Book Talk: Nick MacIver loves reading tales of adventure in the lighthouse where his family lives. But when a mysterious old chest washes ashore and pirates appear on his island, he finds himself in the middle of his own adventure. The infamous Billy Blood takes his dog hostage to get his hands on the contents of the chest. Now Nick must travel back in time and fight on the high seas if he ever wants to see his dog alive again.
Rocks my socks: The use of time travel allows Nick to fight Napoleon's army while his younger sister helps the British gather essential intelligence on the Nazis. All the while time-traveling pirates fight them in both eras. The combination of these two pivotal moments in history allow the stakes to remain high and the pace to move quickly along. I enjoyed Nick's sister in particular and her quick-thinking. I appreciate that the younger sister got to have her own adventure.
Rocks in my socks: The book was all about what it means to be a hero, and I'm not sure I agree with Bell's definition. Other than the fact that his definition seems to be pretty narrow and connected entirely with the military, he also defines it as being without fear. At one point Nick is in the middle of battle and he loses all fear and thinks to himself that that is what it means to be a hero. I always thought of fear as being an essential part of courage. Courage to me is doing what you believe in despite fear. I particularly wouldn't want readers to walk away with the lesson that if they feel fear they are cowards.
Every book its reader: I'd give this to anyone interested in either the Napoleonic Wars or the lead-up to World War II or anyone looking for a classic style adventure novel. I listened to the audiobook, which was well read and the fact that both a Nick and his sister are followed would make this a good book to listen to as a family on a road trip.
Nick of Time by Ted Bell
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