See You Later, Gladiator (The Time Warp Trio) [Turtleback]

Jon Scieszka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002 | Series: The Time Warp Trio

Everyone’s favorite time-travelers are changing their styles!  The Time Warp Trio series now features a brand-new, eye-catching design, sure to appeal to longtime fans, and those new to Jon Scieszka’s wacky brand of humor.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Gratias tibi ago quia me gladio tuo non fodisti." That's "thank you for not poking me with your sword," a useful phrase for the hapless time-traveling trio, Sam, Fred, and Joe, when they find themselves flunking out of gladiator school in ancient Rome.

While wrestling in Joe's bedroom after school one day, the three accidentally bump into a bookshelf, on top of which is The Book, a magical blue tome with strange silver symbols. As the boys know only too well from previous time wanderings (Summer Reading Is Killing Me, Tut Tut, Knights of the Kitchen Table, etc.), once that hazy green mist starts swirling around them, they're in for another adventure. And what an adventure this one is! From one of the most incredible food-fight scenes in literature, to a two-on-one (two giant hairy gladiators against one puny time warper) test of strength, to a romp through the forbidden Temple of Vesta, our three bumbling heroes--and chortling young readers--get a taste of ancient Rome. Perfectly juvenile humor, suspense, and some quick thinking by the boys makes every title in the Time Warp Trio series a thoroughly satisfying read. (Ages 7 to 11) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Joe, Sam, and Fred didn't mean to open Joe's magic book again, but while they were wrestling, they bumped into the bookcase and now they are back in the golden age of Rome, trying to do as the Romans do, as gladiators. Will their moves, culled from hours of watching WWF, impress in the Coliseum, or are they history? Fear not-the boys triumph in the arena, using their cleverness and ingenuity against tridents and swords. Scieszka has an ear for the fast-paced language and sense of humor of school-aged kids and this book continues to illustrate his talents. McCauley's black-and-white cartoons are a perfect match for the action-packed text. This is an excellent addition to the series and fans of the "Time Warp Trio" will shout "thumbs up" for these three would-be gladiators.
Kate McLean, Dekalb County Public Library, Tucker, GA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606247718
• ISBN-13: 978-0606247719
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Jon Scieszka was born in Flint, Michigan on September 8th, 1954. He grew up with five brothers, has the same birthday as Peter Sellers and the Virgin Mary, and a sneaking suspicion that the characters in his Dick and Jane reader were not of this world. Those plain facts, plus his elementary school principal dad, Louis, his registered nurse mom, Shirley (who once took Jon's Cub Scout den on a field trip to the prenatal ward), Mad Magazine, four years of pre-med undergrad, "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show", an M.F.A. in Fiction from Columbia University, Robert Benchley, five years of painting apartments in New York City, his lovely wife Jeri Hansen who introduced him to Molly Leach and Lane Smith, Green Eggs and Ham, his teenage daughter Casey and almost teenage son Jake, ten years of teaching a little bit of everything from first grade to eighth grade, and the last twenty years of living in Brooklyn...are just some of Jon's answers to the questions, "Where do you get your ideas?" and/or "How did you become a writer?" I don't know, just because, none of your beeswax, and flapdoodle poppycock and balderdash are some more of Jon's answers to questions you can imagine on your own. Jon met up with Lane Smith around 1986 or so, and nothing has been the same since. Their first book, the wiseguy fairy tale retelling, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! was initially rejected by most publishers as "too weird" and "too sophisticated". Published by Viking in 1989, The True Story has now sold over a million copies, been translated into ten languages, and been called a "classic picture book for all ages". Jon and Lane's The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (1992) took the world of the picture book a few steps further. Goofing with the conventions of fairy tales and even being a book, The Stinky Cheese Man became a household word, sold another mess of copies in multiple languages, offended a few purists, and still managed to win a Caldecott Honor medal. Math Curse (1995) further stretched the notion of what subjects make good picture books, selling more books faster than either 3 Little Pigs or Stinky Cheese, and winning a whole slew of awards --all for a book full of mathematics.More recently, Jon and Lane have resurrected fables (in the smart, funny, and a little bit wicked way Aesop would have wanted them) in their latest collaboration, Squids Will Be Squids (1998). No telling where they might take the picture book next. Someone once wrote, "Jon Scieszka has forever changed the face of children's literature." And while there is still some confusion over exactly who that someone was, and whether children's literature does, in fact, have a face, most would agree-from The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! to Squids Will Be Squids, since Scieszka put pen to paper, children's literature sure has been...different.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsomely funny!, December 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: See You Later, Gladiator #9 (Time Warp Trio) (Hardcover)

I am a 4th grade teacher and have a child in my room that is not a recreational reader. He had to do a book report and this book just arrived in our school's library. I picked it up and quickly skimmed the cover. It seemed interesting so I recommended it to William. I recieved a letter from his mother two days later which said she was so happy to see him READING and not wanting to put this book down. Several times she had to check on him because he was either so quiet or laughing OUT LOUD! I could not give a better recommendation than that.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy summer read, July 5, 2001

By 

"mfshermantank" - See all my reviews

This review is from: See You Later, Gladiator #9 (Time Warp Trio) (Hardcover)

My son recently wrote the following:

The Time Warp Trio books contain amazing pictures by Lane Smith and humorous stories by Jon Scieszka (of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales fame). Time Warp Trio books are entertaining and easy to read and were probably written to encourage kids who don't usually read much to read more.

In See You Later Gladiator, the three friends find themselves in Ancient Rome, face-to-face with a gladiator about to make short work of them. They pass themselves off as powerful magicians. Their only hope for survival is to find The Book and skedaddle before they encounter any more sword-wielding gladiators.

Enjoy this "quick" summer read!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars See You Later Gladiator, March 24, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: See You Later, Gladiator (Time Warp Trio) (Mass Market Paperback)

Anthony C. wrote the following:

I gave the book 5 stars. I think the book is good. I think I like it when they fight the gladiator. I also like when they go in the colusseum by the king. It is about when three boys get time traveled to the gladiator time. The gladiators go after the three boys because they want to capture them and kill them. I recommend this book to everyone who likes silly books.