Buddy Stebbins lives alone with his 23-year-old lawyer sister Liz after their parents are killed in a small plane crash. In an outlandish attempt to acquire money in order to pay back their father's debts, Liz and Buddy follow directions that are left on their answering machine by a mysterious ancestor, and inadvertently stumble back in time to the year 1692. Buddy is transported to a pirate ship captained by another of their ancestors, John Crackstone.
Liz and Buddy are entangled in a story that has everything- orphans, time travel, witchcraft, pirate ships, magic, and even ghosts. And, yet, even with all that hubbub woven throughout this story, it somehow fails to deliver. So much was squeezed into this chapter book, it felt as though all the parts were spread a little thin. Not that this was a terrible book, I just had a hard time feeling attached to the characters or invested in the action and I found myself comparing this book to others that were not so lacking. If you want a good book about orphans, check out The Thief Lord. If you'd like to read a fabulous kids' book about time travel, try A Wrinkle in Time. If it's witchcraft or magic you're looking for, any of the Harry Potter books will do nicely! Or Ella Enchanted (review coming), if you're looking for something a little dreamier. And, of course, ship drama can be found in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, which was the book that came to mind most often while reading The 13th Floor.
A note to Mr. Fleischman: Maybe a little less pirate ship and a little more magic next time. Or a little less orphans and a little more ghosts. Either way.
Liz and Buddy are entangled in a story that has everything- orphans, time travel, witchcraft, pirate ships, magic, and even ghosts. And, yet, even with all that hubbub woven throughout this story, it somehow fails to deliver. So much was squeezed into this chapter book, it felt as though all the parts were spread a little thin. Not that this was a terrible book, I just had a hard time feeling attached to the characters or invested in the action and I found myself comparing this book to others that were not so lacking. If you want a good book about orphans, check out The Thief Lord. If you'd like to read a fabulous kids' book about time travel, try A Wrinkle in Time. If it's witchcraft or magic you're looking for, any of the Harry Potter books will do nicely! Or Ella Enchanted (review coming), if you're looking for something a little dreamier. And, of course, ship drama can be found in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, which was the book that came to mind most often while reading The 13th Floor.
A note to Mr. Fleischman: Maybe a little less pirate ship and a little more magic next time. Or a little less orphans and a little more ghosts. Either way.
