On Etruscan Time [Hardcover]

Tracy Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

A shadow moved in the doorway of the building. It was a boy. As he hesitated, someone must have pushes him from behind. He stumbled down the short stairway and fell heavily to his knees.
He couldn't break his fall, Hector realized, because his arms were tied behind him.

A mysterious talisman transports a boy back to ancient Italy

No one ever listens to Hector. He wanted to hang out with his friends this summer, but instead he's stuck in Italy at an archaeological dig with his mom. The ancient Etruscan artifacts are interesting, but no one has time for him.

Then he makes a discovery of his own-a strange, unsettling stone that looks like an eye. The stone brings nightmares about Arath, an Etruscan boy who died thousands of years ago but now begs for Hector's help. Are these just dreams, or is Arath really in danger? As Hector unearths the truth, he realizes that he can make himself heard when it counts.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8 -Eleven-year-old Hector feels invisible. His parents don't listen to him and don't seem to care that he doesn't want to go to Italy for the summer with his mother. When they get there, he begrudgingly finds himself enjoying helping at the archaeological dig where she assists as an Etruscan-language specialist. When Hector uncovers a strange stone with an eye carved into it, he is unprepared for what happens next. That night in the darkness of his bedroom, he realizes that the stone is glowing and beckoning him back to the archaeological site--and back in time to help an Etruscan boy named Arath from being ritually sacrificed. Barrett's accurate description of the archaeological dig and the details of Etruscan daily life are well researched and interesting. The plot holds excitement and suspense as readers wonder if Hector will find a way to save his friend. While reluctant readers may find the Italian and Etruscan words and phrases difficult to field, a glossary of terms for each language is appended. This is a good choice for kids who are interested in time travel or history.-Anna M. Nelson, Collier County Public Library, Naples, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Eleven-year-old Hector would rather spend the summer in Tennessee with his friends, but, as usual, no one listens to him. Instead, with the rest of his family involved in different projects, Hector will travel to Italy with his mother, an ancient-language specialist invited to assist an archaeological dig of an Etruscan village. Hector becomes more enthusiastic once he is allowed to apprentice on the dig, where he unearths a mysterious stone that propels him, through dreams, to Etruscan times. Through terrifying time-warp trips between now and then, he meets and tries to save a young boy from possible execution. Some readers may get bogged down with the time-travel logistics and the sophisticated background history, but Hector's frustration about being "invisible" to grown-ups will reverberate with most kids, and Barrett's vivid details, particularly the day-to-day work of archaeologists, will capture readers interested in ancient civilizations. Appended material includes an author's note explaining more about Etruscan life, as well as Etruscan and Italian glossaries. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (April 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805075690
• ISBN-13: 978-0805075694
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,259,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up mostly in New York state. I went to college in New England and graduate school in California.

The first book I ever read by myself was called Little Bobo and His Blue Jacket. I still have it. I learned to read when I was three, but I know now that this doesn't mean much. My brother didn't really read until he was seven, and now he reads more and remembers it better than I do.

I have a husband, two grown children, and two crazy Jack Russell terriers.

I teach Italian and other subjects at Vanderbilt University, but I've handed in my resignation and plan to retire in May, 2012, to write full time. I love doing school visits and hope that when my schedule doesn't mean that I'm working while kids are in school, I'll be able to do more of them.

I like to travel, especially to Italy, and especially with my family. I used to skydive (that's how I met my husband, but on the ground, not in the air!) but I haven't jumped out of an airplane in a long time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History, mystery, and time travel!, May 22, 2005

By 

Alan Gratz "Author" (Western North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Etruscan Time (Hardcover)

Eleven-year-old Tennessean Hector reluctantly forfeits part of his summer vacation to accompany his mother on a small archaeological dig in Italy, where a team is searching for artifacts from the ancient Etruscan civilization, precursors to the mighty Romans. But the archaeologists are running out of time - if they don't find something more interesting than pottery shards, their sponsors will back out and close up shop. Hector joins in, but his most significant find appears to be a tourist's bauble - until it begins to glow mysteriously one night, leading Hector back down to the dig site, and then into the depths of antiquity itself. There Hector meets an Etruscan boy named Arath, who will soon become the very bones the archaeologists have already found in a sacrificial pit - unless Hector can save him!

Parents will find Hector's honesty and openness refreshing, while younger readers will immediately identify with the boy's feeling that the adults in his life aren't taking him seriously. ON ETRUSCAN TIME is at once a tantalizing glimpse into an obscure yet significant Western culture and an intriguing life-and-death mystery. Will the archaeological dig be shut down? Will Arath be sacrificed to ancient Etruscan gods? Can Hector find a way to save both? Time is certainly on his side . . .

Recommended for girls and boys of all ages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Suspend Disbelief, March 28, 2006

By 

Sharon L. Goodman "S. Lee Goodman" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Etruscan Time (Hardcover)

Time-honored advice on how to write a "great" story says that an author's text must convince a reader to suspend disbelief.

Tracy Barrett has presented her readership with another great story. While her suspenseful book ON ETRUSCAN TIME educates, entertains and delights, it also fueled my willingness to suspend disbelief. After all, is it not reasonable to dream that somewhere in time or space a "magic-eye" stone exists with which remarkable experiences are possible?

Quoting Albert Einstein's comment, "The distinction between past, present, and future is only an illusion, however persistent." is one small example of Ms. Barrett's genius feel for her subject. I highly recommend this book for all readers but particularly for those whose hearts, minds, and imaginations are without age.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Etruscan Time, March 30, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: On Etruscan Time (Hardcover)

This book is about a boy named Hector. He takes a trip to Italy with his mom and meets a strange boy named Arath. Arath takes Hector back in time to the ancient Etruscans. I thought this book was cool and had historical details that were very interesting. It wasn't very exciting, but I still liked it because I learned about the ancient Etruscans. I think other people that are about 10 to 15 years old would like it, too if they like history.