3 stars
| Interesting read. This is the first Time Twisters book I have read. They had a few at the library and I wasn’t sure which one came first so I just grabbed the one that looked the most interesting to me. Because this is the fourth book in the series, there are references to what happened in the other three books. However, I felt fairly comfortable reading this without having read the previous books. Things probably would have been smoother if I’d read the other books, but there was enough backtracking and explanation that I was able to understand what happened previously and still enjoy this story without much confusion. Having said that, this one is kind of hard for me to rate. The concept itself is reminiscent of the Magic Treehouse book series with the added idea of “fixing” history. Unlike Annie and Jack in the Magic Treehouse books, I didn’t really connect with Abby and Doc in this book. They both appeared pretty one-dimensional, which isn’t all that bad for a children’s book, but they just felt too simplistic to me. Although I did appreciate Doc’s experience on strange and gross history facts. Great way to keep kid’s interests, even those who may be reluctant about history or reading in general. The story itself was interesting, although it gets pretty chaotic at times. There are some fun history facts thrown in (Olympic boxers swallowing their own teeth, athletes competing naked), but with all the other stuff going on, it was a bit hard to tell what was real and what was made up for the book (there is a nice note at the end that does clear up a few of the things that actually happened in real life). As with any time traveling book, the whole concept of time gets really confusing as to how much historical figures know of times after their deaths. I wouldn’t say this is a good book for first encounters with Earhart and ancient Greece, but more so for kids to read after they have a basic grasp on the main ideas and events related to both topics. I will say that the book seemed more interesting after learning that Sheinkin used to write history textbooks. You can definitely tell that this series came from a sincere desire to help kids learn in an interesting format and show kids that history isn’t all boring. I also like how Sheinkin doesn’t seem to focus on males over females in history. The first books focused on Abraham Lincoln, Abigail Adams, Neil Armstrong, and Nat Love, while this one focused on Amelia Earhart as well as Kyniska (which was insanely interesting and I am so glad he included her). I hate when children’s authors seem to think that boys will only want to read books about boys (duh, they will if you teach them that’s what they’re supposed to read). Great example of how a book that focuses on two famous women in history can still be engaging and fun for both boys and girls. Overall, a good book. A bit confusing, but overall fun and engaging with some interesting history facts thrown in. I’m a bit torn as to whether I will continue the series or not. I’m definitely intrigued by it but may tick off some of the other books on my expansive TBR list before tackling another of these books. I’ll probably go back and read at least the first book at some point. Goodreads |