Going, Going, Gone

April 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-A whirlwind, humorous adventure of three middle school students who travel back in time with the help of their librarian. Matt and his friends, Louis and Grace, notice some odd things in their school library-Albert Einstein pops up, Vikings storm the bookcases, and Jackie Robinson tosses a ball in the corner. The librarian, Ms. Tremt, dismisses each strange occurrence with a laugh and a casual comment. The trio soon find the Book of Memories and realize that it is actually a time travel portal. Matt decides to travel back to the summer of 1951 and learn about the accident that prevented his grandpa from becoming a major league baseball player. Most of all, he wants to know why Grandpa says, "Because of the accident, I met the girl I was going to marry, so it was all worth it." Should Matt try to change the past and ensure that his grandpa gets to play in the major leagues? Though the characters are in middle school, the ideal audience for this light and funny adventure is mid-elementary students. VERDICT Hand this fun new series starter to chapter book readers who have outgrown the "Magic Treehouse" books.-Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.