The Time Travelers: Book One In the Gideon Trilogy (Gideon Trilogy #01)

Previously published as Gideon the Cutpurse.

1763

Gideon Seymour, thief and gentleman, hides from the villainous Tar Man. Suddenly the sky peels away like fabric and from the gaping hole fall two curious-looking children. Peter Schock and Kate Dyer have fallen straight from the twenty-first century, thanks to an experiment with an antigravity machine.

Before Gideon and the children have a chance to gather their wits, the Tar Man takes off with the machine — and Peter and Kate's only chance of getting home. Soon Gideon, Peter, and Kate are swept into a journey through eighteenth-century London and form a bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable treachery.

"Two 21st-century British children visiting a science lab disappear into thin air and turn up in the English countryside in 1763, where they are befriended by the title character, a reformed thief. The 'anti-gravity machine' that inexplicably facilitates Kate and Peter's time travel is immediately stolen by a villainous character known as the 'Tar Man,' and a rather leisurely chase to retrieve it ensues. The narrative alternates between Gideon and the kids' 18th-century journey to London, which features numerous scrapes with murderous footpads and highwaymen, and present-day events involving much parental hand-wringing, a police investigation and a media frenzy. Debut author Buckley-Archer brings the England of King George III to life with ample (and often gruesome) period detail. (Served a slab of Stilton at a chop house, Peter notices 'half a dozen weevils which shared the plate.') The characters, however, seem curiously flat. Kate is defined by her glossy red hair and, constrained by her period garb and convention, never gets to do much; Peter is even less distinct. The author constructs their relationship as antagonistic (they have only just met when the story opens), making for lots of petty bickering of the kind heard on a long car ride with squabbling siblings. Readers may find Gideon, having lost nine of 10 family members to scarlet fever, a sympathetic figure, but he is somewhat idealized. After a rather lengthy run-up, this first volume in a planned trilogy ends in a dramatic cliff-hanger. Ages 10-up. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"A breathlessly paced adventure....[N]onstop action, appealing secondary characters and healthy dollops of humor, all of which will have readers panting for the sequel." Kirkus Reviews

"Buckley-Archer may very well give J. K. Rowling a run for her money. This wonderfully rich and complex novel, written in lyrical and vivid language, is destined to be a classic." School Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Historical detail here is both excellent and engagingly intertwined with what would be adventure in any era: highwaymen, royalty, prison, and a corrupt judiciary. As the first in The Gideon Trilogy, this tale ends on just the right note of suspense..." VOYA

"The author, Linda Buckley-Archer, penned an original adventure that takes these young people into all kinds of mischief. The characters feel real and older then the cover portrays them." Children's Literature

Gideon Seymour, an 18th-century gentleman, befriends Peter Schock and Kate Dyer, who have fallen straight from the 21st century as the result of an accident with a cubic antigravity machine from Mr. Dyer's top-secret experiments. Now the future of history is in all their hands.

Linda Buckley-Archer, a scriptwriter and journalist, began writing Gideon as a radio drama. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

Contents

To the Reader

1. The Birthday Treat

In which Peter looks forward to his birthday treat and subsequently argues with his father

2. Peter Misses an Important Telephone Call

In which Peter makes the acquaintance of the Dyer family and a hair-raising encounter with a Van de Graaff generator triggers an extraordinary chain of events

3. The Three-Cornered Hat

In which Peter finds himself in a puzzling and precarious predicament

4. The Howl of a Wolf

In which the police and Kate come to some conclusions about their predicament and the children spend the night in a birch wood

5. A Breakfast of Grilled Trout

In which Peter goes fishing and Kate gives her companion a fright

6. Lost in Time

In which Peter and Kate discover that their troubles have only just begun

7. The Hospitality of the Honorable Mrs. Byng

In which Peter and Kate make the acquaintance of the Byng family and Peter demonstrates his soccer skills

8. The Tar Man's Tale

In which Peter and Kate plant a cedar of Lebanon and Gideon tells the story of the Tar Man

9. The Journey Begins

In which the redoubtable Parson Ledbury insults Gideon and the company sets off for London

10. Attack!

In which Dr. Dyer meets the NASA scientists and the travelers make an unwelcome acquaintance

11. Lord Luxon's Tragedy

In which Detective Inspector Wheeler's suspicions are aroused and Gideon recounts how he met Lord Luxon

12. A Parliament of Rooks

In which Detective Inspector Wheeler is perturbed by a photograph, Kate talks to a famous scientist, and Peter sees something very shocking

13. Pandora's Box

In which Dr. Pirretti shows her true colors and Gideon tells the story of his namesake

14. Gideon's Strategem

In which the parson preaches a curious sermon and the party shows their bottom

15. A Pact Made in Blood

In which Inspector Wheeler goes on the warpath, Peter and Kate make a solemn promise, and London exposes some of its attractions and its dangers

16. Two Covent Gardens

In which the children finally make the acquaintance of the Tar Man at the Black Lion Tavern and then disrupt a juggler's street show

17. Queen Charlotte's Promise

In which Inspector Wheeler's exchange with Dr. Pirretti takes an unexpected turn, George III lays his hands on Jack, and Kate resorts to desperate measures

18. Into the Net

In which the children answer some difficult questions and Gideon walks into Lord Luxon's net

19. A Race Against Time

In which the parson insults some macaronies and displays his knowledge of horseflesh, and Gideon rides against the Tar Man

20. Newgate

In which Gideon languishes in Newgate prison, the children meet a famous author, and a chance meeting leaves Kate overjoyed

21. The Straw Men

In which Dr. Dyer explains the disappearance of the antigravity machine, and Gideon's situation goes from bad to worse

22. Tyburn

In which the party gathers at Tyburn, the Tar Man makes an unexpected appearance, and this story comes to an end

Author's Note

Acknowledgments