PHIGG & CLYDE SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT

Time-traveling, food-loving siblings Phigg and Clyde Hoffman return in Berkin's middle-grade SF sequel.

This installment opens with a helpful prologue recapping the duo’s previous encounter with Timebreaker Mumpsimus’ diabolical plan to erase breakfast from history; it’s a clever introduction that quickly brings new readers up to speed while refreshing returning fans’ memories. Phigg (short for Iphigenia) and her younger sibling, Clyde, are among the youngest Timekeepers—a special group dedicated to repairing broken timelines and ensuring that history remains on track. They use their Uncle Phineas’ old pocket watch, The Watcher, to navigate the Timesphere, where every conceivable timeline exists; it allows them embark on missions anywhere at any time. Seeking to impress the classmates and teachers at their new school, they both travel into the past: Phigg to interview surrealist artist Leonora Carrington and Clyde to obtain Sandy Koufax rookie baseball cards. They return to find their parents frozen in time—a consequence of bringing objects from the past to the present. Their actions land them in Timeville, a “permanent time-out” for unruly Timekeepers, as they await a hearing before a panel. The pair receive guidance from the Fays, an eccentric couple of former Timekeepers, and their pet lion; soon, the siblings learn how to use the rules of the new world to go on new adventures. However, they also fall for a trick that forces them to go on a mission to save the history of chocolate. Despite occasionally getting bogged down in its own complexities, Berkin triumphantly weaves together elements of history, science, and the culinary arts to deliver a fast-paced, ever-changing story with smart central characters. Along the way, there’s plenty of humor: “You got a hot dog AND a soda for less than a dollar?” Phigg asks Clyde after he visits 1965. “You got change back even? “ The author also includes 10 recipes, from “Easy Mole” to “The Palmer House Brownie Recipe From 1893,” resulting in a book that both delights and informs.

A rich, satisfying story for young readers with a taste for time travel and history.