does he know, but his mother has been hiding in a attic room right above his head.
But when Joseph finally gets to see his mother again it is on the night that she must flee North to escape slave hunters who have been told where she is hiding. For Joseph this is the start of a journey that will take him thousands of miles on a search for a place where both he and his mother can enjoy true freedom.
“Letters from a Slave Boy – The Story of Joseph Jacobs” is very well written and has several features that I appreciated. The story is based on the real life experiences of Harriet and Joseph Jacobs. Sometimes its difficult in historical novels such as this one to determine which characters are real and which ones are invented. Author Mary E. Lyons list the characters right up front in two categories: “Real,” “Fictional.” The real characters are well designed, sticking to the story, but including enough extra details to add depth and feeling to the plot.
I definitely enjoyed reading “Letters from a Slave Boy – The Story of Joseph Jacobs.” All considered, the book is a good quality piece of historical fiction that teaches lessons about the nineteenth century experience of a young slave boy.
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“The Great Interactive Dream Machine,” by Richard Peck
“The Great Interactive Dream Machine,” by Richard Peck is a science fiction novel about a machine that fulfills dreams, and a sequel to “Lost in Cyberspace.”
When Josh Lewis finds out that his best friend Aaron is working on another high-tech computer experiment he doesn’t realize just how strange this project really is. Aaron is working on a machine that will grant wishes. But the problems begin when Josh introduces a bug in Aaron’s code. Suddenly the machine is responding to everyone’s wants and needs, from the family dog, to the cranky old lady downstairs. In between trying to repair the damage that the device is doing, will Josh and Aaron ever be able to get it working correctly?
I enjoyed reading “The Great Interactive Dream Machine.” Richard Peck’s novel is humorous, but not ridiculous. The characters are interesting and the technological aspect is dealt with in a very balanced manner. I would recommend “The Great Interactive Dream Machine” for its interesting combination of science and humor.
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“Tin Angel,” written by Shannon Cowan
“Tin Angel,” written by Shannon Cowan is the story of a young girl accused of committing murder.
Everything in Ronnie Page’s life changes when her father dies in a car accident. Without her father’s help the family’s mountain lodge starts to fall into disrepair. Ronnie’s mother starts drinking and it appears as if the family may be homeless soon.
Then Louis Moss comes onto the scene. By buying the lodge he gives the family a second chance, but it means that they must move to town, away from the wilderness that Ronnie loves. Ronnie dislikes Louis for what she sees as his involvement in ruining their former life. At the same time she must cope with the peer pressure of other kids at the town school.
When Ronnie goes back to visit her former home and has a chance meeting with Louis, disaster strikes and she is accused of murdering Louis. Ronnie knows that she is innocent, but she can’t reveal everything she knows because she has secrets of her own.
“Tin Angel” is an interesting tale, and its sudden turns and hidden secrets give the book a touch of mystery. Shannon Cowan has created realistic characters for “Tin Angel” and the plot is fairly beleivable. The only thing that slightly disappointed me was that the final court scene where Ronnie will receive her judgement of either guilty or innocent seemed a little rushed. Parts of it were merely paraphrased and condensed. I like the details of court scenes, with the witnesses statements, all of the defense’s arguments, etc. Unlike the complicated court proceedings in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the court scenes in Shannon Cowan’s “Tin Angel” are elaborate in some areas and condensed in others. All in all, though, “Tin Angel” is a great book by a great author.
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“Year of No Rain,” by Alice Mead
“Year of No Rain,” by Alice Mead is the story of a group of young Sudanese boys driven from the village by warfare and drought.
In Sudan the children must grow up quickly because life is short. Eleven-year-old Stephen is a cattle herder in his small village. He wants to become a teacher when he grows up, but education is virtually nonexistent, and his family can’t even grow enough food to eat. Fourteen-year-old Wol is engaged to Stephen’s older sister. He wants to marry because he plans to join the guerrilla fighters and wants to leave behind a family to remember him.
But life for both boys changes completely when they hear bombs in the village’s vicinity. The soldiers are coming again to raid the village and steal the supplies that Red Cross just dropped off for the poor villagers. Stephen and Wol escape into the desert lands of Southern Sudan, separated from the rest of their family.
“Year of No Rain” is about the conditions during the late 1990’s in Sudan. It uses the characters Stephen and Wol to depict the struggle for survival that thousands of Sudanese experienced daily. I found Alice Mead’s story to be touching, and her characters were lifelike and believable. I would recommend “Year of No Rain” as a moving historical fiction story.
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“A Wind in the Door” by Madeline L’Engle
“A Wind in the Door” by Madeline L’Engle is one of my all time favorite books. It is the sequel to Madeline L’Engle’s earlier Newberry Award winning “A Wrinkle in Time.”
The fight between good and evil, first introduced in “A Wrinkle in Time” continues in “A Wind in the Door.” Mysterious signs of unrest are evident. Large swatches of the nighttime sky are being blotted out and the universe seems to be on the verge of tearing apart. At the same time, Charles Murray is dying from a mysterious ailment. His older sister, the main character, Meg must find a way to not only cure him but restore order to the universe.
From the farthest reaches of space to the infinitesimally small world of a mitochondria a battle is being fought, and as usual, even the smallest details are important. The weapons of this war are love and hate, existence and emptiness. Once again supernatural creatures on the side of good take Charles’ sister Meg on a grand journey through space and time to fight against evil and save the universe.
“A Wind in the Door” teaches that size doesn’t matter. Each star, child, and sub cell particle is part of the endless struggle between good and evil, such that the balance of the universe can be altered by the death of even a single cell. The book uses beautiful word imagery and poetry, and descriptive vistas of imagination to share its author’s unique ideas with us. I would suggest it as a remarkable read, and for L’Engle’s marvelous writing style.
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“The Wright 3,” by Blue Balliett
“The Wright 3,” by Blue Balliett is a fantasy mystery that will help you to see the world in a whole new way. It is a sequel to “Chasing Vermeer”
The plot revolves around the Robie house, a mysterious dwelling designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. When the Robie house is scheduled to be dismantled Petra, Calder, and Tommy are drawn into another art based mystery. Not only do the children want to save this masterpiece of architecture, but they also want to investigate the strange happenings that are occurring in relation to the Robie house. Strange voices, moving shadows, and deadly accidents are being reported. In addition, it appears that someone is trying to leave the three sleuths clues using copies of the book “The Invisible Man,” by H.G. Wells. A hidden treasure, a coded message left behind by Wright: will the three young people ever uncover the truth about the Robie house?
What I like most about “The Wright 3,” by Blue Balliet is its complex world. In Balliet’s world everything is connected: there is no such thing as a coincidence. “The Wright 3” and all of Blue Balliet’s other art mystery’s teach readers to look at the hidden patterns and subtly secrets all around us. Not only does “The Wright 3” contains coded messages, but there are hidden creatures in many of Brett Helquist’s marvelous illustrations. “The Wright 3” is an exploration that is not only enjoyable but mind expanding.
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