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Elsetime
A haunting story of friendship, courage, time-travel and a very special crow. It is January 6th 1928, a few days before the Great Flood. Glory Bobbin, a twelve year-old orphan, works at The Frippery and Fandangle Emporium creating jewellery with her secret assistant, a peculiar crow. The river is about to burst its banks and a snow storm has engulfed the town when she meets treasure-hunting mudlark, Needle Luckett, who has travelled through time to reach Inthington. Can two children and a crow save the fourteen lives endangered by the flood? Can they change the future?
Cover and internal illustrations by Holly Ovenden.
Perfect for readers 9+
Cover and internal illustrations by Holly Ovenden.
Perfect for readers 9+
316 pages, Paperback
Published September 17, 2020
4 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
June 12, 2023
Старины Брэдбери с раздавленной бабочкой на них нет!
October 6, 2020
Wonderful debut from Eve McDonnell, writer and artist. Hugely imaginative time travel adventure story that, thanks to a very clever and compassionate crow (see gorgeous cover), moves seamlessly from London 1864 to post war London of 1928, just before the great flood hit. I loved McDonnell's vibrant writing, easily knowing that she is an artist, as the text fairly shimmers with colour and light. In fact, this would make a bloody brilliant film!! I have a feeling that the two main characters will stay with me awhile yet. And I must say that I even loved their names, Glory and Needle. Highly recommend it to readers of nine years of age and upwards!
April 1, 2021
I picked up this book because I love time travel stories and i was curious how time travel and its consequences would be handled here. But once I started reading, the two main characters, Needle from 1864 and Glory from 1928, drew me in even more than the time travel premise. Will Needle get back home to 1864? And will he and Glory manage to warn people of the deadly flood about to happen in 1928? Even though I guessed the big reveal several pages early, it was an amazing read up to teh final page.
November 25, 2020
Check out my lovely book review here: https://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.c...
January 25, 2022
This was a truly wonderful book. It ticked all the boxes for me: historical context, great characters and descriptions, just the right amount of mystery and a very satisfying ending.
I am reading this with my Year 5 book club as part of our review of the Awesome Book Awards shortlist for 2022. I’m not sure it will be the children’s favourite (Stiff competition from The Beast & the Bethany at the moment!) but it certainly will be hard to beat for me. It has also provided the greatest amount of book talk, prediction, trying to work out puzzles and general excitement than any book so far so an absolute winner for that alone.
Highly recommended for Y5 / 6 and even Y7/ Y8 maybe.
I am reading this with my Year 5 book club as part of our review of the Awesome Book Awards shortlist for 2022. I’m not sure it will be the children’s favourite (Stiff competition from The Beast & the Bethany at the moment!) but it certainly will be hard to beat for me. It has also provided the greatest amount of book talk, prediction, trying to work out puzzles and general excitement than any book so far so an absolute winner for that alone.
Highly recommended for Y5 / 6 and even Y7/ Y8 maybe.
March 8, 2020
Written in a unique and memorable voice, and peopled with characters as memorable as the wonderful Needle and the spirited Glory, Eve McDonnell's debut novel is one not to miss. McDonnell has woven a clever and heartwarming story from a real-life tragedy, a tale with high stakes and genuine moments of warmth and love and humour. You'll never look at crows in the same way again...
(Thanks to the author and her publisher for a review copy of #Elsetime)
(Thanks to the author and her publisher for a review copy of #Elsetime)
October 24, 2020
Elsetime is such a wonderful, heart-warming, quirkily-written little book that it will make you fall in love with its story by the end of page two!
It’s been ages since I’ve read a children’s adventure novel that has put such an – oddly beautiful – spin on time-travel and show us how changing events in time can bring about magic, love and flourishing friendships.
We have two main characters in Elsetime – Needle, a mudlark who sees people’s emotions in colour and has a special ability to find treasure and “read” the treasure’s story by just holding it. He lives in 1864. And we have Glory. A 12-year-old girl with one arm who is exceptionally talented at making jewellery and being feisty. She lives in 1928.
The story centres around a real-life event in London, when a flood happened in 1928, and it is about how Needle travels forward in time, meets Glory and tries to save all the people he knows who will be lost in the flood. Along the way, there are truly villainous characters Needle and Glory have to deal with – such as the nasty Mrs Quick (Glory’s boss), the police, and the overwhelming problem of time travel itself.
And all this fun, friendship and race-against-time plot is assisted by the very special crow, called Magpie (obviously!), who has helped Needle find his treasures. Magpie shows him the key to travel through time and meet his best-friend-to-be, Glory, as they take on an entire town’s ambivalence of its oncoming doom-laden flood.
A wonderful book – highly recommended!
It’s been ages since I’ve read a children’s adventure novel that has put such an – oddly beautiful – spin on time-travel and show us how changing events in time can bring about magic, love and flourishing friendships.
We have two main characters in Elsetime – Needle, a mudlark who sees people’s emotions in colour and has a special ability to find treasure and “read” the treasure’s story by just holding it. He lives in 1864. And we have Glory. A 12-year-old girl with one arm who is exceptionally talented at making jewellery and being feisty. She lives in 1928.
The story centres around a real-life event in London, when a flood happened in 1928, and it is about how Needle travels forward in time, meets Glory and tries to save all the people he knows who will be lost in the flood. Along the way, there are truly villainous characters Needle and Glory have to deal with – such as the nasty Mrs Quick (Glory’s boss), the police, and the overwhelming problem of time travel itself.
And all this fun, friendship and race-against-time plot is assisted by the very special crow, called Magpie (obviously!), who has helped Needle find his treasures. Magpie shows him the key to travel through time and meet his best-friend-to-be, Glory, as they take on an entire town’s ambivalence of its oncoming doom-laden flood.
A wonderful book – highly recommended!
April 23, 2021
This middle-grade book is a heart-warming time-travel story.
In 1864, Needle and his mother are struggling to make a living after his father's disappearance. He spends his days by the river banks with his pet crow scouring for little treasures he could turn into pretty ornaments. In 1928, Glory lies about her age so she can work and contribute to the family's poor income. Glory is a talented jewellery designer frustrated with her wooden hand.
As both protagonists struggle with their hard lives, the story grabs you right from the start. The pacing is good and the antagonists are every bit detestable. A lovely ending where everything is tied up.
A very enjoyable read.
In 1864, Needle and his mother are struggling to make a living after his father's disappearance. He spends his days by the river banks with his pet crow scouring for little treasures he could turn into pretty ornaments. In 1928, Glory lies about her age so she can work and contribute to the family's poor income. Glory is a talented jewellery designer frustrated with her wooden hand.
As both protagonists struggle with their hard lives, the story grabs you right from the start. The pacing is good and the antagonists are every bit detestable. A lovely ending where everything is tied up.
A very enjoyable read.
July 28, 2024
Audiobook (wasn't labeled as for children). Sweet time travel story of two 12 year olds who gain confidence in standing up for themselves when they learn about an imminent natural disaster and have to warn people of the danger. There's real peril in this for 9-12 year old readers but it wraps up satisfyingly.
November 25, 2020
I enjoyed this book
February 11, 2022
This time-flip novel intricately blends two times, sending the reader on a journey filled with captivating possibility. Based on the Great Flood of London 1928, it creates an imaginative landscape of two pasts with a texture, tangibility and historical detail that lends a sense of reality in impossible circumstances. Expert characterisation allows for an easy understanding of the personalities of each and every player in the tale. The friendship between Needle and Glory, even with their moments of of doubt and anger, is moving; two utterly sympathetic characters with struggles of their own form an unbreakable bond that neither time nor tide, quite literally, can break. And Magpie the crow is stunning! It is also worth noting the numerous and clever references to sewing and needlework scattered throughout the text in the names and locations; Eyelet Bridge, River Notion, Gloria Bobbin and more. This creates an idea of the tapestry of life, the thread of time and all its’ weaving. Mesmerising, unique, beautifully constructed and full of ingenuity. It’s wonderful…simply wonderful.
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August 10, 2023Sixty-odd years separate the childhoods of Glory, an ambitious apprentice jeweller, and Needle, a river-side mud-lark. Darting between them, stitching their fates together, is the crow, Magpie. Or Fusspot, depending on whether you’re in 1864 or 1928.
Elsetime is a time-slip story, focused on the children’s shared imperative to help steady their families’ precarious finances, and their separate ambitions: Glory to become a master jeweller, Needle’s to find his mysteriously-vanished father. It is Needle, the diffident synaesthete able to sense the stories attached to the objects he finds, who travels from his own time to Glory’s. It is Glory, already under professional pressure by her employer, who recognises some of the names on a plaque that will be put up to commemorate the fourteen who perished in a flood – due to happen tomorrow. The stakes are very high – the children are down to a bare handful of hours to raise the alarm of the threat to the city, rescue Needle’s father and complete an order that could make or break Glory’s dreams of owning her own emporium.
What no mere summary of the plentiful action can convey is the polished richness of the book. There are a number of tropes – the orphaned children, the Dickensian sensibility of unjust adults, destitution and Winter weather – refashioned by their setting. The children both face challenges more personal than their circumstances. Glory not only has a wooden hand but a dreadful difficulty in not saying exactly what she thinks – admirably suitable for following her older sister in embracing the suffragist movement but not welcomed by her social ‘superiors’ – and a tendency to act without reflection. Needle, on the other hand, cannot speak when he needs to, and, though an exceptionally kindly person, he feels he lacks courage.
There is an unusual kind of historical sense to the story, not just because both children live in past times, but because of the way that Needle’s work is presented. He fishes objects out of the muddy banks of the great industrial river at low tide, objects lost and swept to one side of the main flow and forgotten. When he holds them, he can see part of their story. Thus, two important factors in the presentation of material history are embodied: the importance of the traces of the everyday past that are often neglected in favour of big or transformative events, and the concept of objects telling stories. The banks of the river have become a museum and Needle is their curator.
The prose is stuffed with creativity – everyone and everything, including the weather and the river, is creating, embellishing or inventing, all the time. Those who are absent are remembered through their creations and the world of material artistry lingers in the place-names and memorials of the city. There are secrets and hidden things everywhere, too, not just treasures under the mud for Needle to find, but beautiful things hiding in secret pockets and secret rooms. Even the story itself has half-covered treasures; as Conan Doyle teased Sherlock Holmes’ fans with the untold accounts of The Giant Rat of Sumatra or the Tankerville Club Scandal, now the Library of Unwritten Stories contains hints of the Buried Chalice of the Murderous Bishop, and the Mystery of the Letter in the Bottle.
To wring the last drops from the metaphor, the story is well tailored: every seam is assured, not a button is loose and every time it seems to be approaching its close, there is a last development to tidy away a thread the reader will kick themselves for having missed. This is a clever and well-plotted tale, told with verve and humour, with endearing characters (even one of the baddies has their ‘one bit of good’), in a detailed, textured setting. Happily, it is one treasure that does not need to be schmocked out of the mud.
February 5, 2021
Inspired by the Great Flood of London, this original and captivating story tells the tale of Glory and Needle, whose lives become inextricably bound when they realise they share the same pet crow. Shards of a plaque warns of a great danger to Glory and many others. Can they find a way to come to terms with the seemingly impossible truth and change the future to save everyone. This is a compelling and fascinating story that completely had me hooked from the opening page. Cleverly written and wonderfully executed it is an absolute joy to read. The characterisation is superb, she has created the most intriguing individuals in Glory and Needle who are both dealing with immense difficulties and sadness in their lives. She conjures up the place of Inthington superbly with the most rich and vivid descriptions, that makes you feel like you’ve been transported there. I have to mention Holly Ovendon’s stunning cover and illustrations which capture the mysterious and dark elements of the story wonderfully. Without wishing to give anything away, the surprise twist in the story was just marvellous and I totally didn’t see it coming. A truly extraordinary debut that I absolutely loved, Eve is definitely one to watch out for!
July 31, 2023
I really enjoyed this story of courage and hardship and friendship, AND time-travel. I don't want to give away the plot, but it ticks a lot of boxes with strong characters, a well-paced exciting tale, lots of heart and a very satisfying conclusion. I loved Needle with his caring nature and dogged determination, his honesty and his lack of confidence. His ability to tell stories from objects was very endearing, and the fact he could see sounds as colour was another interesting facet of his character.
Glory was a very different character, brimming with confidence and nerve, except when it came to her wooden hand. I loved this detail and what a trial to her in making jewellery and how Needle helped her. This story has so much heart. There are three parts of the story that makes it really stand apart for me, but I won't share them as they are definite spoilers. All I can say is grab a copy of this book and enjoy the read!
Glory was a very different character, brimming with confidence and nerve, except when it came to her wooden hand. I loved this detail and what a trial to her in making jewellery and how Needle helped her. This story has so much heart. There are three parts of the story that makes it really stand apart for me, but I won't share them as they are definite spoilers. All I can say is grab a copy of this book and enjoy the read!
October 29, 2020
A fantastically atmospheric time-slip adventure filled with heart and imagination. Needle is a poor mudlark living in the year 1864 who fishes treasures out of the Thames and can see their history by touching them (a brilliantly utilised plot device). Glory is a strong-willed jeweller's apprentice living in 1928. The danger of the impending Great Flood (a real-life event that inspires much of the novel) will set them on a time-travelling, mind-bending adventure. Saying any more would only spoil the surprises this book has in store!
This book feels like a newly-discovered classic from years ago, while still managing to be fresh and original. The characters are brilliantly drawn, the setting is vivid and atmospheric, and it's all topped off with a brilliant, satisfying twist. A must-read.
This book feels like a newly-discovered classic from years ago, while still managing to be fresh and original. The characters are brilliantly drawn, the setting is vivid and atmospheric, and it's all topped off with a brilliant, satisfying twist. A must-read.
November 9, 2020
In Elsetime, Eve McDonnell brings us an intriguing historical fantasy filled with charming characters and just the right amount of magic.
In 1864, we meet Needle, a 12-year-old boy who sees speech as colors and can tell objects' histories simply by holding them in his hands, but who can't seem to find the confidence to speak up for himself.
In 1928, we meet Glory, an impulsive 12-year-old girl with amazing artistic talent and a wooden prosthetic arm, who dreams of becoming a famous jeweler despite hearing from nearly everyone around her that such things are impossible for someone like her.
And we meet Magpie, an extremely clever crow who brings the two children together to prevent a tragedy.
In 1864, we meet Needle, a 12-year-old boy who sees speech as colors and can tell objects' histories simply by holding them in his hands, but who can't seem to find the confidence to speak up for himself.
In 1928, we meet Glory, an impulsive 12-year-old girl with amazing artistic talent and a wooden prosthetic arm, who dreams of becoming a famous jeweler despite hearing from nearly everyone around her that such things are impossible for someone like her.
And we meet Magpie, an extremely clever crow who brings the two children together to prevent a tragedy.
Read
October 21, 2020A brilliantly imaginative portal adventure full of evocative imagery and juicy reveals. The twin stories of Needle, a mudlark, and Glory, an apprentice to a heartless jeweller, interweave seamlessly until Needle stumbles through a gateway that propells him years into the future where our heroes meet.
The book is full of evocative detail and populated with a cast of wonderful characters, some adorable and others grotesque. I read it with my son and we both of us loved it . Can't reccommend this highly enough.
The book is full of evocative detail and populated with a cast of wonderful characters, some adorable and others grotesque. I read it with my son and we both of us loved it . Can't reccommend this highly enough.
April 6, 2022
more like 3 and a half stars, because though I loved the first 150 pages, things started to get confusing. Possibly this was my fault as a reader, but possibly it was the book's fault. Just went and re-read the bit that my mind just couldn't comprehend, involving a butterfly decorated cake where suddenly the butterflies are moving...understood on the second try what was happening but it really wasn't clear in all the excitement of that bit of the book, so I think me and book are both equally at fault.
July 16, 2021
I loved this! It's dark and quirky and compelling, with *just* the right mix of history and magic. For me it had echoes of Peter Bunzl's Cogheart Trilogy and a wee bit of The Executioner's Daughter, all among my favourite books for children of all time. Historical fantasy combines two of my favourite genres and Eve McDonnell weaves so skilfully with words that I was mesmerised, re-reading chapters I loved, just because I wanted to feel it all again. Excellent!
September 21, 2020
A brilliant historical time-slip adventure featuring two lovable and brave characters. Fast-flowing and crisp prose interspersed with charming illustrations. This is a beautiful book, both inside and out. I loved it!
October 22, 2020
Glimpses of mysterious buried treasure beckon us into #Elsetime and lead us to adventure. Gutsy Glory and gifted Needle play a beautiful duet – a twinkling tale of friendship spanning two eras. And Magpie the cake-seeking crow is a delight!
October 24, 2020
This is an exceptional debut with luminous prose and a fresh and original take on time travel. The characters are beautifully realised with distinctive voices. I particularly loved Needle. I definitely recommend this if you're looking for a magical middle grade novel with lots of heart.
May 7, 2022
Story set in 1864 and 1928 where time travel exist and the story of boy and a girl and a crow against a devastating flood. We see their friendship and trust grow between each other through gifts of the past and future a a quest to save the 14 souls and each other.
June 28, 2022
I really wanted to like this book more, as it's a great concept, but I found I just wasn't connecting with it. A bit of further editing might have helped, I noticed a lot of repetitive phrasing
A joyful little read, just not for me perhaps
A joyful little read, just not for me perhaps
August 8, 2020
Love this book! A must read!
December 8, 2021
Loved it!
April 14, 2022
Nice cover.
September 21, 2023
I'm speechless... This book is surely unbelievable.
From the first to the last word it left me in sheer shock.
I have never came across something so well made, absolutely flabergastingly amazing!
From the first to the last word it left me in sheer shock.
I have never came across something so well made, absolutely flabergastingly amazing!
January 27, 2024
Enjoyable, fast paced and with a good twist. I liked it.
February 27, 2024
Absolutely precious!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews