Synopsis
Everyone's favorite time-travelers are changing their style! The Time Warp Trio series now features a brand-new, eye-catching design, sure to appeal to longtime fans, and those new to Jon Scieszka's wacky brand of humor.
Children's Literature
The story begins in seventeenth century Japan when three boys warp into a roadside hut and think they've beheaded a Samurai, only to discover that it is his armor and he is in the doorway behind them. Of course, they must recover The Book in the past in order to return to the present. It is their feeble efforts to write Haiku for a school assignment that has landed them here in the first place. Readers will appreciate a few lame tricks and jokes that pass the three off as "entertainers" on the road into the palace and let them keep their heads. Bits of chaos occur when their Auto-Translator, which enables them to speak and understand Japanese fails. Scieszka has a good time with the broad humor of a Japanese official named Owattabutt and the guide, Tada Honda, and his quick riff of what the boys see along the roadside, always a plus for funny books. McCauley's illustrations move the story along and look enough like Lane Smith's so as not to offend aficionados of the series. In addition, the boys' three great-granddaughters make an appearance here, as they did in the book 2095—a nice time wrap in this time warp. But, when they return, the boys' Haiku summary of their trip only earns them a C—because it didn't follow the form and it didn't give three examples, says their teacher, Ms. Basho. You just can't win 'em all. This is the tenth entry in the humorous "The Time Warp Trio" series. 2001, Viking, $14.99. Ages 7 to 11. Reviewer: Susan Hepler