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Sign of the Raven
Mind the gap.
Something odd is going on in the basement of an old house in London. An inexplicable gap has formed, a gap in time that links the present to the past. And twelve-year-old Tom, who discovers the gap while on a visit to his grandmother, is torn between both worlds.
Lured by a mysterious voice, Tom leaps into the early eighteenth century, to a time when circus “freaks” like the Bendy Man and the Gorilla Woman appeared at Bartholomew Fair. The voice he hears belongs to Astra, a tiny changeling child, whose limbs are no bigger than a man’s thumb. She has called him into the past, because she is convinced that Tom is the only one who can help her and her friends from danger. Doctors are paying a high price for unusual bodies to dissect, and Astra and her friends are prime subjects.
But Tom is dealing with difficulties of his own. His mum has cancer and is constantly fighting with his gran. And then he discovers a dark secret in his family’s past . . . a secret that pulls the strands of time together and might just close the gap forever.
Something odd is going on in the basement of an old house in London. An inexplicable gap has formed, a gap in time that links the present to the past. And twelve-year-old Tom, who discovers the gap while on a visit to his grandmother, is torn between both worlds.
Lured by a mysterious voice, Tom leaps into the early eighteenth century, to a time when circus “freaks” like the Bendy Man and the Gorilla Woman appeared at Bartholomew Fair. The voice he hears belongs to Astra, a tiny changeling child, whose limbs are no bigger than a man’s thumb. She has called him into the past, because she is convinced that Tom is the only one who can help her and her friends from danger. Doctors are paying a high price for unusual bodies to dissect, and Astra and her friends are prime subjects.
But Tom is dealing with difficulties of his own. His mum has cancer and is constantly fighting with his gran. And then he discovers a dark secret in his family’s past . . . a secret that pulls the strands of time together and might just close the gap forever.
332 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 20, 2023
A good story with quite of a bit mystery left at the end even.
December 25, 2009
I need some sort of sideshow-freak tag. Tempted to use magical-creatures for Astra the Changeling but that's a bit misleading. Anyway, awesome book and a perfectly thrilling story, set both in present-day London and 1717. Would have liked a little more after the end, and in some places a little more explanation, but it's still definitely a 5-star book.
The ending was *perfect* too with the intonation at the tube station of MIND THE GAP. Sends the right kind of shiver down your spine. :)
The ending was *perfect* too with the intonation at the tube station of MIND THE GAP. Sends the right kind of shiver down your spine. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2020
A gem of a book - beautifully crafted and researched - a time-travelling chronicle of curiosities, oddities and outcasts that weave together one of my favorite books ever.
April 1, 2020
An interesting tale in which you are never sure what is real, what is imagined, or what could be a dream. A young boy travels back in time by crossing the gap in the basement of his grandmother's home. It is not his firat time but it leads to an exciting adventure with his new friends. The story switches back and forth between the two periods and the characters run parallel to each other as they reflect both past and present. There is a creepiness to it with the setting of dark cellars, always visiting the past at night, becoming invisible, grave robbing, science, and "sideshow freaks". Tom is also coming to terms with his mother's cancer and treatment, as well as the changes in his life in the midst of trying to reconcile his mother and grandmother. The story is interesting but feels perhaps underdeveloped, as do the characters. I didn't feel as much magic or intrigue as I remember from when I was younger but I did enjoy elements of it. A simple story but built from complex layers, a large cast of characters, and a creely surrealness.
April 23, 2020
Twelve-year-old Tom, lured by a mysterious voice, leaps into early 18th century London, where circus "freaks" convince him he is the only one who can save them from medical experimentation.
May 31, 2010
This book is a mixture of fantasy, historical fiction, and family drama - a strange, surprisingly compelling combination. The author's inventive interpretation of time travel and the adventures that result from it will intrigue fantasy fans. Likewise, the author's attention to detail concerning her colorful cast of characters and their lives in the past time period to which the protagonist travels will excite readers more fond of historical fiction. Fans of real-life issues, too, can enjoy the novel as it follows a boy's struggle to come to terms with his mother's illness and to reconcile feuding family members. Whatever the attraction out of these varying features, readers will quickly find themselves captivated by author Julie Hearne's original, well developed world and the lovingly rendered characters - all complete with realistic, distinctive voices - that populate it. The effectively timed action and suspense, too, ensure continued page-turning. Overall, this story is an excellent intelligent escapade.
January 7, 2008
Tom is dealing with his mother's cancer. His father is in Australia and his mother decides that it's time to visit her mother and make amends.
There's something odd in the basement though, voices and smells filter through from the early 18th century, and through a gap in the room, Tom finds himself in 18th Century London, among the Freaks from a freakshow.
Their Giant is dead and they want to save him from the Anatomists. Passing from his own time to the earlier time - where he's invisible but his clothes aren't! Being in the past hurts too but Tom wants to help.
An interesting story about coming to terms with things and trying to learn to live with both the things you can change and the things you can't and the courage to do what you can to change both yourself and to help others.
There's something odd in the basement though, voices and smells filter through from the early 18th century, and through a gap in the room, Tom finds himself in 18th Century London, among the Freaks from a freakshow.
Their Giant is dead and they want to save him from the Anatomists. Passing from his own time to the earlier time - where he's invisible but his clothes aren't! Being in the past hurts too but Tom wants to help.
An interesting story about coming to terms with things and trying to learn to live with both the things you can change and the things you can't and the courage to do what you can to change both yourself and to help others.
January 30, 2008
A complicated story set in London, this time travel drama brings together events from the distant past, the not-so-distant past, and the present. Tom, the 12 yr old hero, has come to London to visit his grandma with his mom, who has breast cancer. While there he discovers something unusal about his grandma's basement. This draws him into the history of London, and more particularly the St.Bartholomew's Day Fairs, and the fate of the "monsters" displayed there. The premise of this book was compelling, and the writing was supurb--it drew me in and kept me reading. But I was a bit disapointed that the story didn't completely fufil its early promise. There were a lot of unanswered questions--particularly about the situation in the present. Overall, this is a good read for 10-13yr olds.
September 27, 2011
I wanted a longer or more in-depth version of this story. There were several memorable aspects - the Changling Girl as a 1700s sweetheart with a horrible vocabulary and gigantic apetite really stands out or "Angel" the Gorilla Girl, but there was so little back-story for her or the rest of the cast. I'd probably read sequels or prequels to find it out, but I think this family, the time-traveling "gap", and other fantastical elements could have been fleshed out alot more - maybe as a book targeted at the adult audience. Enjoyable, but I wanted more on the first read.
February 18, 2009
It can be sort of hard 2 understand... all that Old English Text got on me nerves after a jolly good while. :)
Overall it is pretty good and I like the main character... so yeah. The story was a bit odd.
Overall it is pretty good and I like the main character... so yeah. The story was a bit odd.
May 8, 2009
Fascinating little adventure about a young boy who discovers a portal to the past in his Grandma's basement.
This is the same book as 'Sign of the Raven' which is the American publication.
May 22, 2011
A teenage boy visiting his grandmother's house in East London finds he can go back three centuries to a time when the house's basement held captive 'freaks' for the fair. There are some inconsistencies but I found this imaginative and enjoyable.
February 22, 2014
it deals with life changing events such as cancer, family break or make ups. It manages the discrimination that people who are 'different' have to manage. It didn't flow and the characters were not identifiable. I didn't really enjoy this but read it to its conclusion .
January 15, 2010
Hands down, my favourite book. The added social/historical content was a bonus.
September 13, 2010
I really liked this book and the characters.
May 26, 2011
Not quite what I expected, and I found the end to be confusing, but a decent time-travel story, with an interesting device. I much preferred Hearn's other book that I read: The Minister's Daughter.
June 28, 2011
Not as good as The Merrybegot, but still enjoyable.
August 9, 2011
Some of the plot is hard to understand so therefore I give it 3 and a half stars.
December 15, 2011
I really liked this book. The only thing is that the challenging (spelling?) child keeps using this one word that isn't really necessary to keep saying. Great, catching book for teens.
April 8, 2014
Another Time Travel book. Really great characters and was a great story about friendship, loyalty.
January 18, 2016
I read a few chapters of this book but I couldn't get into it. I was confused by the situation and the mind the gap voices. I just couldn't continue reading it.
March 16, 2009
home audio
Erm - not for me at this time.
Erm - not for me at this time.
March 21, 2012
Really enjoyed this time travelling fantasy. Worth a read and quick.
July 31, 2015
This book has me giddy with smiles! the ending was perfect! I really love this author!
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October 31, 2017Name ___Cullen Bixby_______________________________________ Date ____10/27/17________ Class __Core C____
Title: ______Sign of the Raven _______ _____________________________________Pages __336_____
Author: _______Julie Hearn___________________ Publisher __Authenium Books For Young Readers. _________________________
Genre: ____Historical fiction_______ ISBN _ISBN-10: 0689857349 ISBN-13: 9780689857348
_____________________________ Price ____$12..54__originally $16.95______
Summary: There is a gap between the past and the present. This gap goes back to the days where circus freaks were shown off. Tom, who just moved to his grandma’s house with his mom that is/was fighting breast cancer, hears the voice of Astra, a changeling child, who believes that him coming across the gap and helping them is the only way to save the “freaks” from dissection. Across the gap he decides to help his friend. He goes into London’s dark underbelly to help Astra, but in present time, he finds out troubling secrets about his family. Can Tom save his friends before it’s too late, or will he crack under the strain of secrets and pressure from his sick mom and seemingly careless grandma.
_I enjoyed the book and gave it four stars. I did this, because it was an enjoyable book, but there were slow parts and parts that I didn’t necessarily enjoy reading, and I don’t think others would like those parts either.
I would recommend this book to people who like history, but also like time travel, and people who like realistic but fantastical things.
If you liked _ ➔Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown_ _____ ➔The Observations by Jane Harris ___________________________________ ➔Babylonne by Catherine Jinks________________
___________________________________ ...then you might like this book, too!
Title: ______Sign of the Raven _______ _____________________________________Pages __336_____
Author: _______Julie Hearn___________________ Publisher __Authenium Books For Young Readers. _________________________
Genre: ____Historical fiction_______ ISBN _ISBN-10: 0689857349 ISBN-13: 9780689857348
_____________________________ Price ____$12..54__originally $16.95______
Summary: There is a gap between the past and the present. This gap goes back to the days where circus freaks were shown off. Tom, who just moved to his grandma’s house with his mom that is/was fighting breast cancer, hears the voice of Astra, a changeling child, who believes that him coming across the gap and helping them is the only way to save the “freaks” from dissection. Across the gap he decides to help his friend. He goes into London’s dark underbelly to help Astra, but in present time, he finds out troubling secrets about his family. Can Tom save his friends before it’s too late, or will he crack under the strain of secrets and pressure from his sick mom and seemingly careless grandma.
_I enjoyed the book and gave it four stars. I did this, because it was an enjoyable book, but there were slow parts and parts that I didn’t necessarily enjoy reading, and I don’t think others would like those parts either.
I would recommend this book to people who like history, but also like time travel, and people who like realistic but fantastical things.
If you liked _ ➔Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown_ _____ ➔The Observations by Jane Harris ___________________________________ ➔Babylonne by Catherine Jinks________________
___________________________________ ...then you might like this book, too!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews