Synopsis
The incredible adventures through time continue for Susan, Charles and Murray in this sequel to Drift House. Susan and Charles return to Uncle Farley’s house for what they are sure will be the most exciting summer of their lives, and can’t wait to learn more of Drift House’s secrets. But things start off much sooner than they might think when a mighty tidal wave washes Drift House out to sea—with Susan and Farley on board, but Charles and the parrot, President Wilson, left behind in a tree. Separated by time and space, and beset by encounters with Vikings, Native Americans, the Trojan Horse and many other fascinating characters, this action-packed sequel is both more accessible than the first, and with cliffhangers at ever turn, even more thrilling.
VOYA
In this second of the Drift House series, Susan and Charles return to visit their Uncle Farley's time-craft mansion while Murray stays home with the chicken pox. A mysterious, powerful book is delivered to the children by someone looking suspiciously like Mario/Murray. When Charles sneaks off to read it, a time-storm tidal wave sweeps him to Newfoundland, while Susan and Uncle Farley are transported to medieval Greenland. Charles struggles to understand the mysterious book with him, but he is captured by Wendat Native Americans. With them he meets the Wanderer, who explains the mystery of the book, Mario/Murray's role of Returner, and Charles's task to help stop the time jetty. Meanwhile Susan meets a young man named Iocab who will also be instrumental in ending the time jetty as it shoots forward through time, smashing boundaries and swallowing civilizations unnaturally. The jetty is halted with help from Charles, Iacob, and Murray. Fans of the first book will be mesmerized by this second volume, which seems to flow better and have more substance than its predecessor. This series is clearly geared toward history-minded and philosophical young adults. Although the protagonists are young, their visits to places of historical significance, including the Tower of Babel and pre-Columbus America, make for challenging and thought-provoking reading. It is a series to place alongside His Dark Materials. Peck wants his young audience to think about the big picture of who we are and why we make war on one another.