The Time Machine Next Door: Rule Breakers and Kiwi Keepers

By Author / Illustrator

Iszi Lawrence, illus Rebecca Bagley

Genre

Science Fiction

Age range(s)

Publisher

Bloomsbury Education

ISBN

9781801991162

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

11-04-2024

Synopsis

A page-turning, laugh-out-loud historical adventure by comedian and broadcaster Iszi Lawrence, perfect for fans of Horrible Histories.

Time flies when you're having fun. But what does it do when you're not? Sunil's next door neighbour Alex is trying to cheer him up after a tricky maths test sends his day pear-shaped. Originally searching for an American corn dog, Sunil and Alex are soon journeying through time to meet child versions of future leaders. From getting in a scrap defending a young Rosa Parks to fetching water with baby Genghis Khan and a close encounter with the Tudors, will Sunil and Alex want to come back home at all? And will Mr Shaykes and his pet kiwi ever keep it down?!

The Time Machine Next Door is an exciting new series of quirky historical chapter books for readers aged 7-9, to be enjoyed as a series or as standalone stories. Written by comedian, podcaster and children's author Iszi Lawrence, these books bring lesser-known parts of history to life with hilarious plots, real-life characters, fascinating facts and fantastic illustrations.

Other books in the series: The Time Machine Next Door: Explorers and Milkshakes; The Time Machine Next Door: Scientists and Stripy Socks; The Time Machine Next Door: Rebellions and Super Boots

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Reviews

Alex the boffin, inventor of the Boring Machine, and Sunil her neighbour are again the main players in this book, the latest in The Time Machine Next Door series. In this adventure, The Time Machine Next Door: Rule Breakers and Kiwi Keepers, Sunil discovers why it's best not to mess with the natural course of events, even if it means missing important cricket practices.

We, the reader, discover more about Wiki the kiwi and why he gets so worked up over tennis balls, as well as some fascinating facts about his kind. We also learn about Tudor tennis, including some of its strange rules; about some very famous English monarchs; the Mongolian empire, Rosa Parks' early life, rabies and Baryonyx (among other things). Quite an eclectic mix of facts to enlarge children's general knowledge and possibly prompt an interest in exploring chosen subjects in greater depth.

The combination of engaging story and bite-size snippets of information and will be enjoyed by those who like Andy Seed's Interviews With... series. Rebecca Bagley's illustrations are fittingly funny and, along with helpfully spaced text, clear font and well-designed pages, really lift this book to the realms of shelfie favourite.

I shall be recommending all of Izzi Lawrence's titles to users of the school library, both for background on curriculum topics and for pleasure.

192 pages / Reviewed by Jane Rew, school librarian