Lost in the Tunnel of Time

Clubhouse Mysteries #2

by Sharon M. Draper, Jesse Joshua Watson

In this second book of the classic chapter book series by award-winning author Sharon M. Draper, four boys who call themselves the Black Dinosaurs explore an old tunnel that once was part of the Underground Railroad.Ziggy, Rico, Rashawn, and Jerome discover their hometown used to be a stop on the Underground Railroad and set out to explore the part of the tunnel right under their school. When a trapdoor slams behind them, locking them in the tunnel, there’s only one thing they can do—plunge deeper and deeper into the darkness. Where will the tunnel lead them? And will the old, crumbling walls hold until they find their way to the end?

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Adventure, Cultural, African American

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Sharon M. Draper is a professional educator as well as an accomplished writer. She has been honored as the National Teacher of the Year, is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Reviews

[Danita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to Elementary students during Book Talk Tuesdays. They loved it

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharon Draper can write it all-funny, heartbreaking, gritty, and with Lost in the Tunnel of Time, mysterious. This series is an easy, uncomplicated read for 2nd to 5th graders who want a more relaxed plot. The kids in this book are easy to relate to and typical of most kids their age. And while the storyline is not complicated, readers will still be kept guessing until the end.

[Ally Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Lost in the Tunnel of Time" by Sharon M. Draper and Jesse Joshua Watson is the second book in the Clubhouse Mysteries series. This text is an easy chapter book that is both a mystery and adventure. In this story, Ziggy and his friends get trapped and discover underground tunnels and hiding rooms below their middle school. They soon learn that it was part of the Underground Railroad. Will they make it out before the tunnel walls collapse?

I would recommend this book for grades 2-5. This could be used as a read aloud, book club, or independent read. I especially think boys would relate to the characters and enjoy this book. This is an easy reader that will keep students engaged in the mysterious/adventurous plot. I could see how this book would encourage reluctant readers.

"Lost in the Tunnel of Time" is a WOW book for me because I love the historical aspect and that it has African American boys as the main characters. I like that this book is both enjoyable and educational, without being obviously "teachy" about the Underground Railroad.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry in this series, short chapter books good for reading aloud to earlier elementary or reading alone for upper elementary.

One thing I like about this series is that, even though it’s not really normal mysteries per se, each story is very rooted in the history of the place where they are. They have a lot about Ohio, the Shawnee Indians, the Underground Railroad as it travels through that area (this is what this book focuses on), etc.

Black and Native American history, both generally and in Ohio specifically, are woven through the books in very natural ways.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ended up being more intense than I expected! My 6 1/2-year old did surprisingly well with the ghost stories, the extended discussion of slavery and the Underground Railroad, and the life-threatening situation the boys find themselves in at the climax of the book. I was a little disappointed that this second of the "Clubhouse Mysteries" wasn't actually a mystery the way the first one had been (possibly why the series was rebranded "Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs"), but my son just liked the adventure aspect of it. He's looking forward to continuing the series!

[Joe Koehler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 was much better than book 1. The plot line was more exciting and interesting, the character development more natural, and the length was just right. My young reader/listeners were begging me to keep going.

One star knocked off for Ziggy saying "mon" 80% of the time. It got a little overbearing and uncreative. I started skipping them as I read out loud. Another star was knocked off for ghosts. Reading to little kids who are in their beds about to go to sleep, I don't see a need to spook them. Pretty fun book otherwise.

[Edna Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my 10 yo son. I love Sharon Draper and I sm very thankful for this elementary age series. I'm pretty sure my son read this a year or two ago but he wanted to reread it. i love how this series includes main characters who are both interested in mysteries as well as Black history.

[Kelsey Adelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very well written and kept the attention of a young reader. It is about a group of boys who are friends in high school and love to go on adventures together! This is a good book to have in your classroom for black history month because it revolves around an assignment given to them by their teachers. The boys go on a mission to discover the tunnels under their school that possibly were a part of the underground railroad. Overall, this was a great early chapter book that I would have on my bookshelf in my classroom because it teaches students about friendship and African American history.

[Jacey-Katekiefer]

I thought it was good.it made me think of my life bcause it was a mysterie like my life.

[Lisa Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read and a good book for students who like spooky, but not over the top.

[Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rico is my favorite character because I would act like him in that situation.

that the ghost came.

no I like the ending because the dog saved the day

[Nader Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.5/10

[Julia]

Used for third graders’ book club. Super cute! The kids loved it!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My third graders really enjoyed this and it tied in with our Social Studies unit on slavery and the Underground Railroad.

[Oscar · Rating 1 out of 5]

This children's mystery novel is such an awful stampede of African American cliches that it's almost impossible to take it seriously. It's got a good "premise": best friends band together, form The Black Dinosaurs, solve "mysteries" (where's my sock? Oh, here it is. The end) and have a milk shake afterward. It starts off very promising: "Like cool, sweet milk on a bowl of crunchy cereal, the Thursday morning breeze splashed the crisp, dry leaves under Rico's feet." However, this is where Maya Angelou passes the writing torch to a ghetto Maya Angelou impersonator. Draper (the author) later on takes great lengths to describe how each friend is different. Where a competent writer would compare hobbies or favorite foods, Draper only draws the distinction in SKIN TONES. one has "toffee-colored" skin, while someone else has skin color like "well-worn leather" (REALLY???). Not only that, but we got a token Jamaican! And does he have dreads? Yes! And does he end every sentence in "mon"? Of course! And is his name Ziggy? Uh-huh! Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse (better) Rashawn owns a dog named AFRIKA!! That is all.

[Danielle Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the only book that I have read from the collection by Sharon M. Draper. I thought this book was a great adventure for a student to read that held a great amount of information as well. This book would be tough for a child to put down because it uses suspense on guessing what happens next. The use of the Underground Railroad was very well explained in the story and could be a fun way to get kids to understand what it was. Preparation and problem solving were also great skills that were introduced in the story. Overall this book had many useful elements in it, while being a fun story for kids to read.

[carrietracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating of four stars for this is primarily in comparison to the other books I've read at this reading level. As a beginning level chapter book it's a winner.

See my review at: Between These Pages

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to have an interesting series with African American characters. This book, good for 3rd through 5th graders, was an easy read and kept my interest. The ending was pretty easy to figure out but still a good read. Students would definitely enjoy it. The historical backdrop definitely helps make this one that I, as a teacher, could easily see as a Read-Aloud.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

its about Ziggy and his friends find a underground railroad by following a map so when there in there Ziggy pulls a rope and the trapdoor shuts so they almost find there way out but Afrika Rashawn's dog finds them and leads them out.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for kids who like easy mystery series. The boys use a secret map to find tunnels from the Underground Railroad. The tunnels are located underneath their school and the boys have an adventure locating them.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. They try and find where these slaves went on the underground railroad. They find that it's right under their school - the hiding place. Then they get stuck in it and they have to make their way out.

[Ashley Fricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to Underground Railroad concept. Follows the Black Dinosaurs club as they go on an adventure, finding the ties their own town has to the Underground Railroad

[Theronhoward B · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's very nice these kids go back in time to learn about black history

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery and historical fiction for 8-12. A great start to adding more to these categories for this age group.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly not big on character development, and the plot was somewhat flat as well, but decent suggestion for kids who love easy series mysteries (Cam Jansen, A-Z, etc.).

[e.c.h.a · Rating 3 out of 5]

naik 1 bintang dari buku sebelumnya karena suka dengan cara penulisnya memasukan sejarah perbudakan kulit hitam di Amerika Serikat.

masih kurang greget petualangannya sih, tetep wkwkwk

[Tabitha Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!