In a weak sequel to Secret of the Seven Willows (1991), the Byram children again travel in time, restoring their amnesiac grandfather Timothy to his family and keeping beloved Bluebird Hall out of the clutches of nasty Horatio Snivell. At the behest of a spectral girl in antique dress and peculiar old Tamburlaine Furshadow, Edith and her cousins make three rescue attempts, meeting Timothy as a lad in a traveling circus and later as an adult. Though Edith fails to bring him into the present, she helps solve some burglaries (the culprit's an earlier Snivell) and saves his life during the London Blitz. She finally tracks Timothy down in her own time; Furshadow turns him back into a child and returns him to his parents in 1912. Because Edith repeatedly finds Timothy, and falls in and out of danger fairly easily, the little tension that does build seems artificial, while the plot hinges on contrivance and arbitrary ``rules.'' McKean offers an intriguing view of time as an eternal Now that is nonetheless capable of slow alteration; but when it comes to story or character development, he barely goes through the motions. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: May 12, 1993
ISBN: 0-671-72998-5
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The editor of Short Circuits (1992) and other anthologies for YAs offers ten stories for a slightly younger audience. In Constance Greene's ``Saturdays Is Peppermint,'' two children flying alone to meet divorced parents find comfort in a discussion of thumbsucking; in Ardath Mayhar's poignant ``Secret Among the Stones,'' a hiker finds a small skeleton and a primitive doll; two students' ``Foolproof Plan'' (Steven Otfinoski) to share answers for a history test goes hilariously awry. Time machines create more problems than they solve in Lensey Namioka's ``LAFFF'' and Robert Lipsyte's ``Future File'' (a glimpse into a newsroom of the next century); in the collection's only ghost story, Judie Angell's ``I Saw What I Saw,'' a dead grocer helps his young stock clerk foil a robbery. Rather than creating exotic literary or atmospheric effects, the authors—all experienced writers for young people—test their characters in familiar surroundings; these are ``stories about kids who take risks, try new things, reach out to others,'' writes Gallo, but seldom in life-or-death situations. Each tale ends with an explanatory paragraph and a thumbnail biography. A pleasingly diverse collection, with only hints of the supernatural. (Short Stories. 10-12)
Pub Date: July 30, 1993
ISBN: 0-06-021440-6
Page Count: 192
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1993
First in the ``Real Kids/Real Science'' series, emphasizing firsthand exploration. The children here are shown collecting, studying, and experimenting with insects at The Children's School of Science at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Well-illustrated topical spreads discuss taxonomy, metamorphosis, and insect orders, and show children preserving and observing common species. But while the aim is to help young scientists explore on their own, Doris offers little safety information: ``Polistes wasps are less easily provoked to sting than yellow jackets or hornets, so observing them at work is relatively safe,'' she advises, without warning of the dangers in observing other wasps. And: ``Swarming bees are usually gentle and easy for a beekeeper to handle''—maybe, but young observers would be wise to keep their distance. Also, children wading in ponds or drainage ditches should have adult supervision and proper equipment. It's a shame that this striking, useful book doesn't give more attention to safe science. Glossary. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: July 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-500-19004-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
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