Book Review: Timekeepers: A Revolutionary Tale

This book was written by Brig’s aunt but you wouldn’t know it because she uses the pen name J.Y. Harris (Mark Twain she’s not). It’s a story about a high school-aged brother and sister who go back in time to 1777 and have to help deliver an urgent message to General George Washington.

It’s a light read and is written for 12-15 year olds but it’s actually really entertaining. Anyone who has a sibling close to their age and knows how annoying that can be – especially in high school – will get into this.  What made it enlightening was how Harris based the story in the middle of actual historical events (although minutely fictionalized for the book). She used it as a way to teach the two kids (and the reader) a lesson about how even the smallest town has a “history” and that people should take pride in it.

Also, she focused on a smaller battle – a local event – to again push their relationship with the town but also to acknowledge that even the lesser-known skirmishes and ordinary townspeople can change the face of a war.

Towards the end the two kids were trying to return to their normal time when one of them started questioning how likely that would be. They were randomly transported to 1777 but who’s to say they’ll be sent back to their day instead of some other year in history? It made me think how I would love to follow them on another adventure in another time period. As luck would have it, Harris wrote in the Author’s Note that we can expect another trip back in history. Awesome! Now I have to see if I can get Brig to weasel me an advance copy.