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Agreeing to travel back in time and rescue them, Tom has three dangerous adventures,
before returning to the present day. But Tom's troubles have only just begun. He finds that he's drawn the attention of evil individuals who seek to bend history to their will.
Soon, Tom's family are obliterated from existence and Tom must make a choice between saving them and saving his entire world.
Tomorrow's Guardian is a Young Adult Fantasy Novel.
murphyslibrary
Posted June 5, 2011
from Murphy's Library
11 years old Tom Oakley has been struggling with nightmares, where he's always someone else: a sailor, a girl, a Lieutenant. The common point on them? He-or should I say them?-is always about to die. If that weren't enough, he starts to have this weird experiences when it seems the time is going backwards. When he's sure he's going mad, a weird guy named Septimus shows up and tells him he's a Walker, he can bend the time and travel through it. Any ordinary kid would say "how cool?" on this situation, but not Tom.
Septimus takes Tom to meet the Professor Neoptolemas, on the Hourglass Institute. There, the Professor offers Tom to join the Tomorrow's Guardians, but the boy isn't sure that's what he wants to do for life. The Professor then asks for his help: he wants Tom to go back on time and rescue the people he's been dreaming about. After that, if Tom still doesn't want his new found powers, the Professor will take them away and Tom will be an ordinary boy again. Three dangerous trips later, mission accomplished! But he finds out his family doesn't exist anymore: simple like that. Someone went back on time and his parents were killed on a fire before he was even born. That means only one thing: someone wants Tom dead. When he suggests he should go back and save his parents, the Professor tells him he can't do it. But, wait, hasn't Tom just rescued three people? So why can't he rescue his parents and save himself too? There's something odd on it, you can tell it.
Tomorrow's Guardian is an exciting book. Fantasy used to be my favorite genre to read, but lately this spot has been taken by paranormal, so it was great to have a good fantasy story on my hands for a change. The characters are likeable and there's a huge historical background on it, you clearly see that Richard Denning took time and care to write the historical events based on exactly what happened. This is a well written story for teens, no vampires, no angels, no dystopian future, no love-til-death drama. It's a fun reading and time flew while I was reading it, I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next with Tom.
I had the awesome opportunity to read this book, compliments of the author, Richard Denning! One of the things that immediately caught my attention when reading this book is how quickly the storyline progressed beyond the initial plot. As I began reading, I had assumed the book would focus entirely on the rescue missions, drawing them out into lengthy adventures that would fill the book. That, however, was not the case and the storyline progressed into an even larger plot before I was even halfway through the book. I love when books manage to keep me on my toes! Overall, the end of the story was a bit predictable (how often does the evildoer actually win?) but the story itself was a unique and entertaining read that kept me guessing as to what they would do next! My background on British history is rather weak, so after reading this book, I did a little research on the events that occurred in Tomorrow's Guardian (e.g. the Great Fire of London) and I was impressed by the accuracy of Mr. Denning's work! He didn't simply select a historical event and create a fictional situation based upon it, but he even developed his story around actual events that occurred, such as the fire beginning at the baker's house and everyone escaping out of the upstairs window except for the maid. So not only is this book a time-travel adventure tale, but it's also somewhat educational (Well, for the first half)! The second half of the book breaks into the concept of alternate realities based on different outcomes in past historical events. It's interesting to think of the major impact that changing one event could have on the world! All in all, the book is very well written. The book was written for teens, so it's an easy read. The content is G-rated, and there was a pleasant lack of an adolescent love theme, which many authors seem to be using as a crutch to hold up weak and worn out plots these days! The characters are well developed, and their reactions when they arrived in 21st century London were funny. Seeing as Tom is only 13, there's plenty of room for sequels! The plot is refreshing (Finally! A teen book without vampires!) and keeps the reader engaged. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, entertaining adventure!
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Overview
Then, he discovers that he's a "Walker" - someone who can transport himself to other times and places. Tom dreams about other "Walkers" in moments of mortal danger: Edward Dyson killed in a battle in 1879; Mary Brown who perished in the Great Fire of London; and Charlie Hawker, a sailor who drowned on a U-boat in 1943.
Agreeing...