Trouble in Time

by Adele Broadbent

Twelve year old Ben Jackson resents being thrown out of his room to sleep in a shabby caravan when his Mum's Poppa, George, comes to stay. Ben finds his great grandfather sullen and grouchy, while 91 year old George thinks Ben spends too much time on the computer.

At first, the generation gap seems impossible to bridge - until the unthinkable happens. Ben is thrown back into 1934 with George (as a boy) in his home town of Marshville. By sheer chance, Ben discovers the way back to the present day, his mind spinning at what has happened. But Poppa doesn't acknowledge that anything's happened. As a result of troubles with his friend Zac, and Poppa's silence, Ben becomes confused and angry and risks travelling back to 1934 again.

This time, however, he is quickly under suspicion back in Marshville, while Zac is in grave danger back home, and their lives are under threat. It is up to Ben to save his great grandfather...and their future.

Genres: Science Fiction, Adventure

260 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Angela Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly enjoyable adventure tale aimed at boys aged probably 9+. There is a delightful contrast here between the modern day and the world in which Ben's great grandpa, George, grew up. Watching the friendship develop between Ben and his elderly relative was both heart-warming and entertaining, and I think also highlights to the young reader that all old folks were young folks once.

When Ben's 91-year old great grandfather comes to live with the family, Ben is rather unhappy. Not only is he pushed out of his room and forced to sleep in a caravan, but the old man is sullen and grumpy and seems to disapprove of everything Ben does. Then, one day, Ben touches his great grandfather's hand and finds himself transported back to 1934, and his poppa's own childhood. George's adolescent years were quite different from Ben's - filled with awesome adventures like fishing for eels and roaming the country with his loyal dog by his side, far different from the world of computers and traffic that Ben knows. But soon he realises - things that happen in the past have an influence on his current present, and one mistake could change everything...

Meanwhile, in the modern-day, there's a new kid in town - Connor, and he's up to no good. Ben is a sensible kid, and quickly sees that Connor is not the sort of person that he wishes to associate with, but Ben's friend Zac is not so canny. As Zac is drawn into events that he is uncomfortable with, but unable to resist, his friendship with Ben begins to fracture.

Fast-paced, with an intriguing plot and good characterisation, "Trouble in Time" serves to entertain and introduce the young reader to the one the world once was - when children could run free in the fields, shooting rabbits and fishing for eels, when cows were milked by hand. It also deals with peer pressure, making the right decisions and standing up for yourself, as well as being a good friend. It is interlaced with wry humour, strong dialogue and an amusing premise and plot. An enjoyable read indeed.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Ben is grumpy that he has to move out of his bedroom into a caravan in the backyard. In fact, he’s almost as grumpy as the 91-year-old great-grandfather that has displaced him from his room. Ben knows right away they are not going to get along.

But then Ben gets a bit of a fright. One day, after school when no one else is home, the old man is not moving in his chair – and he doesn’t respond when Ben calls out to him. Could he be…dead? When Ben goes to shake his great-grandfather to check his status, he suddenly finds himself transported back to 1935, and face to face with 12-year-old George, his future great-grandfather!

The two relatives begin to enjoy their time slipping for different reasons: Ben enjoys participating in the rural activities that are not available to him in his modern city life, while George enjoys reliving his youth and his body feels younger when he returns to the present. However, it is not all positive when time travel is involved. The two quickly learn that what they do in 1935 has consequences in 2014; they need to take care with what they do, limit the visits they make – and they certainly shouldn’t tell anyone else what they’ve been up to.

There soon develops an understanding, respect, and friendship between the two generations. Especially when they discover that someone else is time slipping – and that their intentions may not be so benign…

I really enjoyed the interplay between Ben and George. The time travel has a neat explanation, and timey-wimey plot holes are avoided. This book really makes me hope that when my 94-year-old grandmother appears to be dozing, she has actually time slipped back to Mackford Farm up the Mokau River and is having a grand old time making mischief with her sisters. Thanks for this, Adele :)

(This review was originally published on www.stephellisnz.wordpress.com)

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this. An arrogant pre teen who thinks all old people are dull and boring finds out history is actually interesting.

I quite liked the lesson about guilt by association and standing up for friends too.

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't quite reach its potential. A really fun read, but could have been a little more polished in terms of plot.