The Trolley to Yesterday (Puffin Novels) (Paperback)

by John Bellairs (Author) "For a long time Johnny Dixon had been worried about the professor..." (more)
Key Phrases: pipe tamper, professor glanced, professor sighed, Leander's Tower, Time Trolley, Duston Heights (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Johnny, Fergie and Professor Childermass leave their native New England far behind when they ride an old trolley back in time to 15th-century Constantinople. The Professor dreams of saving the ancient city's citizens from slaughter at the hands of the Turks. Johnny and Fergie are more concerned with simply keeping their crotchety old friend out of trouble. Among the companions' adventures are an encounter with the ghosts of long-dead Crusaders, the opportunity to outwit a would-be Inquisitor, a run-in with another 20th-century time-traveler and the chance to explore Constantinople's supernaturally guarded reservoir. Finally, with the help of Brewster, a sarcastic, talkative statue who claims to be a god of Egypt, Professor Childermass does what he can to change the course of history. Though some readers may find themselves homesick for the eccentric New England setting of Johnny's earlier adventures, Bellairs's vision of Constantinople is as spooky as it is exotic. Crackling dialogue adds extra zip to the companions' already spine-tingling adventures. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Brace yourself for a wild ride. -- Kirkus Reviews

Is there no end to the suspense John Bellairs can create? -- School Library Journal, starred review

There’s suspense and action aplenty. . . . Perfect for the pre-Stephen King set. -- Booklist --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141300922
• ISBN-13: 978-0141300924
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,725,326 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Tale From the Master of Young Adult Fiction!, August 21, 2000

By	Ryan Costantino (Nowhere, Special) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Trolley to Yesterday (A Bantam-Skylark Book) (Paperback)

Johnny, Fergie, and Professor Childermass are back and it seems the cantankerous old coot has something special in his basement. A time machine! Well, actually a Time Trolley! When Johnny and Fergie notice the Professor acting strange they decide to investigate, instead of finding the Prof one step closer to insanity they find that he has an honest-to-God time machine that allows him to travel to Constantinople right before its fall to the Turks! The Professor has a hair-brained, but well intentioned scheme to alter the course of history (and save more than a few helpless souls) but alas, things do not always go according to plan.

With grand, Bellairsian style the inseparable trio come across ghosts, statue guardians, Turkish hordes, and a really cool thingamajig that allows them to fly only by uttering a few simple words. With any John Bellairs book you know you're in for a treat, and although The Trolley to Yesterday is amongst some of the master author's lighter works it never fails to entertain. So if you're a fan of the fantastic hop aboard The Trolley to Yesterday!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bellairs' most ambitious novel., January 20, 2004

By	Robert Meagher (Champaign, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Well, Johnny, Fergie, and the Prof are back at it again. Only this time their adventure lies on another continent, in another century.

This is John Bellairs at his absolute peak of creative ability. The cast of characters ranges from an amusing, tongue-in-cheek ancient Egyptian god (in the form of a floating bird statue of course), and an inventor who's harebrained schemes rival that of the professor's, to the more frightening gothic images of medieval ghosts, and talking stone heads. The locations are more exotic than ever before. And the fact that the main characters find themselves in the middle of the Ottoman Turkish siege of Constantinople, lends itself to a great deal of drama almost by default.

True, Bellairs asks the reader to suspend their disbelief a little more than ususal, (I mean, how likely is time travel in an old trolley?) but the rewards are even greater than normal.

The most different, and also the best of the John Bellairs collection.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Back through time, April 7, 2003

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Time travel in fantasy is now such a cliche that it's a bit hard to write anything original about it. But John Bellairs managed. "Trolley to Yesterday" has a bunch of intriguing twists and unexpected events, and while it doesn't have as much supernatural content, it still is an enjoyable read.

Professor Childermass is acting even more oddly than usual, which is saying something. When Fergie and Johnny try to investigate his weird behavior (including sand on his carpet and talking to himself), they find the professor having a conversation with Brewster, a magical Egyptian statue. He admits his secret: Behind a bricked-up wall is a time-travelling trolley. And the boys hitch a ride when Childermass travels back in time to save the city of Constantinople from invasion.

The problem? They arrive a little too late, and the city is being overrun by Turkish soldiers. As they struggle to make their way back to the trolley and the safety of the future, they encounter the trolley's creator (who accidently got left behind during one of its previous excursions), a deranged monk, and a group of ghostly Crusaders. But then Johnny is poisoned, and the only cure means going back to Constantinople -- and back into danger.

Usually time travel books are full of cliches, and this one has a few, but you probably won't notice them. Kids who read this book may become interested in the Byzantine Empire -- while Bellairs doesn't present huge amounts of historical detail, he gives enough to be very, very interesting. (There's also a dash of Egyptian stuff too) There's adventure, humor and the odd way of getting around.

Johnny and Fergie remain the surprisingly courageous duo of previous books, the shy boy and his brasher, jokier pal. Professor Childermass is crusty, sometimes a bit irrational, but very lovable. And Brewster (a deity of Upper and Lower Egypt) really steals the show with his dry little comments. .

This book proably has one of the lowest amounts of supernatural stuff of Bellairs' books. Certainly it doesn't have much in the way of horror. But there is a great twist about halfway through, where our heroes are aided by a group of ghostly Crusaders, who are trying to make amends for sacking the city centuries before. I suppose Brewster technically counts as supernatural, and he provides a lot of the humor (such as translating a Turkish soldier's words as "Butter and eggs, and a pound of cheese!").

"Trolley To Yesterday" isn't Bellairs' best novel, but it is an intriguing and informative historical book that adults may enjoy as well, especially if they're Byzantine buffs. Good fun.