The Time Cavern [Paperback]

UPDATE: There's a new edition of The Time Cavern available, from Ridan Publishing. Product reviews show for all editions, so if you're on the "old" page make sure to click through.

The Time Cavern is a concise, well-written, and endearing story. It's highly suitable for young adult readers: it was mature and clever, yet not overly complex. As an adult, I also enjoyed the book quite a bit -- it reminded me of the Encyclopedia Brown books I used to read when I was a kid, where the hero won the day through intellect and keen observation.

The story is one of exploration and friendship, as Aaron and Jake investigate the source of mysterious voices on the wind, and become entangled in the associated legend of an Amish boy who disappeared one hundred years ago. The story takes place in the quiet farmlands of Amish country, and Aaron learns about the Amish as he plays junior detective. The two friends' adventures are challenged by everything from the rural expansiveness of the country (how does a ten year old kid get all the way into town to look up a census report?) to various riddles involving chemistry, astronomy, mechanics, and history. While the plot might seem a bit obvious to an adult reader, there are definite twists to keep younger audiences enthralled. The characters are well defined and extremely likable, and reading the book invoked a feeling of tense exploration, just like what Aaron and Jake must have felt as they first entered the Time Cavern.

In a nutshell: wonderful, creative, and inspiring!

Character: 5
Creativity: 5
Plot: 4
Setting / Descriptions: 5
Entertainment: 5
Suitability to Audience: 5

Overall rating: 5 stars

An additional note for time-travel enthusiasts (I'm one myself, having written my own time travel novel) -- the Time Cavern introduces us to what might just be the most original time machine concept ever - not to give anything away, but if you're a nut about time-travel, this is worth for that alone.

I immediately think of the phrase, "judging a book by its cover," as I write this. Face it. We all do it, which is all the more reason for an author like Todd Fonseca to spend so much time on the cover of The Time Cavern. It is both appealing and eye catching. I hope that Todd's hard work pays off because readers will definitely not be disappointed with what's behind this cover.

As the story unfolds, the reader is introduced to a ten year old boy named Aaron who is camping on his own for the first time. Of course, all ten year olds have a wild imagination and long for a sense of independence, so Aaron immediately begins to worry about the sounds he hears outside the tent. He also senses that he is being watched. Fonseca dedicates the book to his own son, also named Aaron. As I nestled into the story, I imagined the author creating this story as a bedtime tale for his son. If that is the case, the author has done an excellent job of transpiring his story to the page.

Aaron decides to investigate the noises outside the tent, but before doing so, he records his thoughts in a notebook. Here, we learn that Aaron is actually camping in the backyard of his new home, in which his family just moved into the day before. The beginning of the story is set up as a nice metaphor for the entire book. You may be frowning at the thought of yet another time travel story based on the title alone, but the young protagonist leaving a big concrete city and moving to the corn fields of Amish country makes for a nice set-up in my opinion which many young readers can relate to.

Fonseca has a talent for appealing to a young audience in the use of his subject matter....independence, moving to a new home, making friends, being afraid, exploration, and the use of the imagination, etc. Outside of the young boy's adventures the author also uses a nice mix of dialog to keep his story moving, evenly exposing the reader to other characters including Aaron's parents.

Aaron soon forms a friendship with a neighboring girl named Jake, who tells him his house is haunted. This sends Aaron into a frenzy to investigate the noises he's been hearing, along with the mysterious eyes he sees in the old family barn. While exploring the barn, Aaron finds the page from a diary of a young boy who lived over 100 years ago. The writings on the page echo the mysterious feeling Aaron has been experiencing..."hearing your name being called by the wind."

The next day, Aaron seeks out Jake to ask her about what she had said about his house and what she might know about the mysterious wind. He shows her the diary page he found and the two begin a journey they will not soon forget as they set out to solve the mystery of the Amish boy who wrote the diary entry, the howling wind that whispers your name, and an ancient cavern filled with even more secrets.

Todd Fonseca's book is an adventure story that both kids and adults will love. It feeds the imagination, just as the tale itself builds upon the eagerness of its characters to solve the mystery. Fonseca's main characters, Aaron and Jake, are believable and come alive on the page through their real-life dialog and eagerness to learn the truth. The author does a great job of keeping the momentum going with nicely paced conflict and interest, which will definitely keep the pages turning.

When Aaron moves into an old Amish farm in the country, he's surprised at all the things that he discovers--a new friend named Jake, who is actually a girl, a mysterious secret surrounding his house, and an old chest containing a diary, a map, and odd mechanisms. These things all lead Aaron and Jake to a time machine in a secluded part of the forest and on an adventure they won't forget.

The Time Cavern is a great adventure for younger readers, with a unique setting that is at once interesting and educational, and not at all boring. Aaron is a well developed and lively character, and although his adventures are far fetched, many kids will be able to relate to his curiosity and his home life. Full of enough details to keep younger readers happily occupied, but not too many as to confuse them, The Time Cavern is well balanced. However, towards the end and during the climatic chapters, some kids may have a little bit of trouble keeping up, as it does get a little confusing, even for an older reader. But once they wade through those turbulent and fast paced chapters, they'll be begging for more adventures with Aaron and Jake.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 60 reviews  4.7 out of 5 stars