The Book of Time #1: The Book of Time
Dramatic cover art will draw readers to this time-travel story, and the fast-paced adventure will hold their interest. Sam's father has been missing for 10 days. Searching a dusty bookstore for clues, Sam discovers a hidden room containing an old book, a strange coin, and an oddly carved stone that send him on a gut-wrenching journey back to medieval Iona, just in time for a Viking invasion. Next, he lands in France during World War I, then in ancient Egypt. After he returns, Sam struggles to understand how the time-travel device works and what it all means. The book ends as he discovers that his father, imprisoned in the castle of Vlad Tepes (a.k.a. Dracula), has sent him a message across six centuries: Help Me, Sam. The appeal of the novel, which is translated from French, comes from both well-drawn characters and a swiftly moving story. With the central mystery as yet unsolved, a villain still unmasked, and Sam's father in peril at the end, readers will be scrambling for the second book of the planned trilogy. Phelan, Carolyn