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Look Ahead, Look Back

Name: Look Ahead, Look Back
Author: Annette Laing
ISBN: 978-0-9848101-0-9

From the The Snipesville Chronicles series , Vol. 3

by Annette Laing ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 7, 2012

An often entertaining addition to an enjoyable series, despite some awkward dialogue.

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Three plucky kids from Snipesville, Georgia, travel back to 1752 in this third installment of Laing’s (A Different Day, A Different Destiny, 2012, etc.) time-travel series for readers ages 10 and up.

Siblings Hannah and Alex Dias and their friend Brandon Clark previously traveled back to World War II–era Britain and the Victorian period but were unable to control when and where they went. They received occasional guidance from kooky professor Kate Harrower, who tried to help them solve a mystery each time; this time, however, Harrower is nowhere to be seen. When the kids find a portrait from 1752 of what looks like Hannah’s face, they have the familiar feeling that they’ll be sent traveling yet again. Sure enough, they eventually find themselves back in the same British town of Balesworth where their previous adventures took place, but this time, it’s 1752. Hannah becomes a cook and maid in the home of one Mrs. Jenkins, Brandon becomes an apprentice to a stuffy clergyman named Mr. Osborn, and Alex spends time with local slaves. Together, the trio must figure out how the portrait came to be and how to survive the cruelty of the society around them. The stakes get even higher when they end up in 1752-era Snipesville and realize how dangerous life on a Southern plantation can be. Laing’s third volume retains all the charm and originality of the earlier two, as she uses her three-dimensional characters and engaging storytelling to teach young readers a bit of history. Some of the dialogue, though, especially Hannah’s, remains a little flat; there are too many lines, such as “You and Brandon are such total wusses,” that feel like an adult’s conception of petulant teen speech rather than the real thing. The larger reasons (and rules) behind time travel continue to be a mystery to both characters and readers, which is a bit frustrating after three books. It seems, however, that Laing is leaving these questions open to encourage more sequels—and hopefully she’ll deliver.

An often entertaining addition to an enjoyable series, despite some awkward dialogue.

Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-9848101-0-9

Page Count: 233

Publisher: Confusion Press

Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2016

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
by Annette Laing

- BOOK REVIEW
A Different Day, A Different Destiny
by Annette Laing

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THE SCHOOL FOR THIEVES

From the School for Thieves series , Vol. 1

by Peter Burns ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 26, 2025

A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series.

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An orphaned street urchin is recruited into an elite school for thieves.

In an alternate world where France is the dominant world power, 13-year-old Tom Morgan has had to scrimp, starve, and steal on the streets of London to survive. Born into a workhouse, he doesn’t know anything about his father, while his mother may have been from North Africa. One thing he does know is the sort of cruelty that awaits the poor who are sent to the workhouse, and he’s determined not to go back. But when their camp is raided and his friends are captured by workhouse agents, the only thing Tom can think of is how to get them out. Enter the Corsair, a cunning and mysterious man with a proposition: He wants to recruit Tom into Beaufort’s School for Deceptive Arts. From nabbing treasures to forging identity papers, Beaufort’s promises to teach Tom everything he needs to know to become a Shadow Thief and a member of the Shadow League, the secret global organization that helps keep the world’s political power in balance. But Beaufort’s has its own rules and secrets, and if Tom is to survive long enough to help his friends, he’ll need to figure them out quickly. Clever and gripping, this fast-paced boarding school story will appeal to fans of the Mysterious Benedict Society and Spy School series.

A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series. (Adventure. 10-14)