Mutiny in Time

This latest attempt at a multiplatform, multivolume, multiauthor adventure is best approached as pulp fiction, as it doesn't hold together as well as its successful conceptual predecessor, the 39 Clues series. Dashner has constructed a seven-book time-travel arc and is responsible for the first and last titles, with others to be completed by such authors as Carrie Ryan and Matt de la Pena. Here, we're introduced to Dak and Sera, self-proclaimed history and science nerds who live in an alternate America presided over by the mysterious evil power SQ. After stumbling upon the Infinity Ring, the tweens find themselves hurtling through the ages to right wrongs, protect Aristotle's legacy, and save Christopher Columbus from a mutiny, all just in time for a French Revolution teaser finale. The standard first-volume hazards (slow start, no resolution) bedevil the text and are exacerbated by underdeveloped characters. Still, the yet-to-be-revealed interactive-package experience seems certain to buoy the ship. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy and the 13th Reality series are blockbusters, and the supplemental 3-D online game and full-color poster-map will further stoke the fires. Initial demand is a sure thing.--Medlar, Andrew Copyright 2010 Booklist

"History is broken, and we need your help to fix it." What kid could turn down an invitation like that? Not fifth-grade best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste, who star in this kickoff to the seven-book Infinity Ring series (Lisa McMann, Matt de le Pena, and others will write subsequent titles). Dak and Sera live in an America beset by natural disasters and controlled by an organization known as the SQ (also, there are 48 states, and the U.S. capital is Philadelphia). Passionate about history (Dak) and science (Sera), both friends are drawn into an ancient conflict between the SQ and the Hystorians, who hope to correct "Breaks" in Earth's time line. Via the Infinity Ring device Dak's parents invented, Dak, Sera, and 16-year-old Hystorian Riq travel to 1492 Spain to prevent a mutiny against Christopher Columbus aboard the Santa Maria. It's a quick, straightforward adventure with a successful mix of action, adventure, and historical substance. An interactive online Infinity Ring game debuts alongside this installment; the second book, Divide and Conquer by Carrie Ryan, arrives in November. Ages 8-12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 4-6-History is broken and three teens must use the powers of the infinity ring to go back in time and fix it. Written by several authors and including an online component, this multi-platform series builds on the popularity of "The 39 Clues." Narrator Dion Graham is the common thread, developing individual voices that easily differentiate the characters, and using pitch and pacing to enhance the excitement. Older listeners should check out Dashner's dystopian "Maze Runner" books. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kicking off a multiauthor, multimedia thriller series modeled on The 39 Clues, this paint-by-numbers opener endows three teenagers with a football-sized time device and sends them back to 1492 to keep Columbus from being killed in a mutiny. Strewing early scenes with clever "what's wrong with this picture?" references like a flag with 48 stars and the national capital as Philadelphia, Dashner hooks up self-described "Time Nerds" Dak (mad about history), Sera (ditto science) and Riq (ditto languages), with the Hystorians. Set up by Aristotle after the premature assassination of Alexander, this secret organization is meant to identify other history-derailing Great Breaks (through intuition, apparently) and to assist travelers from the future in fixing them. The Hystorians are opposed by a powerful group called SQ for no clear reason except that, you know, there have to be Bad Guys. Logic not being the strong suit here, the Time Nerds' first mission with the newly invented Infinity Ring takes them not to ancient Macedon but to 15th-century Spain. This and subsequent print volumes end on cliffhangers that segue into gamelike, online-only sequels (not seen) set in other eras and accessible with pass codes provided on foldout clue sheets. Off-the-shelf adventure modules, stocked with familiar character types and set into a scenario that is nonsensical even by the usual low standards of formula time-travel adventure. (Science fiction. 10-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This latest attempt at a multiplatform, multivolume, multiauthor adventure is best approached as pulp fiction, as it doesn't hold together as well as its successful conceptual predecessor, the 39 Clues series. Dashner has constructed a seven-book time-travel arc and is responsible for the first and last titles, with others to be completed by such authors as Carrie Ryan and Matt de la Peña. Here, we're introduced to Dak and Sera, self-proclaimed history and science nerds who live in an alternate America presided over by the mysterious evil power SQ. After stumbling upon the Infinity Ring, the tweens find themselves hurtling through the ages to right wrongs, protect Aristotle's legacy, and save Christopher Columbus from a mutiny, all just in time for a French Revolution teaser finale. The standard first-volume hazards (slow start, no resolution) bedevil the text and are exacerbated by underdeveloped characters. Still, the yet-to-be-revealed interactive-package experience seems certain to buoy the ship. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy and the 13th Reality series are blockbusters, and the supplemental 3-D online game and full-color poster-map will further stoke the fires. Initial demand is a sure thing. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

"History is broken, and we need your help to fix it." What kid could turn down an invitation like that? Not fifth-grade best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste, who star in this kickoff to the seven-book Infinity Ring series (Lisa McMann, Matt de le Peña, and others will write subsequent titles). Dak and Sera live in an America beset by natural disasters and controlled by an organization known as the SQ (also, there are 48 states, and the U.S. capital is Philadelphia). Passionate about history (Dak) and science (Sera), both friends are drawn into an ancient conflict between the SQ and the Hystorians, who hope to correct "Breaks" in Earth's time line. Via the Infinity Ring device Dak's parents invented, Dak, Sera, and 16-year-old Hystorian Riq travel to 1492 Spain to prevent a mutiny against Christopher Columbus aboard the Santa Maria. It's a quick, straightforward adventure with a successful mix of action, adventure, and historical substance. An interactive online Infinity Ring game debuts alongside this installment; the second book, Divide and Conquer by Carrie Ryan, arrives in November. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Aug.)

Gr 4–6—In an alternate reality, fifth-graders Dak Smyth and Sera Froste discover a time-travel device invented by Dak's parents called the Infinity Ring. After a test run leaves his parents lost in time, the friends learn of a secret group called the Hystorians who claims that there are breaks in the past that have caused history to go off course. They plan to use the Infinity Ring to fix those breaks and, as Dak and Sera are the only ones able to use it thanks to a DNA-lock implemented by Dak's parents, the kids are enlisted to help. Events necessitate a rushed departure from the present when the SQ, a mysterious organization that seems to run the world, attacks the Hystorians's headquarters. Dak and Sera disappear into the past, joined by Riq, a teenager with a talent for languages to complement Sera's scientific expertise and Dak's historical knowledge. They are charged with fixing the Great Breaks in time to save the future from a Cataclysm of natural disasters. This is the first title in a multiplatform series patterned after "The 39 Clues" series (Scholastic). It includes a code to unlock an online game or mobile app. Action drives the narrative, leaving little time to develop characters and relationships. Events happen very quickly and there are missed opportunities to probe more thoroughly ethical questions raised by Dak and Sera about changing history, as well as which events to change. Still, the brisk action and interactive component will likely attract readers, particularly those who devoured "The 39 Clues" titles.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL