Diary of a Time Traveller

by David Long, Nicholas Stevenson (Illustrator)

When young Augustus complains that history class is boring, his teacher gives him a magic time-traveling diary, and takes him on a whistle-stop tour of history through the ages. On his trip he meets some of the world's finest explorers, inventors, leaders, writers, and luminaries, including Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Mozart, and Shakespeare.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, History, Time Travel

64 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2015

About the author

Winner of the Blue Peter Book of the Year 2017, writer and journalist David Long has regularly appeared in The Times and the London Evening Standard, as well as on television and radio. He has written more than 30 books for children and adults and lives in Suffolk.

Reviews

[Jane Maple]

A boy, Augustus, is bored in his history class. His professor (Tempo) gives him a magic book and tells him to write in it that night and it transports him to various moments in time:

1 Million BC, Africa - Lighting the First Fire - discuss how these were Homo erectus, and that by mastering fire, humans could travel out of Africa to colder parts of the world, clear areas for farming, cook, make clay pots, and be active at night.

2000 BC, Britain Building Stonegenge - mentions that the larger stones were rooted in deep holes to secure them and that the stones were knocked into shape by the workers, who used flints as hammers.

1332 BC Egypt Meeting the Boy Pharaoh - One of the priests gave Tutankhamen a crook and flail ... then he was lead off to be dunked in a sacred pool before coming back to sit on a golden throne. The pharaoh's teacher, Sennedjem, was an important figure in his life but fell out of favor after Tutankhamen came to the throne. Ay was one of the young king's closest advisers. He later became pharaoh himself. Queen Nefertiti was married to Tutankhamen's father, Akhenaten. She was a powerful figure and may have ruled the kingdom briefly after her husband's death. In ancient Egypt, kings were thought to be gods. To keep the bloodline pure, Tutankhamen's mother may also have been his father's sister. Tutankhamen's beloved nurse, Maia, remained close to him throughout his short life.

448 BC Greece Watching the Early Olympics - The first-ever Olympics were in 776 BC, but there was only one race, so I was happy to be there a bit later, with more events to watch. The competitors had no clothes on! I was a bit shocked, but the professor reassured me that in ancient Greece people always exercised naked (in fact, the word "gymnasium" comes from the Greek word "gymnos," which means "naked"). The other thing I noticed was that there were no women competitors, and apparently married women weren't even allowed to watch, on pain of death-pretty harsh, eh? Instead of medals, the winners were given crowns of olive leaves and were paraded around on people's shoulders. The most impressive thing was an incredible temple with this enormous-truly massive-statue of the king of the Greek gods, Zeus. It was taller than a five-story building, all covered in gold. The professor tells me that it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Anicent World, but was destroyed in a fire about 1,500 years ago. Diagoras of Rhodes was a retired champion whose family included some of the greatest Olympians of all time. Dorieus, his son, grew up to be a champion. There was a race between mule-drawn chariots called the biga. It was won by the tyrannical warlord Anaxilas.

211 BC China Walking the Great Wall - China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang was busy inspecting the wall. The emperor was born Ying Zheng, but later gave himself the name Qin Shi Huang, which means "First Emperor of China." As well as being a ruthless warrior who unified China, he also standardized the Chinese language and currency, and even reduced congestion on the roads by insisting that all carts be the same width. He had millions of books burned so that he could write his own version of istory! He was also very superstitious: when a shooting star fell to earth, he heard it had an inscription saying that hte emperor would die. Soon afterward, he did, apparently poisoned by pills that eh thought would make him live forever! Anqi Sheng was a legendary wizard believed to be 1,000 years old. The emperor wanted to find out the secret of long life from him. Legend has it that 3,000 children were sent on an expedition to track down the wizard Anqi Sheng and find the secret of immortality. Xu Fu was the official court sorcerer. He was employed to find a way of making the emperor live forever. An army of more than 8,000 Terra-cotta soldiers was buried with the emperor when he died, to protect him in the afterlife.

AD 80 Italy Getting Ready for the Gladiators - The Colosseum was colossal! The prof told me that once the stadium was finished, it could seat up to 50,000 people who came to watch epic fights and chariot races. Sometimes they even flooded it to stage mock naval battles! It was built on the orders of the Emperor Titus. As emperors go, it sounds like Titus was quite a decent guy. A successful military commander and a talented poet, he also did a lot to rebuild Rome after a massive fire. And a year before, when a volcano had erupted burying the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, he'd pulled out all the stops to help the people. Titus died of a fever after only two years as emperor at the age of 42. The poet Martial was very popular because of his witty, sometimes cheeky, poems about life in Rome. Suetonius would grow up to be a famous historian. Carpophorus was a famous gladiator who specialized in fighting animals such as lions, bears, and leopards. Julia Flavia was the only daughter of the Emperor Titus.

AD 970 China Fireworks Fit for a King - Fireworks were made by packing chemicals and honey into bamboo sticks, which exploded when thrown on a fire. These sticks gave off a big bang, but weren't that impressive to look at. For a long time, they were just enjoyed by ordinary people and no one thought they were worth showing to the emperor. But as time passed, the fireworks grew larger and more spectacular, and when we arrived, a display was being put on for Emperor Taizu of Song. Accompanying the emperor was his third wife, Empress Song. When they got married, he was 40 but she was only 17! Zhao Guangyi treated his brother the emperor with respect, but was later accused of murdering him for the throne. Prince Yi of Yan was the emperor's son. Some people think that he was killed by his uncle after his father died.

AD 1000 Sailing to the New World - Leif Erikson moved with his family to Greenland after his father was exiled from Iceland for killing a man in a fight. Leif was a good sailor, and after hearing stories of a land many miles to the west, he decided to search for it. With a crew of 35, he set sail in a small open boat, and managed to make it across hundreds of miles of ocean. Freydis Eiriksdottir, Leif's sister, was among those who traveled to Vinland, where the Vikings built a small settlement. Leif's brother Thorvald was the first of the Vikings to spot the indigenous Americans already living there. Accompanying Leif were his sons Thorgils and Thorkell, who returned to Greenland and eventually became important chieftains.

1200 Mexico Spotting the Sun Serpent - The Mayans didn't have telescopes they just watched the skies carefully and made observations. They were able to trace the movements of the sun, stars, and planets, which they believed were gods. The Mayans made super-smart calendars and could even predict when eclipses were going to happen. They based a lot of stuff around astronomy, planting their crops and waging wars to tie in with the movements of the stars. We arrived in the town of Chichen Itza in the middle of some sort of ceremony. Loads of people were gathered around the pyramid, and all of a sudden one of the priests held up is arms and made an announcement. Everyone went quiet. As we watched, the sun fell across the pyramid, casting a strange shadow that made it look like a snake was slithering down from the top. An important building at Chichen Itza was a round Observatory. This had a window that showed the appearance of the planet Venus once every eight years. Each face of the pyramid had a staircase with 91 steps. Together with the shared step at the top, these added up to 365: the number of days in a year. The pyramid was dedicated to the serpent god Kukulcan. The astronomers in Mayan society were also priests. They were very important, powerful figures.

1206 India From a Slave to a Sultan! - As a child, Qutb-ud-din Aybak was sold into slavery, but rose through the ranks by wowing his masters with his military skill. He was made a general and a governor before finally becoming the first sultan of Delhi. The professor said that as the first Muslim ruler in South Asia, the new sultan quickly set about modernizing his country and constructing great mosques. We saw a beautiful tower called the Qutb Minar being built. Sadly, only four years after becoming sultan, Aybak died from falling off his horse while playing polo. One of his own slaves, named Iltutmish, came to the throne after his master's death. Turkan Khatun was a former servant girl who married Illtutmish and became queen. Iltutmish's daughter Raziyya Al-Din eventually became the first woman to rule over Delhi.

1225 Mongolia Riding on the Silk Road - Genghis Khan also put in place a clever mail system with loads of changeover stations for messengers, meaning that a letter could travel 125 miles per day. Not quite as convenient as an e-mail, but not bad for those days! Religion was very important to Genghis Khan. He frequently asked religious figures for advice, including a Taoist monk named Qiu Chuji. Genghis Khan's son Chagatai was a bit of a hothead, but he grew up to be a good ruler. Genghis Khan had a difficult childhood. His father was poisoned by a rival tribe, and Genghis himself was captured and enslaved. Borte was the Khan's wife and Grand Empress. Their ten children helped rule the huge empire. A fine military commander like his father, Ogedei extended Mongol rule into China and Korea. Jochi, the eldest of the khan's four sons, helped his father conquer much of Asia. Tolui was Genghis Khan's youngest son. When he was five years old, he was nearly killed by an enemy, but was rescued by his sister Altani.

1380 Britain Story Time with Chaucer - As well as being a poet, Chaucer was also an astronomer, philosopher, scientist and courtier. Pilgrimages were often the only chance people got to travel, so going on a pilgrimage was a bit like going on vacation. At the beginning of a pilgrimage, travelers would often meet up at a tavern. One of Chaucer's most famous characters was the Wife of Bath. Larger than life, she has been married five times! The Reeve in Chaucer's tale was bad-tempered and dishonest. His job was to look after his master's lands. Tall, brave, and handsome, the Knight in the Canterbury Tales tells a story about two cousins in competition for the love of a beautiful lady.

1439 Germany Gutenberg, Hot Off the Press! - The inventor of the press was a hard-working blacksmith named Johannes Gutenberg. Sadly, Gutenberg failed to make his fortune from printing, but after he died, the popularity of his invention spread quickly. Ennelin zu Der Iserin Tur, whose name means "Anne of the Iron Door," hoped to marry Gutenberg, but the wedding never took place. Known only by his nickname, the Master of the Playing Cards was a German engraver. He may have produced some illustrations for Gutenberg's Bible. Recognizing an opportunity to make a profit, Gutenberg's cousin Arnold Gelthus lent him the money to build his first printing press. Gutenberg's business partner, Johann Fust, also lent him money to expand the business. They later fell out because Gutenberg couldn't pay it back.

1492 The Bahamas Rediscovering the New World - His ten-week-long voyage, just as his crew of three ships and 90 men reached an island that he later named San Salvador. A guy named Rodrigo Bernajo was actually the first sailor to sight land, but Columbus took the credit for himself! The Lucayans were the indigenous people of the Bahamas. The explorers called them "Indians" because they mistakenly thought they were in the Indies. Pedro De Terreros was the cabin boy on the Santa Maria, the largest of Columbus's ships.

1504 Italy The Making of a Masterpiece - Leonardo da Vinci was a bit of a genius. Not only was he an amazing painter and sculptor, but he was also an architect, engineer, mathematician, and inventor. The Mona Lisa is a portrait of a mysterious lady. It took years to finish, but not because it was large or complicated. The problem was that Da Vinci was always getting distracted by other projects. for centuries, no one was sure who the lady in the painting was, but most people now believe her to be Lisa Del Giocondo, the wife of an Italian merchant.

1599, Britain Shakespeare Treads the Boards - The stage was covered in straw and open to the sky. Richer members of the audience sat in the gallery, but others (called groundlings) stood in the yard, eating, drinking, talking, jeering, and laughing rudely, sometimes throwing moldy apples at the performers if they weren't enjoying the play. Theater performances were accompanied by live music from the Minstrels' Gallery. Richard Burbage was a famous actor and one of the owners of the Globe Theatre. He played lots of main roles, such as Hamlet and King Lear. Shakespeare dedicated two of his poems to a young nobleman named Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. Dr. John Dee was the queen's most trusted scientific adviser. He fascinated her with his knowledge of mathematics, magic, and the stars. The great explorer Sir Walter Raleigh returned from his travels across teh world with exotic souvenirs. Legend has it that he introduced the potato to Britain.

1682, France A Royal Welcome in Versailles - We arrive at the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, who ruled for an incredible 72 years - longer than any other king or queen of a major European country. His palace was at Versailles, near Paris, with more than 700 rooms, it could house a whopping 20,000 people on special occasions. I found out that it wasn't just the king who lived here-he moved important court officials and lots of aristocratic families in, too. This meant that smart Louis could keep an eye on anyone who might have been plotting his downfall. The king's favorite landscape designer was Andre Le Notre. At Versailles, he created the greatest gardens in Europe, which covered more than three square miles. King Louis XIV was famous for is flamboyant clothes. He was said to won over 1,000 wigs! Jean Racine was a popular playwright whose works were often performed at Versailles. Jean-Baptiste Lully was a composer who put on grand operas at the palace.

1761, Austria Making Music with Mozart The archbishop of Salzburg employed Mozart's father as a violinist. He was the first of many influential people to hear the young Mozart play. The Duke of Bavaria loved music and enjoyed Mozart's playing.

1805, USA Crossing America with Lewis and Clark

1843, Britain Checking Out the First Computer

1865, Cheering an End to Slavery

1899, Russia Crossing a Frozen Lake

1903, France Meeting Marie Curie in her Lab

1918, Britain Marching with the Suffragettes

1935, Australia Flying with Nancy Bird Walton

1935, USA Spotting Einstein in NYC

1964, Japan Catching a Bullet in Tokyo

1969, The Moon Mankind's Giant Leap

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Magic School Bus fashion, Augustus's boredom when it comes to history changes quickly when history comes alive, thanks to the time traveling abilities of his history teacher. Starting more than 1 million years ago in Africa and ending in 1969 when the first humans walked on the moon, Augustus and Professor Tempo make 28 different stops at important points in Earth's history. History books often focus only on the great conflicts that have swept across the land, but this one has its travelers touching down at places that are architecturally unique such as the Great Wall of China, the Roman Colosseum, and meeting Gutenburg, Chaucer, and Shakespeare as well as celebrating the end of slavery and the advent of women's suffrage. The digital illustrations are funny, and the text contains all sorts of interesting facts worth sharing with others. This sort of approach to history is sure to entice reluctant historians, simply because it is fresh, fun, and interesting. The book was originally published in Great Britain.

[Haley]

This was a cool book about a young time traveler. Augustus is sitting in history class and getting pretty bored when his teacher hands him a notebook that can do some cool things. He goes home that night to completely the teacher’s assignment in the notebook and ends up with the cavemen. He keeps a diary of all the places that he visits from the caves to the moon and everything in between.
This book was a long one. I liked it but as a student I probably wouldn’t want to read it in all one setting. The diary structure of it was my favorite part.
I would use it in my classroom to teach about some events in history.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the concept for this book, and the writing, but as much as I appreciate the style of the illustrations I feel like it was a missed opportunity to include a lot more detail about the different time periods. The large format could have been put to better use. But my 8 year old likes it anyway.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I thought it would be - the main character does not interact with historic figures. Each pair of pages provides a few paragraph overview of a time and place. Various figures are depicted in the illustration. Descriptive bubbles point to some of the figures. Very dry.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A magic notebook takes Augustus and Professor Tempo gives takes the two of them on a journey through history. May spark some curiosity in readers to explore further.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit long, but interesting. Good representation of other cultures and women.