Jack Davis: Grade 7

Do you like action, adventure, and suspense that will keep you dangling on the precipice of your comfortable seat? Well, The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer is the book for you! This action-packed story has so many plot twists, trials, and victories, you will not be able to guess what the witty characters will do next.

This book is the first in the Gideon Trilogy, and once you read this, you will become hooked. This story takes place in and around London, England, but there is a twist. The first main character, Kate Dyer, lives on a farm with her parents and siblings in Derbyshire, England. Her father works as a scientist. The other main character is named Peter Schock. His mother is an actress, and his father is always traveling to do business with clients. Peter mostly lives with the housekeeper, Margrit, who knows the Dyers. Peter and his father have a big argument, and Peter and Margrit travel to the Dyer’s farm, which is where the two main characters first meet.

Doctor Dyer, the scientist, takes the two children to his laboratory, along with Molly, the Dyer’s golden labrador. Before they know it, the children are chasing after Molly, and they collide with a strange and intricate contraption, leaving them unconscious and in another time. And I do not mean last week. Try 1763!

Now, the two children must work together to find their way home, so Peter can fix his relationship with his father, and so the children can restore their orderly lives. This story involves perseverance, suspense, hardship, and the journey of two children trying to find their way in a similar, yet so different century.

I loved this book, because the two children and their companions really had to use their brains in many situations. Trying to find your way in a foreign place requires mental toughness and quick thinking. The way these characters were able to awaken skills like that was what I liked best about this book.