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Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story
Aunt Blythe's house gives Drew the creeps – it’s full of dark rooms, creaky noises, and the sound of a woman sobbing somewhere in the shadows. Then, in the middle of the night, Drew awakens to find a boy standing in his room...a boy who is Drew's exact double, except he looks as if he's come from the grave. He wants Drew to help him by traveling to a place where he will meet the spirits of long-dead ancestors...a place from which Drew may never return.
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 1994
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2475 people want to read
About the author
Mary Downing Hahn
71 books4,339 followersI grew up in a small shingled house down at the end of Guilford Road in College Park, Maryland. Our block was loaded with kids my age. We spent hours outdoors playing "Kick the Can" and "Mother, May I" as well as cowboy and outlaw games that usually ended in quarrels about who shot whom. In the summer, we went on day long expeditions into forbidden territory -- the woods on the other side of the train tracks, the creek that wound its way through College Park, and the experimental farm run by the University of Maryland.
In elementary school, I was known as the class artist. I loved to read and draw but I hated writing reports. Requirements such as outlines, perfect penmanship, and following directions killed my interest in putting words on paper. All those facts -- who cared what the principal products of Chile were? To me, writing reports was almost as boring as math.
Despite my dislike of writing, I loved to make up stories. Instead of telling them in words, I told them in pictures. My stories were usually about orphans who ran away and had the sort of exciting adventures I would have enjoyed if my mother hadn't always interfered.
When I was in junior high school, I developed an interest in more complex stories. I wanted to show how people felt, what they thought, what they said. For this, I needed words. Although I wasn't sure I was smart enough, I decided to write and illustrate children's books when I grew up. Consequently, at the age of thirteen, I began my first book. Small Town Life was about a girl named Susan, as tall and skinny and freckle faced as I was. Unlike her shy, self conscious creator, however, Susan was a leader who lived the life I wanted to live -- my ideal self, in other words. Although I never finished Small Town Life, it marked the start of a lifelong interest in writing.
In high school, I kept a diary. In college, I wrote poetry and short stories and dreamed of being published in The New Yorker. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage or the confidence to send anything there.
By the time my first novel was published, I was 41 years old. That's how long it took me to get serious about writing. The Sara Summer took me a year to write, another year to find a publisher, and yet another year of revisions before Clarion accepted it.
Since Sara appeared in 1979, I've written an average of one book a year. If I have a plot firmly in mind when I begin, the writing goes fairly quickly. More typically, I start with a character or a situation and only a vague idea of what's going to happen. Therefore, I spend a lot of time revising and thinking things out. If I'd paid more attention to the craft of outlining back in elementary school, I might be a faster writer, but, on the other hand, if I knew everything that was going to happen in a story, I might be too bored to write it down. Writing is a journey of discovery. That's what makes it so exciting.
In elementary school, I was known as the class artist. I loved to read and draw but I hated writing reports. Requirements such as outlines, perfect penmanship, and following directions killed my interest in putting words on paper. All those facts -- who cared what the principal products of Chile were? To me, writing reports was almost as boring as math.
Despite my dislike of writing, I loved to make up stories. Instead of telling them in words, I told them in pictures. My stories were usually about orphans who ran away and had the sort of exciting adventures I would have enjoyed if my mother hadn't always interfered.
When I was in junior high school, I developed an interest in more complex stories. I wanted to show how people felt, what they thought, what they said. For this, I needed words. Although I wasn't sure I was smart enough, I decided to write and illustrate children's books when I grew up. Consequently, at the age of thirteen, I began my first book. Small Town Life was about a girl named Susan, as tall and skinny and freckle faced as I was. Unlike her shy, self conscious creator, however, Susan was a leader who lived the life I wanted to live -- my ideal self, in other words. Although I never finished Small Town Life, it marked the start of a lifelong interest in writing.
In high school, I kept a diary. In college, I wrote poetry and short stories and dreamed of being published in The New Yorker. Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage or the confidence to send anything there.
By the time my first novel was published, I was 41 years old. That's how long it took me to get serious about writing. The Sara Summer took me a year to write, another year to find a publisher, and yet another year of revisions before Clarion accepted it.
Since Sara appeared in 1979, I've written an average of one book a year. If I have a plot firmly in mind when I begin, the writing goes fairly quickly. More typically, I start with a character or a situation and only a vague idea of what's going to happen. Therefore, I spend a lot of time revising and thinking things out. If I'd paid more attention to the craft of outlining back in elementary school, I might be a faster writer, but, on the other hand, if I knew everything that was going to happen in a story, I might be too bored to write it down. Writing is a journey of discovery. That's what makes it so exciting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 360 reviews
April 16, 2014
Oh, the dimensions we delve into! You feel a full-circle journey! I equate it with a “Star Trek, The Next Generation” storyline. In “The Inner Light”, the crew passes an expired planet and experiences the lifetime of its citizens. Memories are impressed upon them. “Time For Andrew” doesn’t resemble that, except in the scope of a stunning emotional journey. It has the beginnings of a ghost story, that plunges into a time travel trade. I couldn’t have guessed how much I would be enthralled by it.
‘Drew’ spends a summer posing as his great-great-uncle, ‘Andrew’, at the same house in 1910. Historically he died; with his elder sister, ‘Hannah’ watching over him in the bedroom Drew is using. Drew is visiting his great-aunt while his archaeologist parents are in France. Great-Aunt’s Father (his Dad’s Grandpa) lives with her. It is fascinating to find so many things recognizable in 1910: the land and small details like dusty attic discards, suddenly seen around the house in full use. Experiences with a far greater impact are unforgettable. Drew learns the joy of siblings and also loves his temporary parents, even though he’s desperate to return to his decade. He agreed to stay long enough for modern medicine to heal Andrew. The look-a-likes traded beds at a critical moment, to save him.
The novel centers around Andrew’s refusal to leave 1994, insisting he will switch back only if Drew beats him at marbles. It becomes urgent that they do. Each is forgetting the details of their worlds. Also pivotal is Andrew’s need to outgrow aggression, while Drew needs thicker skin. There comes the most satisfying conclusion imaginable. Also poignant is that Andrew wonders a long time, whether or not he was meant to die and this question dogs readers too. Please read this masterpiece.
‘Drew’ spends a summer posing as his great-great-uncle, ‘Andrew’, at the same house in 1910. Historically he died; with his elder sister, ‘Hannah’ watching over him in the bedroom Drew is using. Drew is visiting his great-aunt while his archaeologist parents are in France. Great-Aunt’s Father (his Dad’s Grandpa) lives with her. It is fascinating to find so many things recognizable in 1910: the land and small details like dusty attic discards, suddenly seen around the house in full use. Experiences with a far greater impact are unforgettable. Drew learns the joy of siblings and also loves his temporary parents, even though he’s desperate to return to his decade. He agreed to stay long enough for modern medicine to heal Andrew. The look-a-likes traded beds at a critical moment, to save him.
The novel centers around Andrew’s refusal to leave 1994, insisting he will switch back only if Drew beats him at marbles. It becomes urgent that they do. Each is forgetting the details of their worlds. Also pivotal is Andrew’s need to outgrow aggression, while Drew needs thicker skin. There comes the most satisfying conclusion imaginable. Also poignant is that Andrew wonders a long time, whether or not he was meant to die and this question dogs readers too. Please read this masterpiece.
April 7, 2012
Time for Andrew is an otherwise great juvenile chapter book with two significant issues: First off, the cover's statements that Time for Andrew is "A Ghost Story" and "Very spooky!" are both misleading. Instead of being a creepy tale in the vein of R. L. Stine's Goosebumps, this is a time-traveling, fish-out-of-water story that does feature a ghost, but not in a terrifying way. Second off, the story seemed a bit rushed; it seems to move too fast, almost like trying to cram an entire Star Wars movie into half an hour. Regardless, Time for Andrew makes for enjoyable, light reading, but don't pick this up expecting to be scared out of your wits.
December 3, 2014
I had read a number of Mary Downing Hahn books before reading Time for Andrew, so imagine my surprise when I realized that Time for Andrew isn't really a ghost story at all - it's a timeslip story. There are some scarier elements to Time for Andrew, compared to most timeslip stories (think Tom's Midnight Garden or Charlotte Sometimes), but it's not scary like many of Downing Hahn's ghost stories.
In Time for Andrew, Andrew goes to visit his Aunt Blythe who lives an old house that his family has lived in for decades. While Andrew is there, he meets a child version of his great-great-uncle (who looks eerily like Andrew) and is transported into the past.
I like timeslip stories, so I did like Time for Andrew, but a reader looking for more like Wait Till Helen Comes, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, or The Old Willis Place may be disappointed. Of the Downing Hahn books I've read, Time for Andrew is probably most like The Doll In The Garden, but it's not even as creepy as that one. Still, I enjoyed Time for Andrew and I think others will too, just as long as they don't go into it expecting a scary ghost story.
In Time for Andrew, Andrew goes to visit his Aunt Blythe who lives an old house that his family has lived in for decades. While Andrew is there, he meets a child version of his great-great-uncle (who looks eerily like Andrew) and is transported into the past.
I like timeslip stories, so I did like Time for Andrew, but a reader looking for more like Wait Till Helen Comes, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, or The Old Willis Place may be disappointed. Of the Downing Hahn books I've read, Time for Andrew is probably most like The Doll In The Garden, but it's not even as creepy as that one. Still, I enjoyed Time for Andrew and I think others will too, just as long as they don't go into it expecting a scary ghost story.
August 27, 2015
as great as I remembered from when I read it as a kid! I may pick up more of Mary Downing Hahn's books after enjoying this one so much!
August 29, 2009
This is one of the many books I read to my children at night as they went to sleep. I also read this book every year to my classroom. They can't get enough of it. There are so many assignments you can get from this book from projection to summary to prediction. The book is filled with creative writing genius; personification, metaphors, similes, forshadowing, I could go on.
I discovered the book by my children who read it after the popular young adult fiction, "Wait till Helen Comes". Which I haven't read yet. It is the same author.
The way this story weaves a web and brings it back again is genius. This is its greatest strength and it has many.
Even if you're an adult, you will enjoy this book. It's got a most interesting plot for science fiction buffs.
I discovered the book by my children who read it after the popular young adult fiction, "Wait till Helen Comes". Which I haven't read yet. It is the same author.
The way this story weaves a web and brings it back again is genius. This is its greatest strength and it has many.
Even if you're an adult, you will enjoy this book. It's got a most interesting plot for science fiction buffs.
October 17, 2018
He saw a ghost in the window when he first arrived, a flash of white in an upstairs window, like a face, and felt he was being watched. I don't like when ghost stories begin the first second the character arrives at the location. Let's just ease into it.
Andrew overheard his parents talking about him to his aunt. His dad said he's insecure, worries, is nervous and afraid and has too big of an imagination. His mom said he's scared of the dark, afraid of witches under his bed and monsters in the closet. I felt bad for him being talked about like that.
His great-grandpa was so mad that they named him Andrew that he left after the christening and never saw them again, never even sent Andrew a birthday card. The family had a Captain Andrew Joseph Tyler and some more.
Andrew barged into the room with Great Grandfather and the old man was afraid of him, said he'd come back but it was no good because it was his house now. He thought Andrew was a wicked boy.
Andrew heard the upstairs creaking like someone was walking. He smelled roast chicken only to go to the kitchen and see that Aunt Blythe was making spaghetti.
Andrew noticed that everything in the house was old and had belonged to people who are dead now. He quickly came to question Aunt Blythe, on his first night there, if those people are still here. Aunt Blythe believed echoes of people still live on in the house. She didn't even bat an eyelash when he brought up the smell of roast chicken again. I was like does that mean she's smelled it too?
It was a sweet moment when Drew called Binky to his room and begged him to sleep with him. I was glad he had the dog to keep him company.
Binky whined when they went up on the attic and would run every time she opens the door. Once up there, on his first morning, Andrew found a picture of a boy who looked exactly like him. I have never been a fan of the lookalike descendant to an ancestor from generations ago. You wouldn't look like a twin to your ancestor. You can look a lot like them, but not exactly. Andrew also happened to step on a board and revealed a bag of marbles owned by Andrew Joseph Tyler. So, the same face and name of someone from the early 1900s. Andrew got upset that his aunt took the marbles to sell to fix the house, felt like she was stealing from the dead and they had to stay in the floorboards. She was so affected by his reaction that she agreed to put them back.
Drew saw two women in old-fashioned dresses standing outside his door before he went to bed. He heard Andrew coming down the stairs and the encounter was so sad. I felt so bad for him! He was looking for his sister Hannah, calling for her, and said surely she wouldn't leave because she promised to stay with him. He'd heard his mom and sister crying outside his door, but he didn't know they were crying because he'd died. He'd hoped he would live because the doctor had saved him from blood poisoning, croup and whooping cough when he was younger, and had helped Hannah through diphtheria. Hannah said he would live through it, and he smiled and said he hoped he did but he feels weak. Drew told him he was dead but he didn't believe it, thought he'd remember dying. Drew told him to look at the room, and he didn't recognize anything, and teared up. He said he's 13 and has his whole life ahead of him. Gosh I felt like crying for the poor boy.
I was a bit confused when Drew said he'd brought Andrew here. He felt if Andrew went back to the past he would die but he wouldn't be gone and that Andrew had really come for his life, not his marbles.
Andrew had dreamed his marbles were spinning around, and Drew had had a dream about marbles flying through space while he was on a spaceship. Andrew described feeling that his marbles were stolen and then floating upstairs. He asked Drew if he died, and I could not understand why Drew said no, he woke up in time and that if he'd stayed asleep he would have died. Drew knew Andrew had died young. That's how he was talking to Andrew right now. Just because Andrew woke up at this time before he could experience dying doesn't mean he didn't die. The ghost story suddenly turned to time travel. They believed Andrew came to the future instead of dying and that a hole opened between times. If he went back he would die. Time travel is always confusing.
It was endearing that Andrew wanted Drew to immediately go get a doctor and he'd take the medicine no matter how bad it tastes. Andrew wanted to switch places so he would be cured by a doctor. Surprisingly, Drew who is afraid, agreed to switch. They changed into each other's clothes and Andrew got in bed. Drew called Aunt Blythe for help and when he went in the attic everything spun around as he went in the past.
Drew was so afraid of saying and doing the wrong things that he simply couldn't speak. Andrew's family was worried that he wasn't speaking, and when he woke up and saw a man there he was afraid and asked who the man was. I felt so bad that Mr. Tyler said his own son was afraid of him. He said there was something different about Drew's eyes.
I was so annoyed that the first thing Drew said was about how the porch had been painted, and the flowers trimmed but there was no highway or cars. Later that night he mentioned Chicago. I hate when characters mess up so badly when they knew they had to watch what they say. The dog also growled at him and wouldn't come near him.
It was a bit much that Drew didn't know anything about that time period, and there mean cousin Edward gave him a pop quiz on current events. He asked Drew in front of Hannah and Theo what year it was, the president and how many states there were.
Andrew's grandpa had left the house to Mr. Tyler, and his brother, whom the kids call Uncle Ned, got mad. That's the reason for the bad blood.
3 weeks passed in which all of the problems of posing as someone else, especially in a time period not your own, became apparent. Drew would be asked to get something and he wouldn't know where to go. He didn't know the words to Andrew's favorite songs or how to use any of the appliances and technology.
I didn't feel so nice towards Andrew when he wanted to switch places for good, and looked at Drew coldly as he challenged him to a duel at marbles. I couldn't believe he'd want to leave his family for a new world where he didn't know anything. He blamed Drew for stealing his marbles and said he warned Drew he'd be sorry. He wasn't likable at this time.
Drew got Hannah to teach him marbles, pretending he couldn't remember because of the fever.
When John Larkin, Hannah's future husband, came over in his car, Drew automatically put his fingers in his mouth and whistled for Buster to quiet down. He also called Mrs. Tyler Mama. He was worried he was losing himself and becoming Drew.
It was amusing that Mrs. Tyler and John's uncle felt that cars were a fad and people would go back to horses, but John felt cars would stay.
It was uncomfortable how Drew seemed to be jealous of John. He felt like he had heartburn when Hannah smiled at John, just wanted it to be the two of them playing marbles, and she'd had a lifetime with John.
Mrs. Armiger said it must have been a naughty boy who looked just like Drew that had done all those things to her. Andrew had put glue in her metronome, drew a mustache on her Beethoven bust, and climbed out a window during his recital. Andrew also got into fights. He didn't sound like a very good boy.
Drew realized he had never seen the picture that John took of them in the car, so he wondered if this day ever happened in Andrew's life and if they had already altered the past.
I was so impatient when Andrew beat Drew at marbles, told Drew he'd better get used to his life because he was gonna be in it for a long time. This adventure had turned into a nightmare and I didn't like Andrew at all. Then stupid Drew told Hannah she would marry John, women will vote, drive cars, wear pants and run for president. She commented that he must have a crystal ball, asked what else he knew and he told her she'll be old when he's young and he'll never forget her. What the heck is wrong with him? He was also annoyed at her and John, didn't want to think about her marrying John.
In the yard during croquet, Drew caught a flash of Andrew calling to his siblings and crying because they couldn't hear him. He caught Andrew crying at night too. Both blue were forgetting details about their own lives and becoming more the other.
I just wanted to hurry up and be done. The perverted jealousy of John. Theo getting mad at him for not going along with pranks and standing up to Edward. At one point Drew stupidly thought Hannah knew about Andrew, and Drew tried to say he was Drew and not Andrew. So stupid and annoying! The dare at the train trestle ended with Edward falling and not knowing how to swim. Drew jumped off the trestle and saved him, but Edward was too mean to appreciate it and lied about the whole thing, saying he'd been pushed. Drew didn't even know who had saved him, him or Andrew. And before, he had stupidly stood there wondering if Andrew would have saved his cousin, almost let Edward drown because he didn't want to do the wrong thing! Come on!
I was tired of Drew screwing up and saying the wrong thing. He came to realize he was going to miss the family and wanted to live with them. Andrew, though clearly upset at being away from his family, insisted on finishing out their dumb marble bet. I know he was afraid of going back and dying, but time to face the music boy, you need to go back to your family.
It was a nice moment when Andrew told Drew to win the game to send him home. Drew wanted to know how he could tell if Andrew lived or not. Andrew said to look for his grave. If he didn't see a grave, then he lived. To me, Andrew could have still died, just later in life, and that would have been okay. As long as he didn't die as a kid. Hannah wrote Aunt Blythe saying she's coming for a visit, and when she showed up, Andrew was driving her. He remembered Drew and said he'd told Drew they'd meet again. It was a bit too much that he was still alive, that both siblings would have lived into their 90s. Andrew didn't have to still be alive. Dying having lived a long life would have been enough. Drew had stupidly and annoyingly thought Hannah would show up young and beautiful--hello, she's your ancestor! Stop having these thoughts about her!--and said that can't be her when he saw her as an old woman.
It was a nice moment that Andrew said he'd never had a bruise like Drew had (from fighting with Edward), and Hannah said Edward had given Andrew a bruise just like it but it disappeared the next day (because Drew with the bruise had switched back with Andrew who didn't have a bruise).
Andrew thanked him for letting him live a full life. He said his mom attributed the fever to him becoming sweeter, and he said he got less prickly. He hoped Drew got some of his spunk. Drew was ready to fight his hometown bully.
At one point Andrew asked Drew to confirm that he always spoke his mind, and Hannah warningly asked how Drew could know that, in a way that made Drew suspect that Hannah knew everything. We didn't need her to know. That's too much for anyone to take in, just having Drew and Andrew in on it was enough.
Andrew had gone on to be an archaeologist. Blythe said Drew's dad followed in his footsteps, and Andrew said maybe he got the idea from Drew's father. Hannah hit him with her cane.
It was a bit sad that Andrew never married and had a family because he didn't want to change history.
Andrew gave Drew his bag of marbles. I got chills at the last lines when Drew said the marble was lucky, and that they and Andrew were safe.
It wasn't explained how Edward ended up with the house, and how Drew won the switchback when he only won one game at marbles. Edward was a very frustrating character because all he could talk about was how bad Hannah and Andrew were, when they're not even the bad ones, and never took any responsibility for what a bad person he was and still is. All he could talk about was getting the house and saying they're not welcome. He needed his comeuppance or to be brought low by the sins of his past. I also realized that Drew's parents never came back into the story. It would have been nice if they'd come back, since they thought Drew was dying and had come back from France and saw Andrew. The big thing was that Drew wasn't as afraid anymore, ever since the train trestle. He couldn't wait to teach the bully a lesson, so there was character growth. I had been so irritated as soon as he switched places, because Drew was afraid of everything. Mr. Tyler, the dog, fighting, Edward, getting a whipping, climbing trees, jumping from the train trestle. It had been really annoying.
This is one of the deepest ghost stories I've ever read. I had added this a while ago and didn't remember that time travel was involved, so that was a lot more than the average ghost story. I just don't enjoy stories where the main character is trapped outside of their own life and someone else is taking over their life. It's really frustrating and stressful.
Andrew overheard his parents talking about him to his aunt. His dad said he's insecure, worries, is nervous and afraid and has too big of an imagination. His mom said he's scared of the dark, afraid of witches under his bed and monsters in the closet. I felt bad for him being talked about like that.
His great-grandpa was so mad that they named him Andrew that he left after the christening and never saw them again, never even sent Andrew a birthday card. The family had a Captain Andrew Joseph Tyler and some more.
Andrew barged into the room with Great Grandfather and the old man was afraid of him, said he'd come back but it was no good because it was his house now. He thought Andrew was a wicked boy.
Andrew heard the upstairs creaking like someone was walking. He smelled roast chicken only to go to the kitchen and see that Aunt Blythe was making spaghetti.
Andrew noticed that everything in the house was old and had belonged to people who are dead now. He quickly came to question Aunt Blythe, on his first night there, if those people are still here. Aunt Blythe believed echoes of people still live on in the house. She didn't even bat an eyelash when he brought up the smell of roast chicken again. I was like does that mean she's smelled it too?
It was a sweet moment when Drew called Binky to his room and begged him to sleep with him. I was glad he had the dog to keep him company.
Binky whined when they went up on the attic and would run every time she opens the door. Once up there, on his first morning, Andrew found a picture of a boy who looked exactly like him. I have never been a fan of the lookalike descendant to an ancestor from generations ago. You wouldn't look like a twin to your ancestor. You can look a lot like them, but not exactly. Andrew also happened to step on a board and revealed a bag of marbles owned by Andrew Joseph Tyler. So, the same face and name of someone from the early 1900s. Andrew got upset that his aunt took the marbles to sell to fix the house, felt like she was stealing from the dead and they had to stay in the floorboards. She was so affected by his reaction that she agreed to put them back.
Drew saw two women in old-fashioned dresses standing outside his door before he went to bed. He heard Andrew coming down the stairs and the encounter was so sad. I felt so bad for him! He was looking for his sister Hannah, calling for her, and said surely she wouldn't leave because she promised to stay with him. He'd heard his mom and sister crying outside his door, but he didn't know they were crying because he'd died. He'd hoped he would live because the doctor had saved him from blood poisoning, croup and whooping cough when he was younger, and had helped Hannah through diphtheria. Hannah said he would live through it, and he smiled and said he hoped he did but he feels weak. Drew told him he was dead but he didn't believe it, thought he'd remember dying. Drew told him to look at the room, and he didn't recognize anything, and teared up. He said he's 13 and has his whole life ahead of him. Gosh I felt like crying for the poor boy.
I was a bit confused when Drew said he'd brought Andrew here. He felt if Andrew went back to the past he would die but he wouldn't be gone and that Andrew had really come for his life, not his marbles.
Andrew had dreamed his marbles were spinning around, and Drew had had a dream about marbles flying through space while he was on a spaceship. Andrew described feeling that his marbles were stolen and then floating upstairs. He asked Drew if he died, and I could not understand why Drew said no, he woke up in time and that if he'd stayed asleep he would have died. Drew knew Andrew had died young. That's how he was talking to Andrew right now. Just because Andrew woke up at this time before he could experience dying doesn't mean he didn't die. The ghost story suddenly turned to time travel. They believed Andrew came to the future instead of dying and that a hole opened between times. If he went back he would die. Time travel is always confusing.
It was endearing that Andrew wanted Drew to immediately go get a doctor and he'd take the medicine no matter how bad it tastes. Andrew wanted to switch places so he would be cured by a doctor. Surprisingly, Drew who is afraid, agreed to switch. They changed into each other's clothes and Andrew got in bed. Drew called Aunt Blythe for help and when he went in the attic everything spun around as he went in the past.
Drew was so afraid of saying and doing the wrong things that he simply couldn't speak. Andrew's family was worried that he wasn't speaking, and when he woke up and saw a man there he was afraid and asked who the man was. I felt so bad that Mr. Tyler said his own son was afraid of him. He said there was something different about Drew's eyes.
I was so annoyed that the first thing Drew said was about how the porch had been painted, and the flowers trimmed but there was no highway or cars. Later that night he mentioned Chicago. I hate when characters mess up so badly when they knew they had to watch what they say. The dog also growled at him and wouldn't come near him.
It was a bit much that Drew didn't know anything about that time period, and there mean cousin Edward gave him a pop quiz on current events. He asked Drew in front of Hannah and Theo what year it was, the president and how many states there were.
Andrew's grandpa had left the house to Mr. Tyler, and his brother, whom the kids call Uncle Ned, got mad. That's the reason for the bad blood.
3 weeks passed in which all of the problems of posing as someone else, especially in a time period not your own, became apparent. Drew would be asked to get something and he wouldn't know where to go. He didn't know the words to Andrew's favorite songs or how to use any of the appliances and technology.
I didn't feel so nice towards Andrew when he wanted to switch places for good, and looked at Drew coldly as he challenged him to a duel at marbles. I couldn't believe he'd want to leave his family for a new world where he didn't know anything. He blamed Drew for stealing his marbles and said he warned Drew he'd be sorry. He wasn't likable at this time.
Drew got Hannah to teach him marbles, pretending he couldn't remember because of the fever.
When John Larkin, Hannah's future husband, came over in his car, Drew automatically put his fingers in his mouth and whistled for Buster to quiet down. He also called Mrs. Tyler Mama. He was worried he was losing himself and becoming Drew.
It was amusing that Mrs. Tyler and John's uncle felt that cars were a fad and people would go back to horses, but John felt cars would stay.
It was uncomfortable how Drew seemed to be jealous of John. He felt like he had heartburn when Hannah smiled at John, just wanted it to be the two of them playing marbles, and she'd had a lifetime with John.
Mrs. Armiger said it must have been a naughty boy who looked just like Drew that had done all those things to her. Andrew had put glue in her metronome, drew a mustache on her Beethoven bust, and climbed out a window during his recital. Andrew also got into fights. He didn't sound like a very good boy.
Drew realized he had never seen the picture that John took of them in the car, so he wondered if this day ever happened in Andrew's life and if they had already altered the past.
I was so impatient when Andrew beat Drew at marbles, told Drew he'd better get used to his life because he was gonna be in it for a long time. This adventure had turned into a nightmare and I didn't like Andrew at all. Then stupid Drew told Hannah she would marry John, women will vote, drive cars, wear pants and run for president. She commented that he must have a crystal ball, asked what else he knew and he told her she'll be old when he's young and he'll never forget her. What the heck is wrong with him? He was also annoyed at her and John, didn't want to think about her marrying John.
In the yard during croquet, Drew caught a flash of Andrew calling to his siblings and crying because they couldn't hear him. He caught Andrew crying at night too. Both blue were forgetting details about their own lives and becoming more the other.
I just wanted to hurry up and be done. The perverted jealousy of John. Theo getting mad at him for not going along with pranks and standing up to Edward. At one point Drew stupidly thought Hannah knew about Andrew, and Drew tried to say he was Drew and not Andrew. So stupid and annoying! The dare at the train trestle ended with Edward falling and not knowing how to swim. Drew jumped off the trestle and saved him, but Edward was too mean to appreciate it and lied about the whole thing, saying he'd been pushed. Drew didn't even know who had saved him, him or Andrew. And before, he had stupidly stood there wondering if Andrew would have saved his cousin, almost let Edward drown because he didn't want to do the wrong thing! Come on!
I was tired of Drew screwing up and saying the wrong thing. He came to realize he was going to miss the family and wanted to live with them. Andrew, though clearly upset at being away from his family, insisted on finishing out their dumb marble bet. I know he was afraid of going back and dying, but time to face the music boy, you need to go back to your family.
It was a nice moment when Andrew told Drew to win the game to send him home. Drew wanted to know how he could tell if Andrew lived or not. Andrew said to look for his grave. If he didn't see a grave, then he lived. To me, Andrew could have still died, just later in life, and that would have been okay. As long as he didn't die as a kid. Hannah wrote Aunt Blythe saying she's coming for a visit, and when she showed up, Andrew was driving her. He remembered Drew and said he'd told Drew they'd meet again. It was a bit too much that he was still alive, that both siblings would have lived into their 90s. Andrew didn't have to still be alive. Dying having lived a long life would have been enough. Drew had stupidly and annoyingly thought Hannah would show up young and beautiful--hello, she's your ancestor! Stop having these thoughts about her!--and said that can't be her when he saw her as an old woman.
It was a nice moment that Andrew said he'd never had a bruise like Drew had (from fighting with Edward), and Hannah said Edward had given Andrew a bruise just like it but it disappeared the next day (because Drew with the bruise had switched back with Andrew who didn't have a bruise).
Andrew thanked him for letting him live a full life. He said his mom attributed the fever to him becoming sweeter, and he said he got less prickly. He hoped Drew got some of his spunk. Drew was ready to fight his hometown bully.
At one point Andrew asked Drew to confirm that he always spoke his mind, and Hannah warningly asked how Drew could know that, in a way that made Drew suspect that Hannah knew everything. We didn't need her to know. That's too much for anyone to take in, just having Drew and Andrew in on it was enough.
Andrew had gone on to be an archaeologist. Blythe said Drew's dad followed in his footsteps, and Andrew said maybe he got the idea from Drew's father. Hannah hit him with her cane.
It was a bit sad that Andrew never married and had a family because he didn't want to change history.
Andrew gave Drew his bag of marbles. I got chills at the last lines when Drew said the marble was lucky, and that they and Andrew were safe.
It wasn't explained how Edward ended up with the house, and how Drew won the switchback when he only won one game at marbles. Edward was a very frustrating character because all he could talk about was how bad Hannah and Andrew were, when they're not even the bad ones, and never took any responsibility for what a bad person he was and still is. All he could talk about was getting the house and saying they're not welcome. He needed his comeuppance or to be brought low by the sins of his past. I also realized that Drew's parents never came back into the story. It would have been nice if they'd come back, since they thought Drew was dying and had come back from France and saw Andrew. The big thing was that Drew wasn't as afraid anymore, ever since the train trestle. He couldn't wait to teach the bully a lesson, so there was character growth. I had been so irritated as soon as he switched places, because Drew was afraid of everything. Mr. Tyler, the dog, fighting, Edward, getting a whipping, climbing trees, jumping from the train trestle. It had been really annoying.
This is one of the deepest ghost stories I've ever read. I had added this a while ago and didn't remember that time travel was involved, so that was a lot more than the average ghost story. I just don't enjoy stories where the main character is trapped outside of their own life and someone else is taking over their life. It's really frustrating and stressful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2010
Time for Andrew (Mary Downing Hahn)
This was a very good ghost story. Different from the usual. Drew is sent to stay with his Great-Aunt Blythe, in an old creepy house. Drew's father explains how this house has been in the family for over a century. Soon he hears women crying & finding no one there.
His Aunt takes him into the attic to show him some of the old treasures. She shows him photos of his relatives, and is shocked to find one boy looked exactly like him, and ironically his name is Andrew. Drew finds a box of marbles hidden in the attic floor with a warning note attached.
Soon he finds himself face to face with his "look a like". He find that the boy's name is Andrew, and he is from 1910 and dying of diphtheria. Andrew convinces Drew to switch places with him, to save his life, he does not want to die at 12 years old. Drew decides to switch and life is not the same. Time is running out, and soon Drew must switch back or he will be stuck in 1910 and possibly change the outcome of his family.
A joy to read, one I feel readers of all ages would enjoy.
This was a very good ghost story. Different from the usual. Drew is sent to stay with his Great-Aunt Blythe, in an old creepy house. Drew's father explains how this house has been in the family for over a century. Soon he hears women crying & finding no one there.
His Aunt takes him into the attic to show him some of the old treasures. She shows him photos of his relatives, and is shocked to find one boy looked exactly like him, and ironically his name is Andrew. Drew finds a box of marbles hidden in the attic floor with a warning note attached.
Soon he finds himself face to face with his "look a like". He find that the boy's name is Andrew, and he is from 1910 and dying of diphtheria. Andrew convinces Drew to switch places with him, to save his life, he does not want to die at 12 years old. Drew decides to switch and life is not the same. Time is running out, and soon Drew must switch back or he will be stuck in 1910 and possibly change the outcome of his family.
A joy to read, one I feel readers of all ages would enjoy.
August 11, 2015
This was a good book and I'm glad I took the time to read it even though my ID says I'm not a kid anymore. I found this in a box of books that used to belong to one of my boys when they were little. I even remembered the first part. I would often read the first part out loud to get them interested and then one of them would take the story and finish it. This story was great and I loved the ending. If only we really could switch places with an ancestor from the past and walk in those old shoes. I'd love to get to know family members from a different time just like Drew got to. The fear he felt was very real though, just as all the characters were. Mary Downing Hahn is a wiz with her pen to be able to bring this story so close to life.
September 20, 2011
This was a very interesting book, it was a good story. But I didn't think it was really a ghost story because Andrew was technically not a ghost, just a person stuck in time.
February 6, 2010
Our assistant teacher that year, a wonderful woman named Mrs. Denny, read this book to my 4th grade class many years ago. It was a wonderful novel to come into the classroom for right after lunch break and was extremely well written, thought out, and interesting. The characters were memorable and so was the story. If I still can remember it even now, it must've been worthwhile-- in fact, I even bought it to keep in my personal collection and can't wait to read it to my own kids one day.
May 28, 2009
I must have read this book a dozen times when I was kid, and I was doing some cleaning in my old bedroom and found it again. The characters were wonderful, from Drew and Andrew, to Hannah and the rest of the family. The story was so engaging and continues to be so even when I read it again years later.
January 6, 2010
Such a great ghost-story! You get to travel through family pictures, attics in old houses, and personal ancestry to get to the characters who swap places in this book - a wonderfully believable and adventurous read, about two boys in the same family, generations apart, who swap places to save one's life, and both their lives end up dramatically improved.
September 2, 2011
3 1/2 stars. Although not as ghostly as I had expected, it had an intriguing concept and was an interesting book.
May 23, 2016
I thought this book was sad and cool because the things that happen to Andrew and Drew
October 11, 2018
I had had this on my to-read list for a while, and it turns out the library had it, so I had this down for books to read during October. I wasn't in the mood to read it, and was kinda dreading it, but I ended up enjoying it, and was glad I read it.
This started out ok. I thought it jumped too quickly into the mystery/ghost aspect, though. I wish it had eased into it first, so we get warmed up to the story and the characters before the plot kicks in.
Andrew was a likable character. My heart went out to him at times. He was a pretty emotional and sweet kid, and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.
I felt so bad for him hearing his parents say he's insecure, worries, has trouble sleeping. That he's nervous, fearful, with too much imagination. That sounds like a time when parents should step in and be there for their kid, not judge him and talk about him to family. I didn't like his parents then.
It was such a sweet, and heart touching moment when Drew calls Binky to come into his room and begs him to stay. And when Aunt Blythe sees the rocking chair in front of the attic, & he tried to explain it and was embarrassed,& shoved it back in the corner.
Him crying after the marble game when he lost.
Pretty much any time Drew cried or was embarrassed was a heart touching moment.
It was surprisingly confusing how Drew was said to be his ancestor's namesake, and that their granddad didn't want his descendant named Andrew,& was mad after. Why wouldn't he want him named Andrew?
The book was creepy from the get go, seeing the face in the window, and hearing things.
I didn't like his aunt when she wanted to take the marbles for money to fix up the house and when she said if Andrew came looking for the marbles, she'd take responsibility.
I know that Drew has to look like Andrew in order for them to switch places, it wouldn't work otherwise, but it's a bit much that they look exactly the same, and sound the same. And the same exact name. They don't have to have the same name, too.
It was a bit of a stretch for Drew to think Andrew didn't just appear for his marbles, but his life. Why would he think that?
I thought his ghost had come back, I certainly didn't expect Andrew to have only traveled in time, so that he was still alive. He says he floated past his sister, going to the attic, so that made it seem like he was a spirit.
The synopsis didn't really say Andrew would be evil, but that was the case in here. At least in the beginning it seemed to be. He wanted to wait until he was stronger,& he was worried he'd still die from something else. But I was surprised he'd want to leave his family behind.
I liked when Drew asked Hannah to help him play marbles, planned to beat Andrew and get his life back.
I liked the lines 'sooner or later, I'd beat Andrew. Maybe not tomorrow night or the night after, but, before summer ended, I'd sleep in my room again and Andrew would sleep in his.'
'When I won the marble game, the curtain would go down on the last act. I'd be Drew again and Andrew would be Andrew--for keeps.'
'A crow called, another answered. Like sentinels, they passed the word along--two boys and a dog were coming.'
It was sweet reading about Hannah with her future husband, John. I liked how Hannah was a tomboy, and had to dress how she wanted, run barefoot, and play marbles in secret, and pretended to be ladylike around her family and John. It was funny when he finally catches her acting like a tomboy, showing Drew how to wrestle. I really liked that he didn't mind she was a tomboy, and we know they end up getting married!
The first time I was really irritated with Drew was when Edward, Theo's cousin, stole Theo's money, and him and Theo got in a fight, and he picked Drew up, and Drew couldn't even stand up for himself. People keep saying Andrew is spunky, gets in fights, so he could at least try to be like him. Especially to help Theo in a fight.
It didn't make sense that the boys would start taking on each other's personality, forget things about their own lives.
I liked when Andrew was starting to crack, and not be so mean, because he was becoming more like Drew. When he calls to his sister and brother and they don't hear him, he has tears in his eyes, & is not reveling in winning the marble games.
We got to learn a little more of his motivations when he says he'd rather be alive in Drew's world than dead in his.
Drew feels regret for the first time at leaving Theo and Hannah behind if he wins the match.
Drew suddenly had a temper and now Andrew was the emotional one, crying. Drew was seriously crazy for asking Andrew to trade places for 24 hours just to jump off the trestle, & then he would be him forever.
Andrew worried that if he was meant to die in 1910 he'd drown in the river.
Even the dog was warming up to him, thinking he was Andrew. Which just isn't possible.
Edward was truly a brat. It was so annoying when he wasn't thankful for Drew saving his life when he fell off the bridge. I was glad Drew finally stood up for himself and punched him like he deserved. However he should have threatened him back, saying he'd tell his father the truth of what happened, instead of Edward threatening him with lies and having the last word.
I know Drew jumping off the bridge gave him courage, but being that Theo said Andrew worried he'd die without having a chance to jump off the bridge, I was hoping Andrew would do it. I wanted them to trade places just so Andrew could do something he really wanted to do.
An irritation of mine is when characters nicknames are used and then way into the book their full name is suddenly thrown out. It wasn't until pg 132 that we learn Theo's name is Theodore.
Edward lies about the trestle jump, and their papa is waiting with a belt, which is annoying. He's a lil too tough for me. I think Drew is gonna stick up for themselves and get out of the punishment, and he does tell the truth, but he only took the punishment without crying or flinching. I wanted their dad to stop being a hardass.
Although it was sweet how their mom gave them extra food for supper and even though their dad said boys shouldn't be coddled, he gave them the good drumsticks he usually ate.
I was well into the book when I just noticed that Hannah was on the back of the book.
Toward the end, I suspected the great-grandfather would be Edward, given how grumpy he was.& why he didn't like Andrew, and it would make sense after the trestle thing.
Drew is wondering how a bad apple like Edward could be in their family, when he suddenly sees his great grandfather. Without ever telling us his suspicions of the old guy being Edward, this sentence was thrown out: 'the room spun, and Edward vanished.'
Drew tells him what they're doing is dangerous and things are happening that aren't supposed to, like Edward almost drowning, which would mean he wouldn't exist, or his parents. So when Andrew actually says that Drew has given him a whole summer, and maybe it's time to go home and take his chances like everyone else, I was thinking good, this boys finally come to his senses. I couldn't believe when Drew was disappointed that Andrew was giving up and wouldn't play ringer anymore.
It was both sweet and sad when Andrew said "send me home, Drew. I don't care if I die when I get there."
I actually felt sympathy for him, as well as him being upset and crying that Hannah couldn't see him.
It was a creepy moment when Andrew whistled and the dog heard it and started howling,& it scared both the boys. And when Theo says Edward told him dogs howl when someone in the family is about to die. That was seriously creepy! That was the first scary moment in the book since the beginning when Andrew showed up.
I also felt sympathy for him when he said the dog was creeping him out and he never would have whistled if he knew he'd howl like that.
"I'll miss you, Drew. You've been a regular gent."
"Look in the graveyard. If you don't see my tombstone, you'll know I didn't die."
I liked when he made the promise to let Drew knew what happens to him.
He realizes he owes Drew, because he's done so much for him, and says "we'll meet again, Drew. I swear it."
Drew's feelings and jealousy of his relative Hannah with John was a lil weird. It's not his sister, but it's his great something or other. And he was posing as her brother.
In the end, I realized why Drew's great-grandfather wouldn't want Drew to be named Andrew, because it was Edward and he didn't like Andrew as a kid.
I was surprised that Andrew hadn't died, because what they were doing was changing the past.
I loved when Hannah came, and had a surprise visitor that turned out to be Andrew. I loved the line he says "Hello, Drew. I told you we'd meet again." And Andrew saying they looked alike except for the shiner, which he never had.& Hannah reminds him he did have one that Edward gave him but it disappeared overnight.
I liked that Binky recognized Andrew.
I was hoping for the boys to talk when they were kids and become more like each other. I was disappointed that didn't happen. So I was glad when the elderly Andrew said Drew was a good influence on him and he became less prickly.
He became an archaeologist like he said he would, inspired from Drew's dad.
I thought it was sad that Andrew had never married,& his reasoning didn't exactly make sense. He said he thought he'd been meant to die, so he decided to lead a solitary life. There's no way of telling what one person might do to change the history of the world. If he wasn't meant to die, then how would getting married change anything?
I thought it was nice Hannah knew the truth about the boys. However saying she knew all along is unrealistic. There's no way to know that, to even suspect something like that.
I hadn't even thought of Theo, but it would have been nice if he came too. I didn't like the sound of him, married to his third wife, who's half his age. Seemed he knew the truth too, when Andrew said he hoped to see Drew again.
I loved that Hannah had the pics that John took of them in the model ford.
I kept waiting for the great grandpa to come around, to at least realize Drew and Andrew weren't the same person. That was a bit disappointing, because usually characters naturally come around like that.
The addition at the back of images on how to play ringer was cute, because I never understood how they played it.
The ending was sweet and happy, and I'm glad for it, because I thought Andrew was going to die in here. I was hoping for a good ending, and I got it.
Some things could have been a lil better, like Edward coming around.
This ended up being pretty good, and was actually a heartwarming story. It was more of a ghost story in the beginning,& then it wasn't really scary again, besides the dog howling comment. It ended up being more about family.
It was sad, touching, sweet, funny, it had a lil bit of everything. I liked the wrap-up with the family, but it could have been longer.
I'm glad I read this.
This started out ok. I thought it jumped too quickly into the mystery/ghost aspect, though. I wish it had eased into it first, so we get warmed up to the story and the characters before the plot kicks in.
Andrew was a likable character. My heart went out to him at times. He was a pretty emotional and sweet kid, and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.
I felt so bad for him hearing his parents say he's insecure, worries, has trouble sleeping. That he's nervous, fearful, with too much imagination. That sounds like a time when parents should step in and be there for their kid, not judge him and talk about him to family. I didn't like his parents then.
It was such a sweet, and heart touching moment when Drew calls Binky to come into his room and begs him to stay. And when Aunt Blythe sees the rocking chair in front of the attic, & he tried to explain it and was embarrassed,& shoved it back in the corner.
Him crying after the marble game when he lost.
Pretty much any time Drew cried or was embarrassed was a heart touching moment.
It was surprisingly confusing how Drew was said to be his ancestor's namesake, and that their granddad didn't want his descendant named Andrew,& was mad after. Why wouldn't he want him named Andrew?
The book was creepy from the get go, seeing the face in the window, and hearing things.
I didn't like his aunt when she wanted to take the marbles for money to fix up the house and when she said if Andrew came looking for the marbles, she'd take responsibility.
I know that Drew has to look like Andrew in order for them to switch places, it wouldn't work otherwise, but it's a bit much that they look exactly the same, and sound the same. And the same exact name. They don't have to have the same name, too.
It was a bit of a stretch for Drew to think Andrew didn't just appear for his marbles, but his life. Why would he think that?
I thought his ghost had come back, I certainly didn't expect Andrew to have only traveled in time, so that he was still alive. He says he floated past his sister, going to the attic, so that made it seem like he was a spirit.
The synopsis didn't really say Andrew would be evil, but that was the case in here. At least in the beginning it seemed to be. He wanted to wait until he was stronger,& he was worried he'd still die from something else. But I was surprised he'd want to leave his family behind.
I liked when Drew asked Hannah to help him play marbles, planned to beat Andrew and get his life back.
I liked the lines 'sooner or later, I'd beat Andrew. Maybe not tomorrow night or the night after, but, before summer ended, I'd sleep in my room again and Andrew would sleep in his.'
'When I won the marble game, the curtain would go down on the last act. I'd be Drew again and Andrew would be Andrew--for keeps.'
'A crow called, another answered. Like sentinels, they passed the word along--two boys and a dog were coming.'
It was sweet reading about Hannah with her future husband, John. I liked how Hannah was a tomboy, and had to dress how she wanted, run barefoot, and play marbles in secret, and pretended to be ladylike around her family and John. It was funny when he finally catches her acting like a tomboy, showing Drew how to wrestle. I really liked that he didn't mind she was a tomboy, and we know they end up getting married!
The first time I was really irritated with Drew was when Edward, Theo's cousin, stole Theo's money, and him and Theo got in a fight, and he picked Drew up, and Drew couldn't even stand up for himself. People keep saying Andrew is spunky, gets in fights, so he could at least try to be like him. Especially to help Theo in a fight.
It didn't make sense that the boys would start taking on each other's personality, forget things about their own lives.
I liked when Andrew was starting to crack, and not be so mean, because he was becoming more like Drew. When he calls to his sister and brother and they don't hear him, he has tears in his eyes, & is not reveling in winning the marble games.
We got to learn a little more of his motivations when he says he'd rather be alive in Drew's world than dead in his.
Drew feels regret for the first time at leaving Theo and Hannah behind if he wins the match.
Drew suddenly had a temper and now Andrew was the emotional one, crying. Drew was seriously crazy for asking Andrew to trade places for 24 hours just to jump off the trestle, & then he would be him forever.
Andrew worried that if he was meant to die in 1910 he'd drown in the river.
Even the dog was warming up to him, thinking he was Andrew. Which just isn't possible.
Edward was truly a brat. It was so annoying when he wasn't thankful for Drew saving his life when he fell off the bridge. I was glad Drew finally stood up for himself and punched him like he deserved. However he should have threatened him back, saying he'd tell his father the truth of what happened, instead of Edward threatening him with lies and having the last word.
I know Drew jumping off the bridge gave him courage, but being that Theo said Andrew worried he'd die without having a chance to jump off the bridge, I was hoping Andrew would do it. I wanted them to trade places just so Andrew could do something he really wanted to do.
An irritation of mine is when characters nicknames are used and then way into the book their full name is suddenly thrown out. It wasn't until pg 132 that we learn Theo's name is Theodore.
Edward lies about the trestle jump, and their papa is waiting with a belt, which is annoying. He's a lil too tough for me. I think Drew is gonna stick up for themselves and get out of the punishment, and he does tell the truth, but he only took the punishment without crying or flinching. I wanted their dad to stop being a hardass.
Although it was sweet how their mom gave them extra food for supper and even though their dad said boys shouldn't be coddled, he gave them the good drumsticks he usually ate.
I was well into the book when I just noticed that Hannah was on the back of the book.
Toward the end, I suspected the great-grandfather would be Edward, given how grumpy he was.& why he didn't like Andrew, and it would make sense after the trestle thing.
Drew is wondering how a bad apple like Edward could be in their family, when he suddenly sees his great grandfather. Without ever telling us his suspicions of the old guy being Edward, this sentence was thrown out: 'the room spun, and Edward vanished.'
Drew tells him what they're doing is dangerous and things are happening that aren't supposed to, like Edward almost drowning, which would mean he wouldn't exist, or his parents. So when Andrew actually says that Drew has given him a whole summer, and maybe it's time to go home and take his chances like everyone else, I was thinking good, this boys finally come to his senses. I couldn't believe when Drew was disappointed that Andrew was giving up and wouldn't play ringer anymore.
It was both sweet and sad when Andrew said "send me home, Drew. I don't care if I die when I get there."
I actually felt sympathy for him, as well as him being upset and crying that Hannah couldn't see him.
It was a creepy moment when Andrew whistled and the dog heard it and started howling,& it scared both the boys. And when Theo says Edward told him dogs howl when someone in the family is about to die. That was seriously creepy! That was the first scary moment in the book since the beginning when Andrew showed up.
I also felt sympathy for him when he said the dog was creeping him out and he never would have whistled if he knew he'd howl like that.
"I'll miss you, Drew. You've been a regular gent."
"Look in the graveyard. If you don't see my tombstone, you'll know I didn't die."
I liked when he made the promise to let Drew knew what happens to him.
He realizes he owes Drew, because he's done so much for him, and says "we'll meet again, Drew. I swear it."
Drew's feelings and jealousy of his relative Hannah with John was a lil weird. It's not his sister, but it's his great something or other. And he was posing as her brother.
In the end, I realized why Drew's great-grandfather wouldn't want Drew to be named Andrew, because it was Edward and he didn't like Andrew as a kid.
I was surprised that Andrew hadn't died, because what they were doing was changing the past.
I loved when Hannah came, and had a surprise visitor that turned out to be Andrew. I loved the line he says "Hello, Drew. I told you we'd meet again." And Andrew saying they looked alike except for the shiner, which he never had.& Hannah reminds him he did have one that Edward gave him but it disappeared overnight.
I liked that Binky recognized Andrew.
I was hoping for the boys to talk when they were kids and become more like each other. I was disappointed that didn't happen. So I was glad when the elderly Andrew said Drew was a good influence on him and he became less prickly.
He became an archaeologist like he said he would, inspired from Drew's dad.
I thought it was sad that Andrew had never married,& his reasoning didn't exactly make sense. He said he thought he'd been meant to die, so he decided to lead a solitary life. There's no way of telling what one person might do to change the history of the world. If he wasn't meant to die, then how would getting married change anything?
I thought it was nice Hannah knew the truth about the boys. However saying she knew all along is unrealistic. There's no way to know that, to even suspect something like that.
I hadn't even thought of Theo, but it would have been nice if he came too. I didn't like the sound of him, married to his third wife, who's half his age. Seemed he knew the truth too, when Andrew said he hoped to see Drew again.
I loved that Hannah had the pics that John took of them in the model ford.
I kept waiting for the great grandpa to come around, to at least realize Drew and Andrew weren't the same person. That was a bit disappointing, because usually characters naturally come around like that.
The addition at the back of images on how to play ringer was cute, because I never understood how they played it.
The ending was sweet and happy, and I'm glad for it, because I thought Andrew was going to die in here. I was hoping for a good ending, and I got it.
Some things could have been a lil better, like Edward coming around.
This ended up being pretty good, and was actually a heartwarming story. It was more of a ghost story in the beginning,& then it wasn't really scary again, besides the dog howling comment. It ended up being more about family.
It was sad, touching, sweet, funny, it had a lil bit of everything. I liked the wrap-up with the family, but it could have been longer.
I'm glad I read this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2009
Time For Andrew By: Mary Downing Hahn
This book is about a Kid named Andrew (Drew). When Drews father and mother go to pParis, France he has to stay with his Aunt Blythe. When he go's up to the attic with his aunt he finds some old family pictures and also finds sone marbles under a loose floorboard. After his aunt takes the marbles downstairs some strange things happen. One of Drews great aunts cousin (andrew) haunts the house even though he is still alive. Andrew has dipheteria and Drew trades places with Andrew so he can go to the hospital and get healed. My favorite part about this book is that it is one of my favorite genres and it has a part about building suspense. i would recommend this book to anyone who likes ghost books and likes building suspense:)
This book is about a Kid named Andrew (Drew). When Drews father and mother go to pParis, France he has to stay with his Aunt Blythe. When he go's up to the attic with his aunt he finds some old family pictures and also finds sone marbles under a loose floorboard. After his aunt takes the marbles downstairs some strange things happen. One of Drews great aunts cousin (andrew) haunts the house even though he is still alive. Andrew has dipheteria and Drew trades places with Andrew so he can go to the hospital and get healed. My favorite part about this book is that it is one of my favorite genres and it has a part about building suspense. i would recommend this book to anyone who likes ghost books and likes building suspense:)
March 21, 2017
I first read this book in grade school and it was one of my favorites. I loved the plot and characters. It was a creepy story but also very fast pace. Re reading at an adult was fun. I enjoyed it just as much as I did when I was a kid. I breezed through it plus it felt like the perfect timing because it was raining outside so what better way than to read a ghost story. Now I want to re read some of Mary Downing Hahn books and read some new ones I did not know she wrote.
October 20, 2023
5 stars on reread. Even better as an adult. See the vlog: https://youtu.be/VPgX1DZPTmw?si=MpK3g...
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A great, creepy little middle-grade story. I read this in the sixth grade and absolutely loved it. I absolutely could NOT put it down and finished it in one sitting! Middle-grade novels are so underrated.
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A great, creepy little middle-grade story. I read this in the sixth grade and absolutely loved it. I absolutely could NOT put it down and finished it in one sitting! Middle-grade novels are so underrated.
January 29, 2009
"Wait Til Helen Comes" was a much better choice, by the same author. However, a student recommended this one to me, so I thought I'd give it a chance.
July 9, 2025
Time for Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn is an atmospheric middle-grade time-travel ghost story. It was initially published in the 1990s and adapted into a new audiobook version in 2024! It’s a wonderful blend of heartwarming family bonds, buried secrets, historical fiction, and time travel!
The story centers on Andrew, a shy boy who is sent to stay with an elderly aunt in an old family mansion. He is given a room where a boy named Andrew once lived before dying of illness as a child. Hearing sounds in the night, he vectors to the attic, where he meets a ghostly boy—also named Andrew—from the year 1910. Andrew, realizing he died and time has moved on, swaps places in time with Drew. Drew, waking up to a new reality in 1910 as “Andrew,” is determined to get his real life back.
The haunting mansion is the perfect backdrop to this eerie ghost story—its decaying facade, creaky floors and doors, and creepy great-grandfather Edward, who lives there, all add to the suspense. The historical elements are vivid but not overwhelming—readers get a glimpse of early 20th-century rural family life, complete with the looming threat of a deadly diphtheria outbreak!
Drew and Andrew are both compelling, expressive characters—but in opposite ways. While Andrew is rebellious and daring, Drew is much more cautious and timid. When Drew is forced to go back in time and take Andrew’s place, Andrew’s family members immediately notice that he’s not himself but chalk it up to him having almost died of diphtheria. Putting up a front of being someone he’s not and fitting into a world from almost a century earlier soon becomes dangerous. Fortunately, the two boys meet up in the attic at night to discuss the happenings in each other’s swapped lives—but Andrew, with his mischievous spirit, won’t swap back his life until Drew beats him at marbles (or so he says).
In reality, Andrew’s reason for not going back is his fear of dying in a different way—and understandably so! Readers don’t get many details of Andrew’s experiences in the modern world, but Drew has many with Andrew’s family members and grows to love them, making it difficult to leave them by the end. His emotional arc is deep for a children’s novel—he begins as timid and uncertain, but the switch forces him to grow, confront fears, and ultimately take responsibility for his life.
The pacing begins a bit slow but picks up once Drew experiences life in 1910, especially when being bullied by Andrew’s cousin Edward—and there's an interesting twist to Andrew's conflict with Edward. The resolution in the story is tidy and heartfelt—and will please readers of all ages. For this reason the story has remained a standout in children’s ghost stories for decades and is a perfect option to read together as a family!
Readers who enjoy middle-grade fiction, atmospheric suspense, ghost stories, time travel, and historical fiction will love this book!
The story centers on Andrew, a shy boy who is sent to stay with an elderly aunt in an old family mansion. He is given a room where a boy named Andrew once lived before dying of illness as a child. Hearing sounds in the night, he vectors to the attic, where he meets a ghostly boy—also named Andrew—from the year 1910. Andrew, realizing he died and time has moved on, swaps places in time with Drew. Drew, waking up to a new reality in 1910 as “Andrew,” is determined to get his real life back.
The haunting mansion is the perfect backdrop to this eerie ghost story—its decaying facade, creaky floors and doors, and creepy great-grandfather Edward, who lives there, all add to the suspense. The historical elements are vivid but not overwhelming—readers get a glimpse of early 20th-century rural family life, complete with the looming threat of a deadly diphtheria outbreak!
Drew and Andrew are both compelling, expressive characters—but in opposite ways. While Andrew is rebellious and daring, Drew is much more cautious and timid. When Drew is forced to go back in time and take Andrew’s place, Andrew’s family members immediately notice that he’s not himself but chalk it up to him having almost died of diphtheria. Putting up a front of being someone he’s not and fitting into a world from almost a century earlier soon becomes dangerous. Fortunately, the two boys meet up in the attic at night to discuss the happenings in each other’s swapped lives—but Andrew, with his mischievous spirit, won’t swap back his life until Drew beats him at marbles (or so he says).
In reality, Andrew’s reason for not going back is his fear of dying in a different way—and understandably so! Readers don’t get many details of Andrew’s experiences in the modern world, but Drew has many with Andrew’s family members and grows to love them, making it difficult to leave them by the end. His emotional arc is deep for a children’s novel—he begins as timid and uncertain, but the switch forces him to grow, confront fears, and ultimately take responsibility for his life.
The pacing begins a bit slow but picks up once Drew experiences life in 1910, especially when being bullied by Andrew’s cousin Edward—and there's an interesting twist to Andrew's conflict with Edward. The resolution in the story is tidy and heartfelt—and will please readers of all ages. For this reason the story has remained a standout in children’s ghost stories for decades and is a perfect option to read together as a family!
Readers who enjoy middle-grade fiction, atmospheric suspense, ghost stories, time travel, and historical fiction will love this book!
October 17, 2018
For reasons I can’t really explain I generally do not like time travel in books. This one was recommended to me by a colleague at the library as one of her favorite books so I decided to give it a try. Hahn skimmed over many of the differences that one would experience between the world in 1910 versus the 1990s but that worked to an extent because the setting was isolated and the boys were recovering from an illness that could explain any strangeness to their families. I was deeply disappointed that there was no growth or change or even understanding for the character of Edward, he just begins and ends a crabby bully for no discernable reason. However, I really enjoyed the visit at the end of the book and the growth of Drew.
Popsugar 2018: a book about time travel
Popsugar 2018: a book about time travel
May 1, 2025
"You can't be alive," I whispered, "you can't -- it's impossible."
"Do I look as bad as that?"
Read this 20 years ago when we lived in Las Vegas and I was scared of everything. I remember liking it because of the historical aspect. This author was one of my favorites as a kid because of this book (which I think was recommended as part of the Summer Bridge workbook series). Still holds up!
"Do I look as bad as that?"
Read this 20 years ago when we lived in Las Vegas and I was scared of everything. I remember liking it because of the historical aspect. This author was one of my favorites as a kid because of this book (which I think was recommended as part of the Summer Bridge workbook series). Still holds up!
November 6, 2017
I selected Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn as my Mystery-genre-book because it was shorter in length than the other text I found at the library. With a mere 165 pages, Hahn captured my interest initially with her sentence structure and strong verbs. (Yes, thank you, Dr. Wiseman, for teaching me to think like a writer.) After the second chapter, not only was I drawn into the story, but I was thinking of all the cool mini-lessons which could be paired with this as a mentor text! Drew, an eleven-year-old boy from 1990, is drawn into a time “swap” to save the life of his dying ancestor, Andrew, another eleven-year-old boy who passes as Drew’s twin. What 5th grader wouldn't want to safe someone's life? Visit another time period? But, what if they can't get back?
Hahn uses strong verbs, thought-provoking characters, historical facts, and many good character traits to develop her plot and characters. Time for Andrew will be a wonderful read-aloud for grades 3 – 5. I visualize daily class discussions following the read-aloud including predictions and evidence of inferential comprehension. Story Maps and other graphic organizers can accompany the read-aloud guiding the students to think and wonder. Anchor charts for strong verbs and new vocabulary for the Word Wall can be discussed and used. Students can write their prediction for the events of the next chapter or wonderings about an event in the chapter just read. This book can also supplement social studies mini-lessons about economics (i.e., cost of candy and soda in 1910 compared to today), early 1900s games (i.e., marbles) and Women’s suffrage. I highly recommend this book!
Hahn uses strong verbs, thought-provoking characters, historical facts, and many good character traits to develop her plot and characters. Time for Andrew will be a wonderful read-aloud for grades 3 – 5. I visualize daily class discussions following the read-aloud including predictions and evidence of inferential comprehension. Story Maps and other graphic organizers can accompany the read-aloud guiding the students to think and wonder. Anchor charts for strong verbs and new vocabulary for the Word Wall can be discussed and used. Students can write their prediction for the events of the next chapter or wonderings about an event in the chapter just read. This book can also supplement social studies mini-lessons about economics (i.e., cost of candy and soda in 1910 compared to today), early 1900s games (i.e., marbles) and Women’s suffrage. I highly recommend this book!
December 26, 2021
I really liked this book! It wasn’t my favorite Mary Downing Hahn book, but it’s one of my favorites. It was a quick and easy read and the story was enjoyable.
October 20, 2023
My boys would love to read this
April 30, 2024
It's an amazing set up, even better than Wait Til Helen Comes. I was hiding under my covers. The last 3/4 are interesting and endearing but just not spooky enough, despite flashes of potential.
November 4, 2024
I love this book, my absolute favorite Mary Downing Hahn book would read again
January 6, 2025
Nostalgic- happy to go back and remember where my love for thriller/mystery began. What a fun read ☺️
March 26, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
July 31, 2025
This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I thought I’d reread it (listened to audio!). Cool story!
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