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Clockbreakers #1
Clockbreakers
On her eleventh birthday, Charlie receives a key to go back in time. But time travel isn’t easy. Before she blows out her candles, Charlie lands in Greece with her best friend Maria and her former best friend Trent. She’s a Clockbreaker, stuck in a Greek myth, on an action-packed adventure with a to save her father, and perhaps even save the world.
146 pages, Paperback
Published September 16, 2016
5 people are currently reading
1421 people want to read
About the author
Kate Ristau
21 books89 followersKate Ristau is an author and folklorist who writes young adult and middle grade fiction. In her ideal world, magic and myth combine to create memorable stories with unforgettable characters. Until she finds that world, she'll live in Portland, Oregon with her husband, her son, and her dog.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 10, 2018
Solid middle-grade story with a strong female protagonist who doesn't allow her challenges to define her. Charlie is in a wheelchair but proud that she can keep up with everybody else. While celebrating her birthday at her grandfather's mansion, she and her friends, Trent and Maria find themselves traveling back in time to Ancient Greece. They get lost in a huge maze and soon encounter a minotaur. A fun and exciting adventure that plays out like a movie. Enjoyable and thrilling with a dash of Greek mythology enlivening the story.
September 27, 2016
In Kate Ristau’s Clockbreakers, Charlie wishes that people would stop feeling sorry for her and just forget that she is in a wheelchair. Instead, at her eleventh birthday party Charlie receives a magic key from a stranger that unlocks portals. She is now a Clockbreaker, and she must cross to another time and place with her friends Maria and Trent to rescue her father who is lost somewhere in time.
This book is remarkable not only for its differently-abled protagonist, but also for the fine exhibition of craft Ristau displays.
First, Charlie, the protagonist, is in a wheelchair, but she doesn’t let the disability define her. She’s spunky and fun and determined and fierce whether her legs work or not. Also, the other characters in the main plot accept Charlie for who she is and do not lower their expectations of her. There is no wisp of pity, even when they are carrying her. Even the antagonist spends more time trying to take advantage of Charlie’s youth and not her physical limitations.
Ristau builds a world on top of familiar Greek mythology without either cheapening the original myths or using the old stories as an excuse to be lazy with her own imagination. She builds a labyrinth containing the Minotaur, but enlarges the maze so it fills square miles, and moves it to a vast desert. The original labyrinth was under Minos’s castle, which was not that huge.
Even the monsters in this book have rich backstories and complex emotions. Asterion, the Minotaur, is both a warrior and a gentle, patient soul with cow eyes. He’s a far cry from the virgin-eating half-man, half-bull prowling Minos’s dungeons.
However, if you want a true indication of how much I liked this book, here it is: I am handing my review copy off to my eight-year-old, who has been begging me for it since she saw the cover. I’m sure she will enjoy it even more than I did.
This book is remarkable not only for its differently-abled protagonist, but also for the fine exhibition of craft Ristau displays.
First, Charlie, the protagonist, is in a wheelchair, but she doesn’t let the disability define her. She’s spunky and fun and determined and fierce whether her legs work or not. Also, the other characters in the main plot accept Charlie for who she is and do not lower their expectations of her. There is no wisp of pity, even when they are carrying her. Even the antagonist spends more time trying to take advantage of Charlie’s youth and not her physical limitations.
Ristau builds a world on top of familiar Greek mythology without either cheapening the original myths or using the old stories as an excuse to be lazy with her own imagination. She builds a labyrinth containing the Minotaur, but enlarges the maze so it fills square miles, and moves it to a vast desert. The original labyrinth was under Minos’s castle, which was not that huge.
Even the monsters in this book have rich backstories and complex emotions. Asterion, the Minotaur, is both a warrior and a gentle, patient soul with cow eyes. He’s a far cry from the virgin-eating half-man, half-bull prowling Minos’s dungeons.
However, if you want a true indication of how much I liked this book, here it is: I am handing my review copy off to my eight-year-old, who has been begging me for it since she saw the cover. I’m sure she will enjoy it even more than I did.
March 9, 2024
Thanks to the author for my copy.
This book came in addition to a book that I won in a Goodreads giveaway.
An interesting read for kids.
A good way to learn about mythology.
This book came in addition to a book that I won in a Goodreads giveaway.
An interesting read for kids.
A good way to learn about mythology.
October 28, 2018
On her 11th birthday, Charles Kleis the 15th (Charlie to her friends) receives a mysterious key from a creepy stranger and enters a world of myth and magic that she never knew existed. It is her destiny to be the Clockbreaker, like her father and grandfather before her. Now her father is missing and she'll do anything to find him. Fortunately, she has her friends Maria and Trent with her, and they have secret destinies, too. Making their way through a labyrinth to a distant castle, they meet unexpected allies and an army of enemies. It takes all their smarts and abilities to reach their goal.
Charlie is an appealing protagonist. She's old enough to think for herself but still young enough to get a lot wrong. She's smart and resourceful, especially in areas of information technology. She also happens to use a wheelchair, but she is much more than her disability and chair. Maria is a loyal, smart-mouthed, bi-lingual friend and protector. Trent has been estranged from Charlie and Maria for reasons not revealed in detail in this book, but he's there when they need him. It was touching to witness the healing of an important friendship. There are hints it could grow into something more, but these kids are only 11 and Ristau wisely leaves it at hints.
It's been years since I read a middle-grade novel. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the quick pace and stripped-down plot of a good MG! I also appreciated that the kids come from intact families with competent parents (who wisely don't take over and do everything for them). Recommended for readers looking for magical adventure with a diverse cast of characters.
Charlie is an appealing protagonist. She's old enough to think for herself but still young enough to get a lot wrong. She's smart and resourceful, especially in areas of information technology. She also happens to use a wheelchair, but she is much more than her disability and chair. Maria is a loyal, smart-mouthed, bi-lingual friend and protector. Trent has been estranged from Charlie and Maria for reasons not revealed in detail in this book, but he's there when they need him. It was touching to witness the healing of an important friendship. There are hints it could grow into something more, but these kids are only 11 and Ristau wisely leaves it at hints.
It's been years since I read a middle-grade novel. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the quick pace and stripped-down plot of a good MG! I also appreciated that the kids come from intact families with competent parents (who wisely don't take over and do everything for them). Recommended for readers looking for magical adventure with a diverse cast of characters.
October 28, 2016
When I was asked to read an advance copy of Clockbreakers I was a little worried. I haven’t read a time travel book in a very long time. Did I even like time travel books? Two days later, cut to me shooshing my kids out of my room because I had just gotten to the page where Charlie (in a wheelchair) encounters the minotaur (huge hairy beast) in a maze (no escape!). So I guess you could say I got a little pulled into the story. Yes, it’s a time travel book but it’s also a heart travel book, a book about friendship, forgiveness, courage, and the powers waiting to be discovered in each one of us. My only complaint is that the book did not come with Kate Ristau herself— a gifted folklorist and true performer who knows how to grab hold of a roomful of people and take them on a clock-breaking, world-spinning journey with her.
September 13, 2016
A wonderful adventure for both kids and adults that you will NOT be able to put down! (I had many a night where I told myself "just five more pages!") The heroine, Charlie, is a witty young girl who, like every eleven-year-old, wants everyone to stop treating her like a child. When she and her friends are thrust into adventure, Charlie rises to the occasion despite the challenges in her way. Ristau does an amazing job of weaving Greek mythology into this story, leaving the reader (like myself!) curious to know more. Clockbreakers will play out like a movie in your head…and I’m ready for the sequel!
February 2, 2023
Charlie is an extraordinary girl with a will to match. Her adventure is one that will have you flipping pages, hoping no one and nothing bothers you so you can get to the end. I don't read a lot of middle-grade fiction--I'm 28--but a rich story such as CLOCKBREAKERS is like The Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix, too fun to care and binge-worthy.
August 21, 2022
a super quick, fast-paced read! i really liked the main trio and their dynamics with each other.
at times this felt like setup for the rest of the series but i didn't really mind; i just hope the interesting plot avenues that were opened up at the end of this one get explored in the following books.
at times this felt like setup for the rest of the series but i didn't really mind; i just hope the interesting plot avenues that were opened up at the end of this one get explored in the following books.
May 8, 2021
A fresh and heartfelt approach to Greek mythology, time travel, and inherited magic. Charlie and her friends leap off the page, each with their own dreams and motivations. Really a delight to read! Can’t walk to pick up the next one.
October 28, 2018
On her 11th birthday, Charles Kleis the 15th (Charlie to her friends) receives a mysterious key from a creepy stranger and enters a world of myth and magic that she never knew existed. It is her destiny to be the Clockbreaker, like her father and grandfather before her. Now her father is missing and she'll do anything to find him. Fortunately, she has her friends Maria and Trent with her, and they have secret destinies, too. Making their way through a labyrinth to a distant castle, they meet unexpected allies and an army of enemies. It takes all their smarts and abilities to reach their goal.
Charlie is an appealing protagonist. She's old enough to think for herself but still young enough to get a lot wrong. She's smart and resourceful, especially in areas of information technology. She also happens to use a wheelchair, but she is much more than her disability and chair. Maria is a loyal, smart-mouthed, bi-lingual friend and protector. Trent has been estranged from Charlie and Maria for reasons not revealed in detail in this book, but he's there when they need him. It was touching to witness the healing of an important friendship. There are hints it could grow into something more, but these kids are only 11 and Ristau wisely leaves it at hints.
It's been years since I read a middle-grade novel. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the quick pace and stripped-down plot of a good MG! I also appreciated that the kids come from intact families with competent parents (who wisely don't take over and do everything for them). Recommended for readers looking for magical adventure with a diverse cast of characters.
Charlie is an appealing protagonist. She's old enough to think for herself but still young enough to get a lot wrong. She's smart and resourceful, especially in areas of information technology. She also happens to use a wheelchair, but she is much more than her disability and chair. Maria is a loyal, smart-mouthed, bi-lingual friend and protector. Trent has been estranged from Charlie and Maria for reasons not revealed in detail in this book, but he's there when they need him. It was touching to witness the healing of an important friendship. There are hints it could grow into something more, but these kids are only 11 and Ristau wisely leaves it at hints.
It's been years since I read a middle-grade novel. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the quick pace and stripped-down plot of a good MG! I also appreciated that the kids come from intact families with competent parents (who wisely don't take over and do everything for them). Recommended for readers looking for magical adventure with a diverse cast of characters.
November 17, 2016
Get this book for your kids. If you worry about the sci-fi/fantasy aspects of it it's a quick, fast read for any adult. You won't be disappointed. The high concept premise of time travel mixed with ancient history is easily accessible. The plot moves along very quickly and flows from one plot point to another without distracting info dumps or dumbing down of the narrative for a young audience. The best part for me is the three main characters and their interactions. They are all dealing with differing aspects of the dawning of the age of reason: divorce, differing perspectives and clashes of culture, and disability. None of them are overwritten and they focus on the issue at hand, finding the main character's missing father, while giving us a great reminder of what it is like to be eleven, ready to take on the world and finding yourself completely ill-prepared for it (Maria would be my favorite). If the image of a wheelchair on the cover strikes you as manipulative or disingenuous, know that this is not a political vehicle. One gets the sense the author truly wishes to honestly represent a character with what we would normally think of as a huge impediment to becoming a heroine, and shows her consistently falling short and succeeding time and again. You know, like life in general. I found a great message about perseverance that anyone could apply to their own lives young or old.
September 30, 2017
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
This middle grade book was pretty cute and had many redeeming qualities. I enjoyed how the author kinda started tying up loose ends about halfway through the book. I had some fun reading parts that gave me that "aha" moment. I really liked the imagery throughout the labyrinth.
I did have a small beef with Maria, though. She just wouldn't stop speaking in random phrases of Spanish. I understand that she was Hispanic, and I did understand what she was saying, so it didn't keep me from understand the storyline. However, no one around her was a Spanish speaker. I'm not sure how much of what she said was understood by the people around her. Does she burst out into Spanish when she's excited, or are these phrases strategically placed? I've honestly never met a bilingual person who would randomly switch back and forth from language to language unless they were talking to someone who also spoke both of those languages. That kinda took me out of the story a little bit, at times.
This middle grade book was pretty cute and had many redeeming qualities. I enjoyed how the author kinda started tying up loose ends about halfway through the book. I had some fun reading parts that gave me that "aha" moment. I really liked the imagery throughout the labyrinth.
I did have a small beef with Maria, though. She just wouldn't stop speaking in random phrases of Spanish. I understand that she was Hispanic, and I did understand what she was saying, so it didn't keep me from understand the storyline. However, no one around her was a Spanish speaker. I'm not sure how much of what she said was understood by the people around her. Does she burst out into Spanish when she's excited, or are these phrases strategically placed? I've honestly never met a bilingual person who would randomly switch back and forth from language to language unless they were talking to someone who also spoke both of those languages. That kinda took me out of the story a little bit, at times.
July 27, 2019
A wonderful start to what promises to be a wonder-filled series. I love Charlie and her friends--especially the long-suffering and misunderstood Asterion. From the moment Charlie rolled into her family-complicated 11th birthday party at her eccentric grandpa's house to the very end, I liked being in this world. I'm certainly way too old to be considered part of the demographic for this book, but I got to be eleven again for a while. That's better than a fountain of youth, and I'll be giving it to great nieces and nephews as a present. Now, on to the next one.
July 28, 2023
A fun adventure story that places a focus on friendship. Three kids jump through time, arriving in ancient Greece to face off with mythological persons and creatures. Their friendship sees them through the worst situations and their strengths -- unique to each kid -- keeps them safe and propels them forward on their mission to find Charlie's dad and save the world. Great dialogue amongst the kids, good pacing, and high adventure will appeal to young readers.
April 8, 2019
Perfect middle-grade fantasy adventure book, your kid will love it. It's got everything: friends, danger, and magic. There's more to come, too... book 2 is out now, and I want to find out what is going to happen.
Didn't give a full on 5 star review because I wasn't the target audience, but I bet my middle school aged kids would love it.
Didn't give a full on 5 star review because I wasn't the target audience, but I bet my middle school aged kids would love it.
September 5, 2022
Nice read and fast paced. I liked the mythological aspect. I just kept picturing the characters being older while reading because there’s no way the kids can endeavor all of that and only be 11. Overall though it was a great story and well executed.
November 30, 2017
Fun, fast read.
September 24, 2016
I was able to read an advanced copy of Clockbreakers and think it will be an exciting, quick-paced read for its target audience of 10-11 year olds. I particularly enjoyed that the characters are very diverse, yet their diversity is not the focus of this adventure story (although the cover art with Charlie in the wheelchair and the minotaur behind her is gorgeous). The blend of Ancient Greek mythology and future technologies (like automatons) seems an odd combination, but it strikes a balance that should appeal both to fantasy and sci-fi fans. It is actually the things that make this a good read for the target audience that I did not love as an adult--a heavy emphasis on dialogue in 11 year old vernacular, non-stop action, and the fact that this book sets up a series so there is a lot left hanging in the end. When your elementary students have outgrown the Magic Treehouse adventures, this would be a good recommendation for fantasy adventure.
January 10, 2017
Clockbreakers mixes fantasy, adventure, and Greek mythology into a fun, frothy mix. A plucky protagonist named Charlie, who just happens to be in a wheelchair, and her two buddies Trent and Maria all explore their abilities and strengths and face their challenges while on a quest to find Charlie's "missing" dad. When reading this, I couldn't help but to think fondly of two of my own childhood favorites, A Wrinkle in Time and the movie Labyrinth. This story is rich with dialogue and action. The kids have playful, believable relationships with each other. There's a wonderful Minotaur character I'd personally like to hang out with, and as many plot twists and turns as paths in a maze. I'd highly recommend to fans of both The Goddess Girls and The Popularity Papers. Here's hoping the next in the series is out soon!
September 14, 2016
I was able to read an advanced copy of this book. It is the perfect fit for upper elementary or middle grade readers. The heroine is hard to resist. She is filled with moxie, and the reader can't help but root for her on all of her adventures. She expresses feelings that young readers can relate to regarding friendships and families. I can't wait to see what happens to Charlie and her friends on their next adventure!
August 28, 2016
I read the advanced copy. This book is perfect for middle grades with a spunky heroine, and friends Trent and Maria, who add to the fantasy of this adventure into Greek myths. The disability of the heroine is treated with respect and spunk. Who wouldn't want to ride a Minotaur?!
November 4, 2016
Great book! The way it is written pulled you into the story & you feel like your there watching it all take place.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews