Today's read... Aboard the Time Line by Bastian Gregory

 

ABOARD THE TIME LINE

by Bastian Gregory

Vanguard Press

Middle Grade Science Fiction / Fantasy

162 pages

ages 7 to 10

Aboard the Timeline follows the journey of Pete, an ordinary boy who is struggling with boredom and monotony at school. He gets more excitement than he bargained for when time suddenly stops around him and he is inexplicably greeted by a talking dinosaur called Reginald at the classroom door. Trying to figure out what has happened, the two of them embark on a journey of adventure and discovery. They meet Philosophocles, an ancient Greek thinker and the three companions travel along the Time Line, visiting alternate versions of history, including the Cretaceous period, ancient Greece, the Viking North Sea, Medieval Istanbul and Victorian London. Along the way, they meet tricky demons, strange creatures and interesting companions. Can Pete become the hero that some need him to be? And will he ever find a way back to the normal world?

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57962481-aboard-the-time-line

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Aboard-Time-Line-Bastian-Gregory-ebook/dp/B094NQ55KW

MY TIDBITS

Packed with imagination, this adventure meets unexpected characters, adventure and a little bit of history, too.

Pete sits in class, bored to the point of nodding to sleep. When his eyes open, he notices time appears to have stopped, and a talking...and rather polite...raptor named Reggie has appeared. Somehow, Pete has stumbled into a place, where traveling through time is possible. Following Reggie, the two head through various versions of history to extraordinary events and places, while meeting the most unique characters along the way. While it's amazing, Pete's only hope is to return home.

Every page holds something unexpected as Pete travels from one amazing situation into the next. Starting with a speaking raptor...a kind one, Pete travels to Greece, London, and more, always hitting various points in history but without unique twists. There's a fun weave of fact and fantasy, which guarantee more than a little fun while readers learn a few facts along the way. There are tense moments, fantastical scenes, humorous back-and-forths, and even some moments with heart.  

Imagination soars in these pages with a bit of whimsical flair. It's more on the light-hearted side and is very fitting for readers at the lower end of the middle grade level from the thematic. The reading level is solid middle grade, though, and will help reader along with their skills without bogging down. I see this even as a lovely read-aloud for slightly younger readers, too. There are simple and fitting illustrations sprinkled in, adding a nice atmosphere and adding to the fun.

More information...

Bastian Gregory "was born in Singapore to a Danish mother, and English father. I spent my first 2 years in Singapore and then moved to Hong Kong for the next 7 years. We then moved back to Singapore where I attended Tanglin Trust School for 4 years. And then we moved back to Denmark when I was 13 years old. Here I went to another International School, Rygaards .I then went on to finish my schooling in Denmark, to then go to a Creative Writing course at Uni in Winchester, England.
I have always felt different, and when I was about 15 years old, I realised I was suffering from depression, and diagnosed with Asbergers and possible ADHD. I battled this for many years, whilst trying to find my way. Whilst doing this, I obtained pleasure from writing- and wrote this children's book- Aboard the Timeline. I have also written a number of poems- some of which have been published." (Goodreads)

The illustrator- May Gregory, Bastian’s sister. We were lucky, she and Bastian had a few weeks together shortly before he died, where they sat and made an outline for the illustrations for the book.  

 

Our little homage to Bastian as a foreword: He left us just after his twenty-third birthday to be, in his own words,  (from one of his poems) “ reincarnated as a cosmic tree  with solar winds  and alien doves rushing through my branches”.
 
@aboardthetimeline