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An Amazing Adventure Through Time
~ Portuguese-language best-seller now available in English ~
~ Young Adult ~
TRAILER: http://youtu.be/IOyE_bVmrqQ?hd=1
One of the most incredible stories about time travel is about to start. Set off with Leo, Tracy, Alan, and Rita on this adventure which brings with it an intriguing array of real and fictional characters.
Thanks to an ancient pyramid with special powers, the gang leaves modern-day São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to travel to nineteenth-century London. In amidst their many bewildering adventures they meet up with Sherlock Holmes and the man who created the famous detective, Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the detective Hercule Poirot and his affable creator Agatha Christie.
In their attempt to survive in this strange world, the gang crosses paths with the perverse murderer Jack the Ripper and discover his true identity.
How will they be able to protect themselves? How are they to make sense of the fact that fictional characters suddenly become flesh and blood? And most important of all: How do they get back home?
AN AMAZING ADVENTURE THROUGH TIME was among the ten most sold books for young readers in the Portuguese language.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kindle, Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008F440FE
Kindle, Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008F440FE
Paperback, Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/An-Amazing-Adve...
Paperback, Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-Amazing-Ad...
Paperback, Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-am...
iBooks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Glauco Adams was born in 1975. He has been publishing books since he was 26, two of which (including this one) were among the ten most sold books for young readers in the Portuguese language. At present, apart from working on other books, he is hired to write a screenplay.
AN AMAZING ADVENTURE THROUGH TIME is the second book he published (2003). In a way, the story is a tribute to Conan Doyle and to Agatha Christie, and he hopes that his book will inspire young readers to read the work of these fantastic writers. Since 1997 he has done much to promote the reading of Agatha Christie, largely through a well-known site that ran for many years. He was widely regarded as the most important (non-official) disseminator of the work of Agatha Christie in Brazil.
~ Young Adult ~
TRAILER: http://youtu.be/IOyE_bVmrqQ?hd=1
One of the most incredible stories about time travel is about to start. Set off with Leo, Tracy, Alan, and Rita on this adventure which brings with it an intriguing array of real and fictional characters.
Thanks to an ancient pyramid with special powers, the gang leaves modern-day São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to travel to nineteenth-century London. In amidst their many bewildering adventures they meet up with Sherlock Holmes and the man who created the famous detective, Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the detective Hercule Poirot and his affable creator Agatha Christie.
In their attempt to survive in this strange world, the gang crosses paths with the perverse murderer Jack the Ripper and discover his true identity.
How will they be able to protect themselves? How are they to make sense of the fact that fictional characters suddenly become flesh and blood? And most important of all: How do they get back home?
AN AMAZING ADVENTURE THROUGH TIME was among the ten most sold books for young readers in the Portuguese language.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kindle, Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008F440FE
Kindle, Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008F440FE
Paperback, Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/An-Amazing-Adve...
Paperback, Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-Amazing-Ad...
Paperback, Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-am...
iBooks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Glauco Adams was born in 1975. He has been publishing books since he was 26, two of which (including this one) were among the ten most sold books for young readers in the Portuguese language. At present, apart from working on other books, he is hired to write a screenplay.
AN AMAZING ADVENTURE THROUGH TIME is the second book he published (2003). In a way, the story is a tribute to Conan Doyle and to Agatha Christie, and he hopes that his book will inspire young readers to read the work of these fantastic writers. Since 1997 he has done much to promote the reading of Agatha Christie, largely through a well-known site that ran for many years. He was widely regarded as the most important (non-official) disseminator of the work of Agatha Christie in Brazil.
- GenresTime TravelYoung Adult
164 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
1 person is currently reading
204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 30, 2012
Its easy to see why this is a best seller children's book in Brazil (biggest best seller in fact). A time travel book that accentuates the attractive and morbid historical places and figures of London's past that would ignite children's imagination around the world. Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, Sir Author Conan Doyle, Big Ben, Baker Street, Whitechapel, Miss Marple, Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot...wait hold on...Some of them are fictional, not historical! Indeed, that's what makes this time travel fable rather unique from other time travel novels whether written for children or adults.
The time travel device, a mysterious pyramid artefact, transports the holder not only to a different time but also brings fictitious characters to life. Its absolutely bizarre but thankfully, the 4 teenagers who gets caught into the pyramid's power share the reader's confusion. What the hell is going on? How can Sherlock Holmes be real?
Its a splendid mystery but not for Sherlock Holmes to solve, this one can only be worked out by our 4 teenage heroes who are whisked away from the the comfort of their home in Brazil to the dark sinister alleys of Whitechapel, where a certain Ripper prowls in 1863. Although there are a few very short time travel trips in the book, the story is focussed on the hapless youngsters reluctant adventure in 19th century London.
The author's prose hasn't much flair but given that this is a translation from its original language (Portuguese), its sufficiently clean and efficient and the narrative drives the story along at a quite a frantic pace...perhaps too frantic. There are times when I am not sure what exactly is going on, the action is muddled especially towards the end. Also, apart from Tracy who inherits the pyramid from her ailing uncle, the other protagonists are given the most basic and minimal personalities with only very slight distinctions.
I also happen to be a fan of Sherlock Holmes, read most of Doyle's books on his adventures and watched all of the different interpretations of the famous detective, even in comedies. All interpretations, though widely varied retain at least one common feature about Holmes and that is, he is a rather clever chap. I enjoy all these interpretations. So its a great disappointment to find this Sherlock Holmes is quite stupid and even clumsy and hardly shows any convincing deductive skills at all. Given that Holmes has a prominent role in this, I cant help it affecting my enjoyment somewhat. Perhaps I am missing the point. Perhaps the author is deliberately portraying him against expectations but then that wouldnt make sense in the context of the story which I will not give away. However, I wont make that a crucial criticism, just simply, a disappointing interpretation of the great detective.
Another prominent character in the book is Jack the Ripper whom we get quite disturbing details of his mindset (though all within the boundary for children to read). In fact, I feel I know the Ripper more than our teenage heroes. This villain of course adds a nice sense of foreboding to the proceedings.
I am a Londoner and I notice that nothing makes sense about the geography of my home town in this book. It seems that Baker Street has relocated to East London, Whitechapel...and well practically all of London's attractions appear to be within one square mile! Given the context of the crazy story though, I guess I have to let it get away with it but I cant help be annoyed with the flippant misplacing of these locations.
The climactic finish is a mad rush and some elements are confusing and nonsensical but I sense the ten year old me lapping it all up gleefully while the older me is scratching my head at some of details which still dont make sense. At least the book acknowledges this through the protagonists and even naming a chapter "Nothing makes sense!".
As every decent children's novel should have, there are excellent moral strands underlining the adventures which are given further punctuation at the end. I like that.
As an adult I did enjoy this but I feel it is very much targeted to a younger audience of say 8-13 perhaps, while the slightly older audience may begin to nitpick on the plot details.
10 year old Me: "oh wow definitely 4 stars, when is the next book coming out, huh huh? Where do they go next? Tell me! Ooo and I think I'll go read up more on Sherlock Holmes, Dr Doyle and Jack the Ripper!"
Much older and grumpier Me: "Its a fun adventure and deliberately nonsensical but good grief, my dear fellow, why the devil is Holmes so...imbecilic? 3 stars."
Averaged out rating 3.5/5.
The time travel device, a mysterious pyramid artefact, transports the holder not only to a different time but also brings fictitious characters to life. Its absolutely bizarre but thankfully, the 4 teenagers who gets caught into the pyramid's power share the reader's confusion. What the hell is going on? How can Sherlock Holmes be real?
Its a splendid mystery but not for Sherlock Holmes to solve, this one can only be worked out by our 4 teenage heroes who are whisked away from the the comfort of their home in Brazil to the dark sinister alleys of Whitechapel, where a certain Ripper prowls in 1863. Although there are a few very short time travel trips in the book, the story is focussed on the hapless youngsters reluctant adventure in 19th century London.
The author's prose hasn't much flair but given that this is a translation from its original language (Portuguese), its sufficiently clean and efficient and the narrative drives the story along at a quite a frantic pace...perhaps too frantic. There are times when I am not sure what exactly is going on, the action is muddled especially towards the end. Also, apart from Tracy who inherits the pyramid from her ailing uncle, the other protagonists are given the most basic and minimal personalities with only very slight distinctions.
I also happen to be a fan of Sherlock Holmes, read most of Doyle's books on his adventures and watched all of the different interpretations of the famous detective, even in comedies. All interpretations, though widely varied retain at least one common feature about Holmes and that is, he is a rather clever chap. I enjoy all these interpretations. So its a great disappointment to find this Sherlock Holmes is quite stupid and even clumsy and hardly shows any convincing deductive skills at all. Given that Holmes has a prominent role in this, I cant help it affecting my enjoyment somewhat. Perhaps I am missing the point. Perhaps the author is deliberately portraying him against expectations but then that wouldnt make sense in the context of the story which I will not give away. However, I wont make that a crucial criticism, just simply, a disappointing interpretation of the great detective.
Another prominent character in the book is Jack the Ripper whom we get quite disturbing details of his mindset (though all within the boundary for children to read). In fact, I feel I know the Ripper more than our teenage heroes. This villain of course adds a nice sense of foreboding to the proceedings.
I am a Londoner and I notice that nothing makes sense about the geography of my home town in this book. It seems that Baker Street has relocated to East London, Whitechapel...and well practically all of London's attractions appear to be within one square mile! Given the context of the crazy story though, I guess I have to let it get away with it but I cant help be annoyed with the flippant misplacing of these locations.
The climactic finish is a mad rush and some elements are confusing and nonsensical but I sense the ten year old me lapping it all up gleefully while the older me is scratching my head at some of details which still dont make sense. At least the book acknowledges this through the protagonists and even naming a chapter "Nothing makes sense!".
As every decent children's novel should have, there are excellent moral strands underlining the adventures which are given further punctuation at the end. I like that.
As an adult I did enjoy this but I feel it is very much targeted to a younger audience of say 8-13 perhaps, while the slightly older audience may begin to nitpick on the plot details.
10 year old Me: "oh wow definitely 4 stars, when is the next book coming out, huh huh? Where do they go next? Tell me! Ooo and I think I'll go read up more on Sherlock Holmes, Dr Doyle and Jack the Ripper!"
Much older and grumpier Me: "Its a fun adventure and deliberately nonsensical but good grief, my dear fellow, why the devil is Holmes so...imbecilic? 3 stars."
Averaged out rating 3.5/5.
October 10, 2012
Being an avid fan of time travel as well as young adult fiction, I was eager to read this book which has just recently been translated to English (it was originally written in Portuguese). I feel honored to be the first to rate and review this book on Goodreads, and I hope there are many more great reviews to follow, because this book is definitely worth reading.
The story is about four teenagers who stumble upon a strange artifact that propels them unwittingly back in time to London in the 1800s. The artifact also brings their deepest passions and recent memories to life. And since some of our young heroes are big mystery fans, some of the most famous fictional detectives (such as Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot) suddenly become real and walk side by side with their creators (Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie). All of these characters (real or not) are brought together (regardless of their original timeframe) for a singular purpose: to track down the infamous serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.
I thought this was an entertaining read. After all, how can you go wrong when you combine time travel with Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper? The book can be a little confusing at times because there are so many characters to follow. In fact, I had to reread a few chapters just to make sure I understood what was going on. But don't let that dissuade you from trying this book. Whether you are a kid or still a kid at heart, you will enjoy this book.
The story is about four teenagers who stumble upon a strange artifact that propels them unwittingly back in time to London in the 1800s. The artifact also brings their deepest passions and recent memories to life. And since some of our young heroes are big mystery fans, some of the most famous fictional detectives (such as Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot) suddenly become real and walk side by side with their creators (Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie). All of these characters (real or not) are brought together (regardless of their original timeframe) for a singular purpose: to track down the infamous serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.
I thought this was an entertaining read. After all, how can you go wrong when you combine time travel with Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper? The book can be a little confusing at times because there are so many characters to follow. In fact, I had to reread a few chapters just to make sure I understood what was going on. But don't let that dissuade you from trying this book. Whether you are a kid or still a kid at heart, you will enjoy this book.
April 15, 2022
I gave this one star partly because I think that is what it deserves and partly to offset the other reviews--I think potential readers will be misled by the overly positive comments. This is indeed a young adult novel, which is fine; I have nothing against YA novels. However, this one is nonsensical to the point of absurdity. First, the time travel device works how? There isn't even a suggestion as to how it might work. I found myself wondering repeatedly if I had jumped into the second or third book in a series because so much is unexplained. Alas, I think this is the first book and the author simply does not see the need to explain much of anything. So, you are kind of thrown into the deep end and have to try to make sense of various characters who are mostly unexplained. Second, the time travel device not only works in some mysterious manner, but it also modifies the past based on the thoughts of whoever was holding it. This "explains" why some sports car racer shows up (a total red herring) and why the author brings in various famous characters who would otherwise not overlap temporally. This concept might be excused if there was some obvious rhyme or reason going on, but most of these characters were the equivalent of written name dropping. I do not think I will spoil anything by saying that Hercule Poirot appears. Why? No obvious reason. Also, Agatha Christie appears. Why? No obvious reason. Next, Madame Tussaud appears. Why? No obvious reason. Get the drift? This relatively short book took me much too long to finish because it did not hold my attention in the least. Yes, I will be looking to see what else Glauco Adams writes, and then I will run away from it as fast as possible.
October 17, 2012
I thought this was a pretty good adventure book. I think this book is targeted for a younger audience, but as an adult I still really enjoyed it.
When I first started reading this, I had no idea what to expect and planned on setting it down after the first couple of chapters. But before I knew it, a couple hours passed and I was reading well into the night.
Great book and I will be keeping an eye on Glauco to see what other books he comes out with.
Highly recommended!
When I first started reading this, I had no idea what to expect and planned on setting it down after the first couple of chapters. But before I knew it, a couple hours passed and I was reading well into the night.
Great book and I will be keeping an eye on Glauco to see what other books he comes out with.
Highly recommended!
May 13, 2022
Relendo o livro depois de quase 20 anos, com certeza eu daria 6 estrelas se podesse. Mesmo sendo um livro infantil e eu não gostando de ficção ainda achei o livro absolutamente fascinante.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews