Young fiction book review of Time Travel at Puddle Lane by Emma Shevah
A curious girl sneaks into the closed library to discover the reason behind her librarian’s quirky appearance and finds herself in Georgian London. When her knee-high skirt and necklace invite curious stares, she must find a way to blend into the crowd before they attract unwanted attention.
Goodreads Blurb
The librarian at Ariella and Yosef’s school loves History. She even has a collection of historical objects in the library. When she starts acting strangely, Ariella and Yosef can’t resist investigating. Transported back to Georgian London, how will they get back home? This thrilling story features beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Laura Catalán.
My Thoughts after Reading
This young fiction is about two friends stumbling into a time-travel space in their school library.
Ariella and Yusof’s school is not far from the famous place where The Great Fire of London started. They like their historic school, and most of all, their school library, with their quirky librarian.
I thought the story was well planned out, with how it comes back in full circle at the end. It gave good insight into what life was like during the Georgian era.
I like the subtle way the representation of our two protagonists; Ariella and Yusof are merely children who go to their local school. This is something the target audience can relate. Ariella treasures a gift from her grandmother, again another relatable event. This gift, from a significant event in her life, is mentioned a few times in the story, enough to intrigue the reader to find out more in their own time if they wish. The story remains firmly focussed on their adventures at school and travelling back in time, rather than their culture and heritage.
The lovely illustrations in black and white bring the story to life. 4/5
Opening line: Ariella and Yusof liked their school
Left behind in the mountains, a desperate boy harnesses a cure from the Great Fire Tree. Even when its dark powers brings tragedy, he believes it will bring his mother home again. For readers 11-14 years. More info
A harried mother wants to stay one step ahead of her children’s antics and experiments with the Magic Mixer. A machine invented by a female scientist and engineer, it gives her special animal abilities. But choosing the right animal proves more difficult that she thought. For readers for 6-9 years. More info
Justine Laismith 