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.