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Trapped in Time
A mysterious old watch takes Nathan and Audrey two hundred years back in time, where they accidentally cause problems for a young drummer boy
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
2 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Chew
47 books134 followersRuth Chew is the author of a number of popular books for young readers, including Secondhand Magic and The Wednesday Witch. She was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Washington, D.C. She studied art at the Corcoran School of Art and worked as a fashion artist. She was the mother of five children.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 7, 2023
Not my most successfully nostalgia trip. I gobbled down Ruth Chew's books as a kid, so when I saw this in a neighborhood little free library I couldn't resist grabbing it. But I remember her books as warmly humorous; this was just blandly earnest. I can see things that would probably have delighted me circa age 7, but there's not much for an adult reader even around the margins.
Nice illustrations, though.
Nice illustrations, though.
January 2, 2023
This one has our pair of siblings falling backwards in time two hundred years. They have to learn to deal with the politics of the day and making friends. Our magical doodad is a gold watch lost by a young Hessian soldier. Good read.
January 22, 2023
I remember reading this long ago. It was my first time travel story that I have read and enjoyed.
July 5, 2017
I think this was the first book I ever read about time travel and it cemented a love for the genre. I'm sure now aspects of it would feel dated but it's good writing nonetheless.
November 28, 2019
I think Trapped in Time, Charlotte Sometimes, and Back to the Future combined are the reason I'm obsessed with time-travel stories. I was so young and impressionable then...
Audrey (Andy, for short) and her brother Nathan are a couple of New Yorkers picnicing in Prospect Park when they find an old pocket watch. When they try to wind it up again, it's hands begin to spin - backwards! They find themselves in the 1700s, and befriend a young Hessian soldier, Franz (they were hired by the British crown to work as mercenaries during the Revolution). They proceed to get Franz into some fairly serious trouble, and have to help him.
I remember reading this as a child several times. A few things that stand out to me as an adult: the children's shopping bag, full of 7Up cans and plastic sandwich bags, are merely interesting to Frnz, and ignored by everyone else. Their odd clothing as only mentioned once in passing. I assume the author meant to focus on the adventure, but it would've made more sense if they at least got some funny looks from strangers.
Along the way, they meet Elizabeth Lake. She asks to be called simply Elizabeth, and the children call her Aunt Elizabeth, but the author always refers to her by her full name. Drove me a little nuts.
A fun adventure, and a bit educational - this is where I first learned that German soldiers fought alongside the British in the American Revolution (lest you think I take my facts from fiction, I later confirmed it via my parents' set of encyclopedias).
Audrey (Andy, for short) and her brother Nathan are a couple of New Yorkers picnicing in Prospect Park when they find an old pocket watch. When they try to wind it up again, it's hands begin to spin - backwards! They find themselves in the 1700s, and befriend a young Hessian soldier, Franz (they were hired by the British crown to work as mercenaries during the Revolution). They proceed to get Franz into some fairly serious trouble, and have to help him.
I remember reading this as a child several times. A few things that stand out to me as an adult: the children's shopping bag, full of 7Up cans and plastic sandwich bags, are merely interesting to Frnz, and ignored by everyone else. Their odd clothing as only mentioned once in passing. I assume the author meant to focus on the adventure, but it would've made more sense if they at least got some funny looks from strangers.
Along the way, they meet Elizabeth Lake. She asks to be called simply Elizabeth, and the children call her Aunt Elizabeth, but the author always refers to her by her full name. Drove me a little nuts.
A fun adventure, and a bit educational - this is where I first learned that German soldiers fought alongside the British in the American Revolution (lest you think I take my facts from fiction, I later confirmed it via my parents' set of encyclopedias).
October 28, 2011
Yes! :-D I finally remembered the title of this book; I knew I had read Ruth Chew before. I loved this when I was a kid.
Here is a description from the Ruth Chew website:
"Nathan and Audrey find an old watch. It's magic! It takes them back over 200 years. There, the two children meet a drummer boy with a fancy uniform. Without meaning to, they get him in a lot of trouble. Now the soldiers are looking for him. Where will the children stay? They must escape capture!" -- http://www.ruthchew.com/about-the-boo...
Here is a description from the Ruth Chew website:
"Nathan and Audrey find an old watch. It's magic! It takes them back over 200 years. There, the two children meet a drummer boy with a fancy uniform. Without meaning to, they get him in a lot of trouble. Now the soldiers are looking for him. Where will the children stay? They must escape capture!" -- http://www.ruthchew.com/about-the-boo...
February 17, 2016
I had this book as a child and I absolutely loved it. Such a shame it is out of print.
August 14, 2013
Ruth Chew was one of my favorite authors during my childhood. I have fond memories of reading her Witch books. They fostered my love for children's literature.
October 2, 2013
This was absolutely one of my favorite book as a little kid. If you have a kid who loves history and fantasy, they should read this book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews