Tuesday, December 03, 2013

The Accidental Time Traveller - Gift Idea for Middle Schoolers



This was a nice little story appropriate for pre-teens.  I did feel that the story started out slow but the pace improved as the story developed.  Stylistically the author's writing also seemed to grow stronger as the story progressed.

The Accidental Time Traveller is a story about a boy named Saul who stumbles across a girl named Agatha.  Agatha has somewhat accidentally traveled through time and is dismayed to discover that she is stuck in 21st century Scotland - very unfamiliar territory for a girl from Scotland in the 1800's.  It does not take Saul long to believe her account of jumping over 200 years into the future and he resolves to help her return to her own time while helping keep her and her secret safe with a great deal of creativity and with the help of a few trusted friends.

There are several things in Saul's life that young readers will relate to - loving but un-attentive parents (due to the recent births of twin siblings), tight budgets, an annoying teacher, a relentless bully, a motley crew of school friends, lofty wish lists and the desire for recognition.  Saul finds that by relying on those in his life, but especially himself, even the impossible can be possible.

There are several underlying themes that the reader will take away - here are just a few:
- A little creativity can help solve both minor and complex problems
- With drive and passion, great things can be accomplished
- Friends and Family can help you if you let them but you can also manage on your own by being confident and thinking things through
- Things on the surface are not always as they seem
- Sometimes you have to make personal sacrifices in order to do the right thing or help the greater good.
- Do not judge a book by it's cover

A cute story that is appropriate for middle schoolers.

Disclosure:  I received an e-copy of this book for review from NetGalley.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  This review also posted to Good Reads and Amazon.com


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