To continue our monthly series of book lists for youth, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library would like to recommend the following titles.
December, 2008 – Time Travel
Time Train by Paul Fleischman. Told to take the “Rocky Mountain Unlimited” while on a field trip, Miss Pym’s class travels back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Grades K-3. Print/Braille book BR 9927.
Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne. Annie and Jack learn that their tree house allows them to travel in time. This time they travel to a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth. #1, Magic Tree House series. Grades 2-4. Braille book BR 14104. Cassette book RC 52354.
The Disappearing Bike Shop by Elvira Woodruff. While paired with a bully for a report on Leonardo de Vinci, John, along with his friend Freckle, become aware of a bike shop that can travel in time. Grades 3-6. Cassette book CBA 7030.
Honus and Me by Dan Gutman. Shortly after 13-year-old Joe discovers a valuable 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card, he gets a mysterious visit from the man himself! They discover that the card allows Joe to accompany Honus back to 1909. #1, Baseball Card Adventure. Grades 3-6. Cassette book CBA 6808 or RC 49915.
Knight’s Castle by Edward Eager. A battered, old, lead soldier takes Roger, Roger's sister, and their cousins back to the days of Ivanhoe and Robin Hood. Grades 3-6. Braille book BRW 338. Cassette book RC 10134.
Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka. Friends Joe, Fred, and Sam discover that a magic book from Joe’s uncle allows them to travel in time. This time they hang out with Sir Lancelot and help defend Camelot from a dragon and a very smelly giant. #1, Time Warp Trio series. Grades 3-6. Braille book BRW 500. Cassette book RC 36216.
Time at the Top by Edward Omondryod. When Susan returns from school and takes her usual ride up the elevator, she finds herself in a strange time and place where she assists two new friends with a problem. Grades 3-6. Braille book BRW 541. Cassette book RC 15197.
Lost in Cyberspace by Richard Peck. Sixth-grader Josh has enough to worry about with his parents’ separation before he accidentally brings a young woman from 1923 into his 1990’s world. Grades 4-7. Braille book BR 10713. Cassette book RC 42808.
Nick of Time by Anne Lindbergh. Jericho passes through a gateway into the year 2094 and discovers a future world of uniformity and overpopulation, where his school has been made into a national monument.Grades 4-7 and older readers. Braille BR 10411. Cassette CBA 6835.
Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander. Gareth, a black cat with special powers, takes Jason to 9 different times in history including Egypt in 2700 B.C., Rome and Britain in 55 B.C., and America in 1775. Grades 4-7. Cassette book RC 36142. Large print book LP 20140.
Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story by Mary D. Hahn. A relative from the past materializes in Andrew’s bedroom. Since the two look very similar, the ghost seems to think that trading places will somehow prevent him from dying of diphtheria. Grades 4-7. Braille book BR 10103. Cassette book RC 44783.
Building Blocks by Cynthia Voight. Brann’s journey in time brings an encounter with his own father when he is 10 years old. For the first time, Brann begins to understand and love the man he knows in the present. Grades 5-8. Braille book BRW 753. Cassette book RC 22140.
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. Twelve-year-old Hannah resents her family’s Jewish traditions until she’s whisked to a Polish village in the 1940’s. Time adjustments are over-shadowed by the immediate danger posed by Nazis determined to send her and her relatives to a death camp. Grades 5-8. Braille book BR 528. Cassette book RC 30370.
Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett. A homeless lady is injured, and Johnny takes her shopping cart to his garage for safekeeping. Then he discovers that the cart's contents can send him back in time from 1996 to war-torn England of 1941. #3, Johnny Maxwell Trilogy. Grades 5-8. Cassette book RC 65099. Large print book LP 14494.
A String in the Harp by Nancy Bond. Unwillingly spending a year in Wales with his family, a boy finds a harp key that will take him back to the 6th century at the time of the poet Taliesen. Grades 5-8. Braille book BR 6788. Cassette book RC 15269.
An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Visiting her grandparent’s Connecticut farm, Polly discovers a time gate that sends her back 3,000 years where she meets a group of travelers: two Native Americans and a Druid expelled from Britain. #4, Polly O'Keefe series. Grades 6-9. Braille book BR 10728. Cassette book RC 43198.
Both Sides of Time by Carolyn B. Cooney. Annie longs for romance, but an unexpected trip to 1895 also brings involvement in a murder and exposure to a time even less kind to women and immigrants. #1, Time series. Grades 6-9 and older readers. Braille book BR 10273. Cassette book RC 46220.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain. Hank, a 19th-century factory worker is transported back to the time of King Arthur where he tries to improve conditions by introducing modern inventions. Grade 6-9 and older readers. Braille book BR 13640. Cassette book RC 52560.
The Transall Sage by Gary Paulsen. Camping alone for the first time, 13-year-old Mark falls into a strange tube of blue light and awakens in a world where a hunter/warrior society dominates. Cassette book RC 47218. Large print book LP 16341.
Time Machines: The Greatest Time Travel Stories Ever Written edited by Bill Adler. Twenty-two time travel stories ranging from Edgar Allan Poe's "Three Sundays in a Week" written in 1850 to Derryl Murphy's "What Goes Around" from 1997. High school and older readers. Cassette book RC 47370.
Link to previous Recommended Reads.