Falcon and the Carousel of Time [Hardcover]

Luli Gray (Author)

Book Description

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

Falcon is thirteen—too old for magic, too old for dragons and saints, too old to think about the adventures from her past. All she wants is to be an ordinary girl. But Falcon has a family legacy that cannot be denied, and, when her beloved Aunt Emily suffers a heart attack, that legacy and the magic within it may be the only way to save Emily’s life.

Falcon finds herself in New York City circa 1903, accompanied by Aunt Emily (who has managed to reoccupy the body of her own twelve-year-old self) and Allie Cadwallader-Newton (who knows a bit about time travel, thanks to her own adventures). With the help of a few old friends, Falcon sets out to find the way home, but she soon discovers that the situation is not what it seems. And there will be impossible choices ahead.

Once again, Luli Gray transports readers into a world both foreign and familiar, where dragons meet in Central Park and young girls find that they have the power to change their futures, as well as their pasts.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7 -Having dealt with dragons, wizards, and saints in previous series entries, the newly teenage Falcon has come to the conclusion that magic is immature and embarrassing. She's more interested in becoming popular in school and not remaining a nerd like odd Allie Cadwallader-Newton. But she soon changes her mind when she and Allie go to visit Falcon's beloved Great-Great-Aunt Emily. When the elderly woman becomes deathly ill, the girls must go back in time to 1903 with Emily (who is now firmly ensconced in the body of her 12-year-old self) and find a way to save her life. Joining up with a friendly witch, a vaudevillian saint, and a new gathering of dragons, they eventually make their way back to modern-day New York City where Emily must accept the inevitable. Where the prior books were about the problems that face the children of separated parents, this one focuses on the idea that growing up doesn't require leaving magic and wonder behind. Although Gray maintains the joyous whimsical feel of those novels, this one relies too heavily on the characters' charm and not enough on consistent plotting and a strong narrative. As a result, the author's handling of Aunt Emily's eventual death lacks an emotional punch. Purchase only where the previous volumes are popular.-Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Thirteen-year-old Falcon, a veteran of many magical encounters, including hatching a dragon's egg she found in New York's Central Park, has lately decided that she is too old for such nonsense as wizards and witches. But all intentions to drop magic from her life are swept away when her elderly aunt Emily suffers a heart attack and the only way to save her is for Falcon to "timespin" them both back to old New York, circa 1903. With the help of new friend Allie and good witch Blinda, Falcon tries to return to her own time, while saving Aunt Emily's life in the process. Readers will need to be familiar with Falcon's previous two adventures in order to fully grasp the story here, into which Gray somewhat haphazardly melds characters and plotlines from a companion fantasy, Timespinners (2003). While not an essential purchase on its own, this sweet, mildly amusing fantasy will serve Falcon's fans quite well. Jennifer Hubert
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (April 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618448950
• ISBN-13: 978-0618448951
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A fun romp through fantasy!, May 4, 2005

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Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Falcon and the Carousel of Time (Hardcover)

Falcon, at age 13, is reluctant to face the reality of her life -one that is filled with magic, dragons, witches and saints and all things of fantasy. But when her Aunt Emily (who is over one hundred years old) suffers a heart attack, the reluctant Falcon must rely on magic to save her aunt's life.

When Falcon, Aunt Emily (as her young self) and Allie Cadwallader-Newton (who has been a time traveler) go back in time to New York City in the year 1903, they must rely on old friends to find their way home. Along the way there are grand adventures, difficult choices and a surprise ending.

Luli Gray's Falcon and the Carousel of Time will intrigue and challenge the imaginations of children between the ages 10-14. It was a fun read but had an ending I didn't expect - and still don't know how I feel about. However, I recommend this book.