My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Billy Townsend is an orphaned boy who tries not to be noticed. He spends most of his time avoiding attention because he has become tired of being picked on by others who look down upon the kids from a care home. Having moved on from home to home, throughout his young life, Billy sees little point in making friends with others, until one day he is surprised to find Jeanie wants to be his friend. She insists on it even though he tells her not to bother, since it is likely he will soon be moving again.
When one day a quirky, elderly man called Dickens takes them on a journey through time they embark upon a fascinating adventure. They meet several brilliant historical heroes, such as Archimedes and Descartes, and Billy begins to learn as much about himself as he does about history. This charming and intriguing coming of age story offers a lot to its young readers: thrills, spills, humour and a few poignant moments when you may shed a tear. The twist towards the end was clever and a surprise and made for a satisfactory conclusion to the story.
The Time Sphere is the device that makes the adventure possible and its origins and eventual destination are as interesting to the reader as are the events that envelope Billy and Jeanie. A E Albert is to be congratulated on her first novel and I expect this book will attract many young fans wanting more. I found a couple of confusing instances in the sequencing of the plot, but nothing that prevented my enjoyment from beginning to end.
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