Customer Reviews

The Book of Time #1: The Book of Time

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked this up in an airport bookstore, and, even though I am 36, I was not disappointed. It was clearly written to preteens, but it held my interest nonetheless. The story was clever, but what impressed me most was that it was a fun read without any suggestive themes or gratuitous violence. Many books written for this age group make me blush when my 10 year old son is sitting nearby. Also, they are often so scary as to cause nightmares in children. This one I will hand over to him without worrying about either of those issues. Is it the greatest book ever written? No, but it is much better than many I have read for this age group.

When you receive this book - and I URGE you to purchase it for yourself or a teen - remove the dust cover and discover that the book itself is a treasure. The artwork is excellent, both back and front - the text is readible without a problem and the pages of the book are good quality. Do not enter the story expecting the usual time travel. This book was not written by an American and it differs a bit in writing but is a playful read. I am an adult who likes to read about time travel so I will purchase younger books to fill in the spaces between my other reads. Mr. Prevost is an interesting writer, including fact with fiction in an understable (for younger people) way and an amusing and interesting way for older readers. This book is a pleasurable diversion from TV and I would purchase it for any younger reader. I enjoyed it myself and am looking forward to the sequel.

This isn't the first time Sam's dad has disappeared. According to Sam's grandparents, Allan Faulkner was always an odd kid, but he pretty much settled down when he married Sam's mom. In the three years since Sam's mom died, Allan seems to have reverted back to his own little world. One that sometimes involves him disappearing for days at a time. Never for ten days in a row though, and he's NEVER forgotten Sam's birthday. Sam's pretty sure there's more going on then an unexpected business trip.

Having escaped a judo tournament due to cancellation, and a beating from his much larger archenemy by feminine intervention, Sam is off to do some investigating. While Sam has lived with his grandparents, and cousin Lily, since the beginning of the year, Allan is still living in the house/bookstore he runs. That seems like the best place for Sam to start looking for clues.

Sam finds his way to the basement of the old house. There he finds a hidden room, a strange book, an old coin of some kind, and a strange-shaped stone that seems to be making noise. Sam feels almost drawn to the stone, and when he touches it... Let's just say the adventures truly begin.

Sam's dad seems to have found a way to travel through time! And now time has sucked Sam in, too. Sam is beginning to suspect that his dad is caught somewhere in the past. With the help of this crazy stone and some other coins, Sam just might be able to rescue him. That is, if he can figure out how to get out of the random places he keeps getting sent to, and find a way to wherever his dad went. Plus, he'll have to find a way to keep his grandparents from worrying about his disappearances, and keep Lily's nosy mom and her boyfriend out of his way. Oh yeah, and he still has make it through the judo tournament and possibly through the bully who wants to smash his face in.

I love time travel books, and this story does not disappoint. For a book that's not too thick, and reads very quickly, there's a whole lot packed in to it! And it's so much more than just a time travel story. These characters seem like real people, with normal problems. It's a recognizable family that's trying to hold itself together, in spite of very strange occurrences.

Sam has such great adventures, both in the past and in the present. I wish I could do all of it, except I'm not sure I could think as fast as he does at times!

The book ended much sooner than I wanted it to. I wanted to keep reading more and more about Sam, and his family, and his travels. Maybe I can find a time traveling stone to the future, so I can read all of the books that I hope come next! Even if I have to wait, I look forward to as many of these as I can get.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

I read this book to preview it for my 10 year old son who like adventure books with a male protagonist. This was a great book. He read it and loved it. We can't wait for the sequel. Hopefully this will be a long and enjoyable series. We highly recommend this book.

The Book of Time seems to be aimed at young teenagers, but as an adult I found it interesting and suspenseful enough to keep me up past my bedtime. The young man, Sam, who travels back in time, is a believable character and he and his friends and family in the present are vividly drawn characters.

He travels back to historical hotspots, where only his smarts and some luck and help by people he finds there keep him out of difficult circumstances (like death). One of the author's goals is to make the reader interested in history, and I'd say he succeeds. It's quite an imaginative book.

I picked up this book for my 11 year old daughter, and I ended up reading it first. Time travel is one of my favorite themes in books and movies, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that a book for a younger reader would hold my interest. *I* can't wait for the next book in the series to come out. I'm purchasing an extra copy to place in the school library so others at my daughter's school can enjoy it, too. I highly recommend this book.

This book was awesome. It started off slow but it was really exciting. Just an amazing book as per my son.

When the reviewers for this book say it is a fast read, what they are really saying is that it is barebones and superficial. Characters are just sketched in. The plot is moved along at a very fast pace through lots of explication by incidental characters who, sometimes in a single paragraph, explain to Sam where he is, what's happening, and what has to be done next. It's almost like an "executive summary" of a longer, better book.

That said, there is no reason not to consider this book as a viable option for introducing a young reader to the genre. The hero is a decent enough sort. The time travel is fun, as are the history lessons. The writing is coherent and avoids obvious cliche. The overall plot is fairly engaging, if terribly predictable.

And, the length is actually sort of a strong selling point. I've been amazed at how many sci-fi books aimed at the 9 to 12 audience weight at at 375 or 400 pages. That's a huge commitment to demand from a young reader who also has Little League and clarinet practice. Weighing in at 213 pages this is a real book and a satisfying read, but also manageable.

So, worth a try, but don't expect to be blown away.

Received a free, advance copy of this book. Must admit, I'm a sucker for time-travel as a theme. This book is clearly aimed at the Harry Potter set and was an enjoyable enough way to pass time. I can't however, say I recommend this book or that I'll read the sequel/s to find out how the story ends. The plot reminded me a bit too much of The Time Warp Trio, there is nearly a chapter on a Judo tournament that was so tedious I had to skim past, and there are no strong female characters to speak of (there is a promising cousin, but the character will have to be fleshed out and a larger part of the story for her to qualify in my book).

This book reads like a movie. It is action-packed and filled with exciting wonders! I read it to my 9 year old boy who fell in love with it! I highly recommend this book!