Sel­dom do authors write about themes that are cen­tral to Judaism in young adult sci­ence fic­tion. How­ev­er, this series is an excep­tion. Using time trav­el as a vehi­cle, the author illus­trates how one person’s deeds can change the world. In this book, the main char­ac­ters fight evil and try to cor­rect the mis­takes of history. 

The author takes us on an adven­ture where the three main char­ac­ters — Eli, Thea and Clyne — time trav­el to 583 BCE. At the start of the book, they are all in jail because the gov­ern­ment thinks they are spies. How­ev­er, when Thea con­tracts slow pox and the dis­ease endan­gers the entire pop­u­lace, the gov­ern­ment lets Eli and Thea time trav­el to Jerusalem (where the dis­ease orig­i­nat­ed) to find a cure.

In addi­tion to a slow pox out­break, Jerusalem is expe­ri­enc­ing great upheaval dur­ing this peri­od. The city and the Tem­ple have been destroyed and the peo­ple are bereft, fear­ful, and angry. The sto­ry focus­es on the ways in which the main char­ac­ters address these prob­lems and cope with Thea’s dis­ease. In addi­tion to the excit­ing plot, the author uses many oth­er sci­ence fic­tion devices that young peo­ple will enjoy. They will watch the char­ac­ters simul­ta­ne­ous­ly trans­late lan­guages that are not their own and expe­ri­ence cre­ative ways to time trav­el. Addi­tion­al­ly, stu­dents will see the neg­a­tives of trav­el­ing through time — loss of friends, loss of fam­i­ly, loss of home. Not only does this book show how peo­ples’ actions can be trans­for­ma­tive, but it also lets a young read­er learn about his­to­ry in a dra­mat­ic and excit­ing way. For ages 10 – 13.