In England, Jessica and her two brothers meet the spirits of the Princes in the Tower and struggle to solve their centuries-old murder mystery while trying to deal with English hostility from their classmates toward foreigners.
Tournament of Time
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle.
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Gr. 4^-6. When her father accepts a one-year position at the University of York, homesick Jess endures the misery of hearing herself labeled the "stuck-up American" in her new school. From this realistic opening, the novel soon plunges into the realm of fantasy. Jess seeks to solve one of the most famous murders in history with help from the victims, whose spirits speak to her from the stained-glass windows that hold them captive. With two newfound English friends, Jess and her brothers discover who really murdered the princes in the Tower, why their spirits rest uneasily, and how to help them find peace. While an element of melodrama detracts from the climax, readers will find the characterizations subtle and satisfying overall. As in her first novel, The Ghost Cadet (1991), Alphin weaves elements of history and fantasy into an entertaining, modern-day adventure story. Carolyn Phelan
Review
During their yearlong stay in England, Jessica Cooper and her two brothers are drawn into a 500-year-old murder mystery. -- Faces
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Elaine Marie Alphin knew she was going to be a writer before she could even read or write. On early morning walks with her father in San Francisco, she listened to the stories he told, and made up stories to tell him, and she realized then that she wanted to spend her life making up stories. Winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery (Counterfeit Son), the ForeWard Book of the Year Award for Young Adult Fiction (The Perfect Shot), the Society of Midland Authors Children's Fiction Award and Young Hoosier Book Award (Ghost Soldier, also an Edgar Award nominee), the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award (Dinosaur Hunter), two Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators Magazine Merit Awards, and the Virginia State Reading Association Award (The Ghost Cadet), Mrs. Alphin has made writing for children and young adults, and speaking to them at schools and conferences, her dream career. Although she started out as a journalist in Houston, a tip from her husband, Art, drew her to writing for children. Her fiction and nonfiction books for youngsters from beginning readers through teenagers have been selected for Bank Street College lists, TAYSHAS lists, VOYA Top Shelf lists, and 20 Children's Choice state award lists. Although adults occasionally ask when she's going to grow up enough to write for them, Elaine Marie Alphin explains why she loves writing for young readers instead: "I always wanted my writing to challenge readers to question their assumptions, and I discovered that a lot of grown-ups don't really want to question their assumptions. They've made choices and compromises in their lives, and they want to feel comfortable about them. But young readers are still finding out who they are, like I am, I guess. They're the perfect audience for me because they want to consider new ideas in order to decide for themselves which ideas they agree with and which they don't, and work out how they want to live their lives." Elaine Marie Alphin has written one book for adults: Creating Characters Kids Will Love. It's about writing for young readers. Get to know Elaine Marie Alphin better at her website: www.elainemariealphin.com. The Alphins live in Bozeman, Montana, and spend time in South Dakota and Wyoming.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now These Ghosts Are Scary!,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Tournament of Time (Paperback)
My teacher made us read this in class because we were studying knights and castles and the Middle Ages. But I liked it! Anyway - this book is a SCARY ghost story. I read Ghost Cadet by the same author, and that ghost wasn't scary, so I liked this book better. First the ghosts of the murdered kids get INSIDE Jess and her brothers - then the murderer's ghost starts making mean accidents happen to Jess's family, so she figures out who it is. Then she tries to take the kid ghosts home on Halloween - only Halloween in England isn't trick-or-treating, like it is here. It's called All Hallows Eve. And it's when ghosts RISE UP FROM THE DEAD to fix things. See? I said it was scary! The murderer's ghost rises up and Jess has to beat him before he locks her up inside this STONE TOMB!! If you like to be scared, read this book. And if you like knights in armor, read it too. I wish our teacher had found more scary books like this for us to read in class. Maybe next year!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good books by Elaine Marie Alphin,
By Trey Ward (Washington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tournament of Time (Paperback)
This book was a great true murder mystery; I had the pleasure of meeting the author as she told about her about her past and how she becomes one with her characters. I really enjoy reading these types of books and wish for more.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
