Meyer, William. The Search for the Lost Prophecy (The Timekeepers, Book 2.

Meyer, William. The Search for the Lost Prophecy (The Timekeepers, Book 2. Sleeping Bear Press    2018 205p  $16.99   ISBN 978-1-58536-982-9    elem/ms   Adventure  VG-BN         

This is the second title for Horace J. Edwards and the Time Keepers series. While cleaning out his grandparents’ house, Horace finds a journal kept by his grandfather. He also discovers that the portal for time travel, which he used in the first novel, has been destroyed.  Back in town, Horace and his two friends accidentally find a new portal that leads them to Detroit in the 1920’s. They visit the Scarab Club, headquarters of the Time Keepers secret order. Horace is given a clue to the location of the mystic Benben Stone and is tasked with keeping it safe. Horace knows that enemies also want the location of the stone, and he tries to proceed alone. Failing in that, he seeks the help of his two friends. The stone is saved for now, but Horace receives the news that it is up to him to permanently return the stone to its source, which is a set-up for book 3.
 

This book encompasses time travel, adventure, and excitement that also stresses honoring the past and the value of friendship. Boys will love the adventure and suspense.   

Summary: Horace discovers another portal. This time it leads to 1920’s Detroit.  He is tasked to protect the Benben stone but he needs the help of his friends. Mystery and excitement with time travel.  Grades 3-7.       

Time Travel-Fiction, Fantasy                                                             --Joan Theal

Stanton, Angie. Waking In Time.

Stanton, Angie. Waking In Time. Capstone Publishers   2017  360p  $17.95      ISBN 978-1-63079-070-7    hs/adult  New Adult  VG-BN

As Abbi settles into college life at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she becomes immersed in a time-travel journey that will ultimately lead to solving a family mystery. On her deathbed, Abbi’s grandmother told Abbi to “find the baby”. One morning, Abbi awakes in her same bed, same dorm room, but in a different year as she travels backward in time. With each new jump back in time, she meets some of the same people at varying stages of their lives, including her own spunky grandmother and great grandmother. The historic details about clothing, slang, and events are integral to the novel. Could her grandmother have a sibling that no one knows about? Abbi meets a fellow time traveler, Will, who seems to only travel forward in time. Through their combined efforts, along with those of a physics professor who studies string theory/time travel, the three manage to solve the question of the missing family member. The descriptions, plot devices, and most of all the love between Abbi and Will are compelling. This is a book that is meant to be devoured in one big gulp and then reread for subtle clues at a more leisurely pace.  Perfect for romance fans who believe in fate, mystery lovers who love to untangle puzzles, and readers who want more sophisticated reading than the standard teen romance affords. A perfect bridge from teen to adult reading.              

Summary: A college freshman awakens to find herself in the same bed and same college dorm room, but several years earlier. She has a family mystery to unravel as she travels backward through time. Romance ensues with a fellow time traveler.  Grades 10+.

Romance, Time Travel                                              --Lois McNicol

Taylor, Janet B. Into The Dim.

Taylor, Janet B.  Into The Dim.  Houghton Mifflin     2016  428p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-544-60200-7  ms/hs  Science fiction      VG-BN

Hope, a present-day sixteen-year-old, must rescue her mother from 12^th-century England by joining forces with a secret society of time travelers.    The story starts with Hope feeling out of place with her step father’s very southern family. It seems she doesn’t resemble anyone or fit in with their interests. Her eidetic memory and overboard claustrophobic quirks definitely alienate her from others in the family.

Her mother was killed in a natural disaster when she was delivering a speech at a history conference in a foreign country. Her step father wants to take a trip with a new girl friend, so he presents Hope with the choice of staying with his mother or going to Scotland to visit her mother’s sister’s family. Hope chooses Scotland, where she learns that her mother is still alive and trapped in the age of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

In this novel Hope joins the secret society of Time Travelers (Viators) and uses her gift of unusual memory abilities to cross the Dim and go back in time to rescue her mother from the brutality of political intrigue in the medieval world.

The author has written a fast-paced novel for young adults that will appeal to both science fiction and fantasy writers.      

Time travel-Fiction                                   --Linda McNeil

Meyer, William. The Secret Scarab Beetle.

Meyer, William.   The Secret Scarab Beetle.     Sleeping Bear Press(Cengage)  2016  240p  $16.99  ISBN 978-1-58536-938-6      elem/ms  Fantasy  VG

When Horace J. Edwards’s grandfather unexpectedly dies, his grandmother gives him a cryptic message.  Then a surprise package arrives for Horace and he must determine the relationship between the message and the gift. Once Horace pieces together the conundrum, he finds himself on a time travel mission back to Ancient Egypt in which he must avert an evil deed that could change history forever.

In this fast-paced, adventurous historical novel, William Meyers combines the daily life of a typical eleven-year-old boy with accurate Ancient Egyptian history.  The story brings to life the history of this time period, and it will engage and appeal to young readers.  As the first book in an upcoming series, the ending satisfies the reader but also leave enough questions unanswered to support the arrival of the second book.  Young readers will enjoy this page-turner and find themselves anticipating the next installment.

Summary: When Horace J. Edwards’s grandfather unexpectedly dies, his grandmother gives him a cryptic message, and when a surprise package arrives for Horace, he must decode the message and complete a mission that takes him back to Ancient Egypt.     

Time travel-Fiction, Ancient Egypt-Fiction            --Virginia McGarvey

Sonnenblick, Jordan. Are You Experienced?

Sonnenblick, Jordan.  Are You Experienced?  Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends  2013  294p  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-250-02564-7  jr/sr  Fantasy  VG-BN   

After sneaking into his dad's office, Jimi Hendrix-obsessed guitarist Rich is transported back in time to Woodstock, where he has the opportunity to meet his father as a teenager, as well as his uncle who died before Rich was born.  During his three-day stay, in addition to the opportunity to hear his musical idols perform live, Rich is able to save his uncle's life, and thereby change his father's life for the better in the present.  Historians and music lovers of either gender will find this a joy to read, even if they are not specifically fans of the music played at Woodstock, because author Sonnenblick's thorough research brings delightful realism to the portrayal of Woodstock without lingering on or flinching away from the less pleasant aspects, like people in bare feet walking over glass or the general squalor of an outdoor festival after several days of habitation by thousands of people.  Rich's experiences with both mind-altering substances and the free-love movement are tastefully handled, and the ending is hopeful despite Rich's apparent failure in his self-assigned mission.  It is a satisfying read overall.  

Summary: After sneaking into his dad's office, Jimi Hendrix-obsessed guitarist Rich is transported back in time to Woodstock, where he has the opportunity to change the future and save a life.

America 1960s-Fiction, Rock music-Fiction, Family-Fiction, Time travel-Fiction     

--Bethany Geleskie