A sharp, swashbuckling series entry that promises bolder—and darker—times ahead.
This YA sequel pits time-hopping tweens against gangsters and pirates in search of an ancient relic.
The Mellor siblings—Becky, 13, and her brother, Joe, 12—are once again leaving Manchester, England, for a vacation at Bowen Hall. They await Uncle Percy Halifax, who drives a 1963 Volkswagen Camper. He’s late, however, which wouldn’t be odd if not for the fact that Percy uses the van to travel in time. Once he materializes—stranded in a tree—the inventor activates the Memoraser on the siblings’ mother to keep her from knowing time travel is possible. Later at Bowen Hall, Becky and Joe revisit friends plucked from various historical eras, like medieval hero William Shakelock and Gump, the baby Triceratops. The Traveling Times paper also reminds Becky that her father, John, remains lost in some era and the Global Institute for Time Travel searches desperately for him. Suddenly, a motorcyclist crashes the hall’s placidity. Time-traveler Bruce Westbrook has arrived to warn that he’s seen the murderous Otto Kruger back in the 18th-century Caribbean. Worse, Westbrook presents a pair of gold coins that “radiate evil” and a story about zombie sharks. With the battle for the legendary Golden Fleece behind them, the heroes must now track down and protect Pandora’s Box. In this endearingly madcap installment, Ashmore (The Time Hunters, 2012, etc.) marries a love of history with plenty of intellect and action. The lore surrounding Blackbeard the pirate features heavily, and readers learn that he was supposedly “killed by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy in the winter of 1718.” Ashmore’s prose is informative for YA audiences and incisive enough to ensnare older readers. In Al Capone’s Chicago, the glittering chandeliers of the Palmer House Hotel “shed a warm flush over...stylishly dressed people talking very loudly, as if mere volume alone would secure their standing in the cream of Chicago society.” Further surprises await, like the scalpel-wielding George Chapman and the notion that “God created five relics,” the hunt for which may lead to John Mellor.
A sharp, swashbuckling series entry that promises bolder—and darker—times ahead.Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9568595-5-6
Page Count: 220
Publisher: Addlebury Press
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A short, simple, and sweet tale about two friends and a horse.
A novel tells the story of two spirited girls who set out to save a lame foal in 1952.
Mary, age 12, lacks muscle control of her legs and must use a wheelchair. Her life is constantly interrupted by trips with her widower father to assorted doctors, all of whom have failed to help her. Mary tolerates the treatments, hoping to one day walk unassisted, but her true passion involves horses. Possessing a library filled with horse books, she loves watching and drawing the animals at a neighboring farm. She longs to own one herself. But her father, overprotective due to her disability and his own lingering grief over Mary’s dead mother, makes her keep her distance. Mary befriends Laura, the emotionally neglected daughter of the wealthy neighboring farm owners, and the two share secret buggy rides. Both girls are attracted to Illusion, a beautiful red bay filly on the farm. Mary learns that Illusion is to be put down by a veterinarian because of a lame leg. Horrified, she decides to talk to the barn manager about the horse (“Isn’t it okay for her to live even if she’s not perfect? I think she deserves a chance”). Soon, Mary and Laura attempt to raise money to save Illusion. At the same time, Mary begins to gain control of her legs thanks to water therapy and secret therapeutic riding with Laura. There is indeed a great deal of poignancy in a story of a girl with a disability fighting to defend the intrinsic value of a lame animal. But this book, the first installment of the Dream Horse Adventure Series, would be twice as touching if Mary interacted with Illusion more. In the tale’s opening, she watches the foal from afar, but she actually spends very little time with the filly she tries so hard to protect. This turns out to be a strange development given the degree to which the narrative relies on her devotion. Count (Selah’s Sweet Dream, 2015) draws Mary and Laura in broad but believable strokes, defined mainly by their unrelenting pluckiness in the face of adversity. While the work tackles disability, death, and grief, Mary’s and Laura’s environments are so idyllic and their optimism and perseverance so remarkable that the story retains an aura of uncomplicated gentleness throughout.
A short, simple, and sweet tale about two friends and a horse.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Hastings Creations Group
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nonpreaching testament to the power that comes from knowing and accepting yourself.
A lyrical tale that demonstrates how a voyage of self-discovery can be more important than an outer journey.
The legend of far-off Opal Cavern has long tantalized the humanlike races that inhabit the agrarian land of Tarth: Stallis, who live above ground as we do, and the taller, curly haired, semiaquatic Wassandras, who move between the surface and the golden Wasso Lake that is their home. The villagers and lake dwellers share a belief in a divine intelligence called the Plete and a peaceful, mutually supportive way of life that has them moving in and out of each other’s lives and homes. They come together to send out an expedition in search of the cavern and to take care of those who stay behind. The energetic center of both groups belongs to Curl, a young, headstrong Wassandra, whose heart is set on joining the quest, exploring the world and marrying a Stalli. The ultimate destination, Curl discovers, is within the self, where she confronts physical limitations and her true nature. Every step is slow, methodical and resonant with enormous forethought and care. This third book in the Tarth series has the gentle pace and simplicity of a YA novel, and its sufficient exposition can stand on its own. Despite the journeying framework, Byrd (The Brueggen Stones, 2007) presents not so much an action-packed story as a heart-centered exploration of the complex affections and relationships that link individuals, families, communities and species. Even Tarth’s horses contribute their own knowledge and wisdom to the quest. Compassion, kindness and trust in divine guidance are as organic and matter-of-fact as the physical laws that govern the golden waters of Wasso Lake.
A nonpreaching testament to the power that comes from knowing and accepting yourself.Pub Date: May 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-1602903241
Page Count: 216
Publisher: OakTara
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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