Brandon and the Totally Troublesome Time Machine

by Seth Fishman, Mark Fearing (illustrator)

A fun, inventive romp of a picture book about a boy who travels back to yesterday to fix his homework but gets into a battle across time with his past and future selves, from award-winning author Seth Fishman.Brandon built a time machine! (It wasn’t that hard.)Now, he can visit super cool moments in world history (as well as family history). But what Brandon really wants to do with his time machine is FIX HIS HOMEWORK. (He might have done poorly because he was busy building his time machine.)Will future Brandon be the solution to all of past Brandon’s problems? Or is not wanting to do homework a timeless dilemma?Perfect for fans of Corinna Luyken’s The Book of Mistakes, this humorous yet heartfelt story playfully explores the importance of being on your own team and facing challenges head-on rather than fixating on the past or looking to the future. Illustrator Mark Fearing's fresh, retro art style brings wit to every page.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2024

About the author

Seth Fishman is a native of Midland, Texas (think Friday Night Lights), and a graduate of Princeton University and the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. He spends his days as a literary agent at The Gernert Company and his nights (and mornings) writing. He lives in LA with his wife and son.

His first picture book (with Isabel Greenberg Illustrating), A HUNDRED BILLION TRILLION STARS, won the Mathical Prize, was a Boston Globe Horn Book Honor Book, and was named a best book of 2017 by Amazon, Space.com and the Planetary Society. His follow up picture book, POWER UP, is out March 19th. He's the author of two YA thrillers, THE WELL'S END and THE DARK WATER.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: The morning started like any other day except that....Brandon invented a time machine!!

Premise/plot: Brandon has invented a time machine. However Brandon struggles with time management and a time machine can't solve all his problems. Especially when self-sabotage is at play. Can Brandon learn to better manage time?

My thoughts: I was here for the silliness. I loved the premise of this one. I do wish, in part, it was less lesson-y. On the one hand, it was relatable! It was slightly funny to see Brandon so at odds with himself. On the other hand, it leaned more towards teaching a lesson than telling a story here and there. Now, it is more silly than serious. I did enjoy it some. I just didn't love, love, love, crazy love it. I think the potential to love was definitely there.

[Jessica Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brandon and the Totally Troublesome Time Machine is one of those books that has a message — facing challenges, living in the present — but kids will be so involved they might not even notice they’re learning something.

Brandon and the Totally Troublesome Time Machine is a laugh-out-loud book that kids will want to read on repeat. Seth Fishman’s enjoyable text is paired with Mark Fearing’s comedic illustrations. The two are perfectly matched, providing readers with something entertaining and just plain fun.

I can totally see little ones making up their own text or taking or reading the speech bubbles. It would quickly have become interactive in my own home when my kid was younger.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hilarious. The humor will definitely appeal more to adults than children, since adults have the cultural frames of reference and life experience to fully relate and get all the humor, but kids will enjoy the zany silliness as well.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be a fun read aloud for older kids, but I got confused by the past and future Brandon's and how it all worked that I decided it would be too much for a kid. But it's a cool idea in theory.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quirky and unique and has a lovely message. I think it might work better as an independent reading book or a side-by-side read aloud with pauses to read the illustrations rather than a whole group read aloud.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chaotic, confusing, and not particularly interesting.