Time Travel Handbook
Johnny Actonis, David Glodblatt, James Wyllie
Always wanted to go back in time? Perhaps the Fall of the Berlin Wall? Or the eruption of Vesuvus (you know, that volcano that preserved an entire village for centuries…)? Now you can, with illustrations in your tour handbook.
Honestly, this novel wasn’t quite right for me. It’s history, written in a sort of fictional, accessible format. Unfortunately I’m not interested in history at the best of times. I was hoping that this novel would pull me in a bit, but it wasn’t quite powerful enough to overtake me. I read selections of this, and enjoyed those. I made sure to just pick those ones though, English history bores me silly (but I can totally go for the Berlin Wall).
It’s like a modern ‘Where’s Wally’! Except it is more writing focused (although there are suitable pictures). I’d see this as a great gift for teenagers getting into history studies, or younger people. It’s got a great overview and witty take on history that is going to get people less jaded than me into it.
I’m not putting this book down at all. It would really be a fantastic addition to any library that might come in contact with young people. If you’re trying to get someone into history, and you can’t use ‘The Last Samurai’ movie (that’s what we did in high school) to do it, this novel might do the trick.
