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Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop
A laugh-out-loud, edge-of-your-seat time-travel adventure perfect for fans of The Last Last-Day-of-Summer and City Spies from NYT bestseller, Kyrstal Sutherland.
Twins Pearl and Patrick are no ordinary twelve-year-olds. They’re geniuses, hiding in plain sight, who pull heists all over the world to further their scientific and historical research. Their criminal activity, including grand theft auto, B&E and even espionage, have made them a regular nuisance to both the CIA and MI6. But it’s all been worth it. They’ve finally achieved their greatest triumph: time travel. Pearl’s Chrono-Loop can take the twins anywhere! Their first stop ancient: Egypt where they even get to see King Tut!
But when they return home, they’re arrested by T.I.M.E.— The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry—a secret organization charged with maintaining the timeline. Turns out Pearl and Patrick didn’t invent time travel—that happened two hundred years ago! And what Pearl did in ancient Egypt—killing a mosquito—could have rewritten history as we know it if not for T.I.M.E agents stepping in.
Punishment for disrupting the timeline is normally 100 years in the Eternal Abyss. But T.IM.E., impressed by the pair, offer them a chance to become agents. Unfortunately, they fail their entrance exam, and instead are banned from ever attempting time travel again. Pearl is infuriated and when she’s offered another chance at time travel from a rival organization, Pearl can’t resist. Too late, she realizes she’s been tricked and unwittingly plays a hand in replacing the timeline they know with a nightmarish scenario.
Now Pearl and Patrick must fix their mistake. But the only way to save the future is to go back to the past to enlist the true inventor of time travel for their help.
Twins Pearl and Patrick are no ordinary twelve-year-olds. They’re geniuses, hiding in plain sight, who pull heists all over the world to further their scientific and historical research. Their criminal activity, including grand theft auto, B&E and even espionage, have made them a regular nuisance to both the CIA and MI6. But it’s all been worth it. They’ve finally achieved their greatest triumph: time travel. Pearl’s Chrono-Loop can take the twins anywhere! Their first stop ancient: Egypt where they even get to see King Tut!
But when they return home, they’re arrested by T.I.M.E.— The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry—a secret organization charged with maintaining the timeline. Turns out Pearl and Patrick didn’t invent time travel—that happened two hundred years ago! And what Pearl did in ancient Egypt—killing a mosquito—could have rewritten history as we know it if not for T.I.M.E agents stepping in.
Punishment for disrupting the timeline is normally 100 years in the Eternal Abyss. But T.IM.E., impressed by the pair, offer them a chance to become agents. Unfortunately, they fail their entrance exam, and instead are banned from ever attempting time travel again. Pearl is infuriated and when she’s offered another chance at time travel from a rival organization, Pearl can’t resist. Too late, she realizes she’s been tricked and unwittingly plays a hand in replacing the timeline they know with a nightmarish scenario.
Now Pearl and Patrick must fix their mistake. But the only way to save the future is to go back to the past to enlist the true inventor of time travel for their help.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2025
4 people are currently reading
3704 people want to read
About the author
Krystal Sutherland
10 books4,426 followersKrystal Sutherland is an internationally published author. Her latest novel for young adults, House of Hollow, was released by Penguin in April 2021. Sutherland's first novel, Chemical Hearts, was published in over 20 countries and was named by the American Booksellers Association as one of the best debuts of 2016. The film adaptation, produced by Amazon Studios, stars Lili Reinhart (Riverdale) and Austin Abrams (Dash & Lily); Sutherland served as an executive producer on the project. Her second novel, A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares, was published to critical acclaim in 2017 and has been optioned for adaptation by Yellow Bird US. In 2018, she appeared on the annual Forbes “30 Under 30” list. Originally from Australia, she has lived on four continents and currently calls London home.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 13, 2025
Pearl and Patrick aren’t your average 12-year-olds; they're genius twins who pull off globe-trotting heists for research! Their biggest score yet? Inventing time travel! First stop: ancient Egypt. First oops: swatting a mosquito that almost wrecks history.
Cue T.I.M.E, the snarky time cops who inform them they didn’t invent time travel and they just failed the agent exam. Banned from jumping through time, Pearl vows she’s done until a shady rival offers her one more trip. Too bad it leads to a nightmare future only she and Patrick can fix by teaming up with the real inventor of time travel!
Think Artemis Fowl meets Doctor Who, with banter, chaos, and a lot of questionable life choices!
⚡️Thank you StoryGram Kids, Krystal Sutherland and Martin Seneviratne for sharing this book with me!
Cue T.I.M.E, the snarky time cops who inform them they didn’t invent time travel and they just failed the agent exam. Banned from jumping through time, Pearl vows she’s done until a shady rival offers her one more trip. Too bad it leads to a nightmare future only she and Patrick can fix by teaming up with the real inventor of time travel!
Think Artemis Fowl meets Doctor Who, with banter, chaos, and a lot of questionable life choices!
⚡️Thank you StoryGram Kids, Krystal Sutherland and Martin Seneviratne for sharing this book with me!
September 9, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
A time traveling tale with two genius siblings who have to evade the grips of the T.I.M.E. syndicate after accidentally altering the present by a seemingly small mishap while traveling to the past. This was a fast-paced adventure, and all of the events Pearl and Patrick found themselves in were fun and interesting. I am interested to see where the series goes in the next book.
A time traveling tale with two genius siblings who have to evade the grips of the T.I.M.E. syndicate after accidentally altering the present by a seemingly small mishap while traveling to the past. This was a fast-paced adventure, and all of the events Pearl and Patrick found themselves in were fun and interesting. I am interested to see where the series goes in the next book.
August 26, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this digital ARC!
Who knew that the author of House of Hollow would do such a good job at writing a wholesome middle grade time traveling romp?
Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop is Krystal Sutherland’s first project with new co-author (and husband!) Martin Seneviratne, and hearing that she was writing a middle grade novel piqued my interest. As an adult reader, I generally don’t read below upper YA, but sometimes your inner child yearns to return to the misery that was middle school.
When I review childrens’ books, the primary question I have in the back of my mind is: would I recommend this to my childhood self?
The answer for Time Lions is a resounding yes. Full to the brim with heart, adventure, and self-discovery, Time Lions could be described Indiana Jones meets Spy Kids meets Horrible Histories. However, it’s also more than an amalgamation.
Focusing on genius twins Pearl and Patrick who find themselves swept into inter-dimensional politics when Pearl builds a time machine, Time Lions is as much about the twins learning how to live in the present as it is about them exploring the past. It’s about them getting in touch with their heritage, managing to be an accessible criticism of whitewashed (and male-washed) history that’s perfect for younger readers to digest.
I know that 12-year-old me would have immediately connected to Pearl. Heck, even adult me found herself resonating with her feelings of insecurity, frustration, and pride. Knowing that children of today (especially South Asian children) have characters like Pearl and Patrick to see themselves in is a balm for my soul, and I’m excited to see what this writing duo drums up for the sequel.
Who knew that the author of House of Hollow would do such a good job at writing a wholesome middle grade time traveling romp?
Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop is Krystal Sutherland’s first project with new co-author (and husband!) Martin Seneviratne, and hearing that she was writing a middle grade novel piqued my interest. As an adult reader, I generally don’t read below upper YA, but sometimes your inner child yearns to return to the misery that was middle school.
When I review childrens’ books, the primary question I have in the back of my mind is: would I recommend this to my childhood self?
The answer for Time Lions is a resounding yes. Full to the brim with heart, adventure, and self-discovery, Time Lions could be described Indiana Jones meets Spy Kids meets Horrible Histories. However, it’s also more than an amalgamation.
Focusing on genius twins Pearl and Patrick who find themselves swept into inter-dimensional politics when Pearl builds a time machine, Time Lions is as much about the twins learning how to live in the present as it is about them exploring the past. It’s about them getting in touch with their heritage, managing to be an accessible criticism of whitewashed (and male-washed) history that’s perfect for younger readers to digest.
I know that 12-year-old me would have immediately connected to Pearl. Heck, even adult me found herself resonating with her feelings of insecurity, frustration, and pride. Knowing that children of today (especially South Asian children) have characters like Pearl and Patrick to see themselves in is a balm for my soul, and I’m excited to see what this writing duo drums up for the sequel.
October 19, 2025
Pearl and Patrick, genius twins. Pearl, only 12 with a backpack full of gadgets and ready to go. Patrick aspires to a world full of libraries, and loves nothing more than…canceled plans.
Already on the MI6 and CIA watchlist for their Area 51 heist, and slew of experiments, they now get entangled with an organisation called The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry (TIME). They are the time police, an idea that Stephen Hawking surfaced: a Chronology Protection Agency made time travel impossible.
The twins travel to Egypt in Tutankhamen’s time and return to find a London with sphinxes and hieroglyphics…because Pearl swatted off a mosquito destined to bite Tutankhamen, that led to his death.
In an action-packed, although unrushed manner, this mess leads them onward to the 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, and eventually to the 495 pivotal battle in Sri Lanka.
This fun middle grade adventure had a high nerd factor on history, and timeline conundrums and most of all, good character development. Co-written by married couple Krystal Sutherland and Martin Seneviratne (a doctor in AI tech), it already points to the next adventure 40,000 years ago.
📚: @definitelybooks (ARC)
Already on the MI6 and CIA watchlist for their Area 51 heist, and slew of experiments, they now get entangled with an organisation called The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry (TIME). They are the time police, an idea that Stephen Hawking surfaced: a Chronology Protection Agency made time travel impossible.
The twins travel to Egypt in Tutankhamen’s time and return to find a London with sphinxes and hieroglyphics…because Pearl swatted off a mosquito destined to bite Tutankhamen, that led to his death.
In an action-packed, although unrushed manner, this mess leads them onward to the 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, and eventually to the 495 pivotal battle in Sri Lanka.
This fun middle grade adventure had a high nerd factor on history, and timeline conundrums and most of all, good character development. Co-written by married couple Krystal Sutherland and Martin Seneviratne (a doctor in AI tech), it already points to the next adventure 40,000 years ago.
📚: @definitelybooks (ARC)
September 20, 2025
I really liked the Sri Lankan tie-in as I know of few books to recommend to students of Sri Lankan background. However, I wasn't as engaged with the story as I would have liked. It required too much suspension of disbelief for me.
Review based on a DRC received through NetGalley.
Review based on a DRC received through NetGalley.
July 20, 2025
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
November 2, 2025
This is such a fun middle grade novel, combining historical and general knowledge fun facts with the classic 'clever kids getting stuff done when adults can't' narrative. On top of that, the grappling with the 'not like other girls' narrative and fixing your mistakes makes this a complex and deep book, which explores colonialism and learning to love your roots. Perfect for fans of Alex Rider-esque books looking for a more diverse read!
Thank you to HarperCollins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to HarperCollins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews