Sunday, August 10, 2008

Nick of Time by Ted Bell


(adapted from previous e-mail posting sent July 28)
Nick of Time is a mixed bag of sailing adventure, pirates, pre-WWII spying, Nazis and time travel. The language harkens back to lush descriptions in an epic style. I am not sure if most young adventure readers will slog through the flowery adjectives to pursue the action. I couldn't figure out how Nick McIver's ancestor knew of his existence, where and when he would be in order to send through the message. Nick's 6 year old sister, Kate, is a hoot and intrepid side kick. Adventure romp with boy appeal, wholesome characters. I wonder if the epic would have been more satisfying without the time travel and with Bell sticking to espionage and wits. NAY

1 comment:

Anna said...

I really enjoyed this book! A great adventure story . . . while I too wondered how Nick's ancestor knew to contact him . . . it wasn't something that bothered me. While I sometimes wondered at Kate's behavior (is it realistic, is it consistent?) the time travel didn't bother me at all - it was integral to the story. Both historical fiction and fantasy, both high seas adventure and Nazi's, I had a swashbuckling good time reading it and was sad when I had to put it down. I hope that we will see more of Nick, Kate, Hobbes, Gunner, and Lord Hawke and their adventures through time! I vote Yay.