Customer Reviews

Ulysses Moore #1: The Door to Time

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

 

 

If you're by chance a Snicket fan
And love that series' style
I recommend you get this one
Out of the new book pile

If breaking codes, like Artemis
Gives you a certain thrill
And solving riddles is your thing
You'll like this one - you will!

Three children find a secret door
(You may recall this plot)
They solve the clues to open it
But Narnia, it's not

The mystery lies way down below
Inside a hidden grotto
You really should try this one out
You'd be a dummy not to

Ships and treasure, ghosts and clues
With more suspense in store
The sad thing is, it's just book one
And we can't wait for more.

Rated: 4.5 stars

Amanda Richards, January 14, 2006

I am a middle school science teacher. I have a lot of students who do not like to read. I am always looking for books that will grab a student's attention. This book definately fits the bill. I was impressed at how easy this book is to read but was still able to keep me wanting more. I enjoyed reading about the three young adventurers and greatly anticipate the second book.

The Door to Time is a wonderful book. I bought it for my grandson. He's twelve and thinks he's too big for me to read it to him, so let me borrow it when he was through.

We discussed it afterward and agreed that it was an exciting adventure ... fun, witty and easy to read.

Mr. Merryweather is off to a great start with the first book in his new series. All the elements that should make it a classic.

Great job; highly recommended for boys and girls. Grandparents, too. LOL

a)A person that would enjoy this book is a person who loves to explore and loves mystery.
b)I thought that the protagonist was very infantile. Jason acts before he think. He plays around with dangerous things and jumps in an unknown place.
c)I thought that the book was okay. It would been great if the book had more action. If it did, then I would have taken care of it like a new born baby.

Twins Jason and Julia move into the magnificent Argo Manor and befriend Rick, a local. Together, they go on a journey to find more about Ulysses Moore and his ship, which he used in his travels around the world. Trouble lurks behind the magical door, with a sheet thrown over it to hide something. What could that something be?

This is a cute book that kids will love. It is an easy read, and has an excellent plot. Michael Merryweather has a great story.

What an exciting adventure. Another book my son is talking about, which I believe others will genuinely enjoy as well. And not just those of his generation.

I found it to be fun and witty. Exciting and thrilling. Great job.

**A book I would also recommend is The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. This, the first installment of The Morcyth Saga is a great beginning for a new author. Battles, magic, gods, secret passages and intrigue, all the elements of a classic epic fantasy! Any fantasy reader will enjoy it.

When the Covenants relocate from London to Kilmore Cove, they find that it is unlike the usual bustling city life to which they had been accustomed. The family moves into an old mansion called Argo Manor, which sits on a cliff high above the seaside town that surrounds it. Eleven-year-old twins Jason and Julia have different reactions to their new home: Jason likes to search for the paranormal and is convinced that Argo Manor is haunted, whereas Julia is a city girl at heart who would rather go shopping. The mansion's caretaker, Nestor, a gentleman with a bad leg, tells them that the former owner was a mysterious man named Ulysses Moore, whose eccentricities, we soon discover, made him as legendary as the Argo Manor itself.

While Jason and Julia's parents go back to London to sign paperwork, they allow the twins to invite their new school friend Rick over for the day while under the care of Nestor. Twelve-year-old Rick Banner has lived his whole life in Kilmore Cove and has been fascinated with Argo Manor since he was small. Rick soon discovers that he isn't the only one who would like Argo Manor, when he overhears the caretaker in an argument with a demanding lady named Oblivia Newton.

When Jason suggests that they make a map of the house, Rick agrees while Julia reluctantly tags along. As they explore the house they discover an unusual diary and dictionary that belonged to Ulysses Moore and a secret locked door that seems to have no key. Soon the friends begin to solve puzzles that lead them on a mysterious grand adventure beyond their wildest dreams.

ULYSSES MOORE: THE DOOR TO TIME is a great book to read, especially with "old" sketches that go along with it. The only problem readers may have is patiently waiting until July, when ULYSSES MOORE #2: THE LONG-LOST MAP comes out!

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle (SdarksideG@aol.com)

First off, the book is marketed as being Ulysses Moore, but is actually written by someone from Italy and has been translated to English. That being said, I think there were some things lost in the translation.

Our three main characters, twins Jason and Julia and their friend Rick, are fun to follow and each of them offers something different. Julia constant sarcasm and joking keeps the mood light, but Rick irked me a bit. The twins are 11 and Rick is 12, but, at times, their dialogue and knowledge base far exceeds their ages.

Still, the story is interesting enough and there is an air of mystery surrounding the twins' home on the cliffside. The manor's caretaker, Nester, is hard to figure out, which I like. I never really knew what to expect from the book, but at the same time, I wasn't really that into it either. The children talk about things that were kind of over my head and I don't see how middle grade aged children can really get a feel for something that they don't really understand.

Aside from that, the story had its pros. Like I said, the mystery will keep the reader guessing about what's going to happen and as the children discover more and more, it's hard to put the book down. Budding explorers will get a kick out of The Door to Time, but they have to want it because the story moves fairly slowly. The ending is what the entire book should have been about, but since it wasn't, I can only imagine that the second book, The Long-Lost Map, is much more exciting.

Opening line: The house appeared suddenly from around the bend. ~ pg. 2

Favorite lines: His destiny was not to die in some dark tunnel. No, he was meant for something more. ~ pg. 161

This is a great book about two 11-year old twins that move to a big old house by the seashore. When they first see the house Jason feels a mysterious force coming from inside the house. Julia only wants to be back in the big city of London. They meet a boy named Rick and together they have to solve the mystery of Ulysses Moore and Argo Manor (the house). Jason is a boy who feels magic, Julia is a city girl, and Rick is a mystery solver and a risk taker.
I thought that this book was the best mystery in the world! It did not have that much suspense but it was a book I could not put down. I think you would like this book if you do not like a lot of suspense. If you like fantasy, ghosts, and secret tunnels though walls where puzzles answers decide your life, this is the perfect book for you.

I suppose I should have known that the book's target audience was under 12 since the main characters are 11, but I was hoping this book would be one of those that transcends age and manages to entertain parents as well. Unfortunately I was wrong.

Having picked this book up because of the fascinating sketch-like artwork on the inside cover, I found it was originally published in Italian and was translated to English. Because of this I was willing to overlook some of the awkward or bluntly short sentences. I was not, however, able to ignore the cheesiness of the plot, the number of times characters did exactly the right thing at the right time because the "felt" it would somehow turn out, etc. I was also puzzled at how Julia is introduced as only liking credit cards and expensive things but she never really acts that way at all (I think there was one thought that passed through her head).

In the end this is essentially a slightly older version of the Magic Treehouse books, and it entertained me about as much. Fortunately, though, I got it from a library and it only took a couple of hours to read. It isn't a bad book, but I certainly wouldn't encourage my kids to read it.