time travel, alternate universe travel, nasty govt. handlers, smart teenagers: 2 human, 1 dinosaur. Entertaining, complex, thoughtful.

That concepts are not explored or explained in any detail is par for the course in juvenile Science Fiction; there’s no need to add irrelevant detail that takes away space from the actual story. The story itself is action packed and entertaining, but doesn’t yet seem to go anywhere…yet. There are indeed some strange phenomena occurring around the world and there are hints that something large is affecting the Earth’s experience of TIME. There’s so much going on that this book is obviously meant to be a staging area for the real story. This book is merely introducing us to the main characters and their individual characteristics—and some back-story. The book begins with many loose ends and ends the same way. For my taste it was way too short with 240 small pages/large print and will require several sequels to tie everything together into a satisfactory ending.

But I’m impressed with the story flow: we meet the boy hero AFTER his mother is lost in time and learning of his actions in ancient Alexandria with a dinosaur BEFORE he actually goes there. I suspect that I would be captivated by the intricate temporal twists and turns if I were a young teenage boy reading this. And yet I also would probably prefer the stories to be compiled into a large tome rather than the small booklets that tease us and then force us to wait until we can find the next episode.

Until I find an appropriate youngster to read it and give me his/her opinion I’ll give the book a tentative 4. ( )

The first Danger Boy book in the series got me hooked right away. I found them (or my mom found them) at the Mount Vernon library when I was about 14 years old. The foil hardback covers instantly intrigued me so I made sure to check out the second book just in case I wanted it that week.

Ancient Fire brings our time traveling heroes Eli, Thea and Thea and Clyne together for the first time. The historical set is the burning of the library of Alexandria, a moment in history abhorred by book lovers everywhere. It deals with the real life reactions of youth and adults to fantastically situations. It is a one of a kind children's time travel adventure novel. The read level makes it suitable for beginning chapter book readers and the plot makes it suitable for all ages. It makes you laugh and is a real page turner. My youngest sister read it and loved it just as much as I did!



Eli loses his mother in an explosion and his father swears to never research time travel again. Eli and his father flee across the country to dodge the government department which was funding the research. Eli learns more about the accident that cost him his mother only to have the "DARPA" agents show up a few months later. This leads to Eli getting "untangled in time".

Switch perspectives and you have Clyne, a Saurian or humaniod dinosaur from another dimension. For his culminating school project, Clyne has to travel to an alternate dimension and write a report. He is the funny sidekick character who doesn't let his role as sidekick keep him from doing big things.

In comes Thea, daughter of the head librarian of Alexandria. Thea and her mother get into all kinds of trouble with the local newly empowered religious populous because they have knowledge of science which far exceeds any male scientist. They are condemned, but in come Clyne and Eli. Then the adventure really begins.

( )

The year is 2019, and a secret government agency is forcing Eli Sands' father to continue with his time-travel experiments, even though Eli's mom has just disappeared in one. Now Eli has a ridiculous new code name--and a gravely important mission. He must save this egyptian girl and a talking dinosaur from an alternate earth at teh same time as trying to save him and getting back to 2019. An amazing story with so much excitment. ( )

Eli Sands has brilliant scientists for parents. He has never been really interested in science until one day he becomes part of their science experiment and accidentally travels through time. Suddenly, his whole world is turned upside down. He is sent on a journey, through when and where to solve a mystery. Along the way he meets a girl from 4th century Alexandria and a dinosaur who can talk!