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Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop
The first book in an exciting new time-travel adventure series from New York Times bestselling author Krystal Sutherland, writing with Martin Seneviratne.
Twelve-year-old twins Pearl and Patrick are not ordinary school children. Pearl, the engineering whizz, has invented a time machine, and Patrick, who knows everything about every historical period, is the perfect person to test it out with her.
The one thing the twins are not interested in is their dad going on and on about the legends from their homeland, Sri Lanka. But when their time-travelling gets them noticed by secret agency T.I.M.E., the twins find themselves calling up these family legends to help them in an epic battle that could change past, present and future.
Jump in for a funny, thrilling time-travel adventure - who knows what will happen when!
Twelve-year-old twins Pearl and Patrick are not ordinary school children. Pearl, the engineering whizz, has invented a time machine, and Patrick, who knows everything about every historical period, is the perfect person to test it out with her.
The one thing the twins are not interested in is their dad going on and on about the legends from their homeland, Sri Lanka. But when their time-travelling gets them noticed by secret agency T.I.M.E., the twins find themselves calling up these family legends to help them in an epic battle that could change past, present and future.
Jump in for a funny, thrilling time-travel adventure - who knows what will happen when!
- GenresScience Fiction
Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 13, 2025
Pearl and Patrick aren’t your average 12-year-olds; they're genius twins who pull off globe-trotting heists for research! Their biggest score yet? Inventing time travel! First stop: ancient Egypt. First oops: swatting a mosquito that almost wrecks history.
Cue T.I.M.E, the snarky time cops who inform them they didn’t invent time travel and they just failed the agent exam. Banned from jumping through time, Pearl vows she’s done until a shady rival offers her one more trip. Too bad it leads to a nightmare future only she and Patrick can fix by teaming up with the real inventor of time travel!
Think Artemis Fowl meets Doctor Who, with banter, chaos, and a lot of questionable life choices!
⚡️Thank you StoryGram Kids, Krystal Sutherland and Martin Seneviratne for sharing this book with me!
Cue T.I.M.E, the snarky time cops who inform them they didn’t invent time travel and they just failed the agent exam. Banned from jumping through time, Pearl vows she’s done until a shady rival offers her one more trip. Too bad it leads to a nightmare future only she and Patrick can fix by teaming up with the real inventor of time travel!
Think Artemis Fowl meets Doctor Who, with banter, chaos, and a lot of questionable life choices!
⚡️Thank you StoryGram Kids, Krystal Sutherland and Martin Seneviratne for sharing this book with me!
September 9, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
A time traveling tale with two genius siblings who have to evade the grips of the T.I.M.E. syndicate after accidentally altering the present by a seemingly small mishap while traveling to the past. This was a fast-paced adventure, and all of the events Pearl and Patrick found themselves in were fun and interesting. I am interested to see where the series goes in the next book.
A time traveling tale with two genius siblings who have to evade the grips of the T.I.M.E. syndicate after accidentally altering the present by a seemingly small mishap while traveling to the past. This was a fast-paced adventure, and all of the events Pearl and Patrick found themselves in were fun and interesting. I am interested to see where the series goes in the next book.
August 26, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this digital ARC!
Who knew that the author of House of Hollow would do such a good job at writing a wholesome middle grade time traveling romp?
Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop is Krystal Sutherland’s first project with new co-author (and husband!) Martin Seneviratne, and hearing that she was writing a middle grade novel piqued my interest. As an adult reader, I generally don’t read below upper YA, but sometimes your inner child yearns to return to the misery that was middle school.
When I review childrens’ books, the primary question I have in the back of my mind is: would I recommend this to my childhood self?
The answer for Time Lions is a resounding yes. Full to the brim with heart, adventure, and self-discovery, Time Lions could be described Indiana Jones meets Spy Kids meets Horrible Histories. However, it’s also more than an amalgamation.
Focusing on genius twins Pearl and Patrick who find themselves swept into inter-dimensional politics when Pearl builds a time machine, Time Lions is as much about the twins learning how to live in the present as it is about them exploring the past. It’s about them getting in touch with their heritage, managing to be an accessible criticism of whitewashed (and male-washed) history that’s perfect for younger readers to digest.
I know that 12-year-old me would have immediately connected to Pearl. Heck, even adult me found herself resonating with her feelings of insecurity, frustration, and pride. Knowing that children of today (especially South Asian children) have characters like Pearl and Patrick to see themselves in is a balm for my soul, and I’m excited to see what this writing duo drums up for the sequel.
Who knew that the author of House of Hollow would do such a good job at writing a wholesome middle grade time traveling romp?
Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop is Krystal Sutherland’s first project with new co-author (and husband!) Martin Seneviratne, and hearing that she was writing a middle grade novel piqued my interest. As an adult reader, I generally don’t read below upper YA, but sometimes your inner child yearns to return to the misery that was middle school.
When I review childrens’ books, the primary question I have in the back of my mind is: would I recommend this to my childhood self?
The answer for Time Lions is a resounding yes. Full to the brim with heart, adventure, and self-discovery, Time Lions could be described Indiana Jones meets Spy Kids meets Horrible Histories. However, it’s also more than an amalgamation.
Focusing on genius twins Pearl and Patrick who find themselves swept into inter-dimensional politics when Pearl builds a time machine, Time Lions is as much about the twins learning how to live in the present as it is about them exploring the past. It’s about them getting in touch with their heritage, managing to be an accessible criticism of whitewashed (and male-washed) history that’s perfect for younger readers to digest.
I know that 12-year-old me would have immediately connected to Pearl. Heck, even adult me found herself resonating with her feelings of insecurity, frustration, and pride. Knowing that children of today (especially South Asian children) have characters like Pearl and Patrick to see themselves in is a balm for my soul, and I’m excited to see what this writing duo drums up for the sequel.
October 19, 2025
Pearl and Patrick, genius twins. Pearl, only 12 with a backpack full of gadgets and ready to go. Patrick aspires to a world full of libraries, and loves nothing more than…canceled plans.
Already on the MI6 and CIA watchlist for their Area 51 heist, and slew of experiments, they now get entangled with an organisation called The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry (TIME). They are the time police, an idea that Stephen Hawking surfaced: a Chronology Protection Agency made time travel impossible.
The twins travel to Egypt in Tutankhamen’s time and return to find a London with sphinxes and hieroglyphics…because Pearl swatted off a mosquito destined to bite Tutankhamen, that led to his death.
In an action-packed, although unrushed manner, this mess leads them onward to the 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, and eventually to the 495 pivotal battle in Sri Lanka.
This fun middle grade adventure had a high nerd factor on history, and timeline conundrums and most of all, good character development. Co-written by married couple Krystal Sutherland and Martin Seneviratne (a doctor in AI tech), it already points to the next adventure 40,000 years ago.
📚: @definitelybooks (ARC)
Already on the MI6 and CIA watchlist for their Area 51 heist, and slew of experiments, they now get entangled with an organisation called The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry (TIME). They are the time police, an idea that Stephen Hawking surfaced: a Chronology Protection Agency made time travel impossible.
The twins travel to Egypt in Tutankhamen’s time and return to find a London with sphinxes and hieroglyphics…because Pearl swatted off a mosquito destined to bite Tutankhamen, that led to his death.
In an action-packed, although unrushed manner, this mess leads them onward to the 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, and eventually to the 495 pivotal battle in Sri Lanka.
This fun middle grade adventure had a high nerd factor on history, and timeline conundrums and most of all, good character development. Co-written by married couple Krystal Sutherland and Martin Seneviratne (a doctor in AI tech), it already points to the next adventure 40,000 years ago.
📚: @definitelybooks (ARC)
September 20, 2025
I really liked the Sri Lankan tie-in as I know of few books to recommend to students of Sri Lankan background. However, I wasn't as engaged with the story as I would have liked. It required too much suspension of disbelief for me.
Review based on a DRC received through NetGalley.
Review based on a DRC received through NetGalley.
July 20, 2025
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
November 2, 2025
This is such a fun middle grade novel, combining historical and general knowledge fun facts with the classic 'clever kids getting stuff done when adults can't' narrative. On top of that, the grappling with the 'not like other girls' narrative and fixing your mistakes makes this a complex and deep book, which explores colonialism and learning to love your roots. Perfect for fans of Alex Rider-esque books looking for a more diverse read!
Thank you to HarperCollins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to HarperCollins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews