The Time Travelers' Handbook: A Wild, Wacky, and Wooly Adventure Through History!

by Lottie Stride, Dušan Pavlić (Illustrator), Лотти Страйд

Grab your portable time machine and set off on a guided tour through the most interesting parts of ancient history. Find out ancient secrets: How are mummies made? Where does Chinese silk come from? Learn forgotten rituals: Leap over a Minoan bull, vote in an ancient Greek election, and become a jaguar warrior. And finally, bring forgotten skills to life: Pass notes in your own form of Sumerian writing, dine on ancient Roman delicacies, and play Mayan football in your backyard.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Time Travel, Travel, Childrens, Middle Grade, Adventure

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

After quite a few years of editing children’s books, LOTTIE STRIDE has decided to start writing them. She lives in London with three children, and one or two mice in the kitchen cupboard.

Reviews

[Kris]

A fun nonfiction book report book that is over 100 pages. Readers will get how-to instructions from ancient history, such as how to create a mummy in Egypt, make silk in China, sweep a chimney in Victorian London, etc. The illustrations are funny too.

[Puty]

Adventurous book for kids and fun for adults who love history.

[Anni]

I bought this book (in German) because it sounded like a lot of fun, but in the end it was just okay.
It's very easily written and with that a fast read. The sound of the writing is very childish, but the stories have sometimes parts that I wouldn't read to children - so that does not really fit.
The crafting and game tips are nice, as well as the illustrations.
But overall I didn't enjoy the book.

[Satendra Deo]

For a child or young adult.

[Ray Daley]

Probably intended more for a younger reader, but still pretty decent.

[Alice English]

I bought this book as I thought it looked really good. But it isn't as good as it looks could not finish this book

[Alexandra]

It's a cute book with little snippets of history in it

[Nahari Lippman]

A good mix of wit and factuality.

[Halida]

This is an exciting book to learn about history and culture from. In each chapter, you'll meet a person who'll teach you or ask you to join their activities, from sweeping a chimney in Victorian England to writing on a clay tablet in Ancient Mesopotamia. It's so much fun not only because it's put in a simple language and very hilarious, but also because you feel like you're actually involved in the events. You get to learn about history from people's stories and directly from your experience, which are not at all boring, especially compared to reading a thick history book (snores).
One thing I wish this book could've done differently is writing chapters on SE Asian/ Australian/ Central African history. There are enough of WW II or the Vikings and I would've loved to 'explore' other continents as well.

[Karyn Tripp]

I read this to my son. We both really enjoyed reading it. It is a boy who jumps around through different historical time periods and teaches you how to survive in that time period. It has fun activities that go along with it as well. It has fun things like: how to tackle a T Rex, how to defend a medieval castle, and how to fight with a samurai. It is great because it teaches about history in a really fun way.

[Ryk Stanton]

What a fun book! My friend got this for me after he read it, and I agree with him – cool book, dude! In this book, you can learn How to Hunt a Mammoth, How to Join the American Gold Rush, How to Fight with the Samurai, and about thirty other things from all across history. The book is really written for middle schoolers (grades 4 to 7, most likely) but I found it to be a refreshing and fun fast read.

[Eddie]

A quick easy read, the book is divided into 2-4 page time travel visits where you "experience" doing something in a particular time period: embalming a mummy, painting a cave drawing, playing Mayan ball, making papyrus, harvesting silk from silkworms... Intelligently written for younger kids, a good way to get them to learn about the world and history, I learned several facts that I didn't know. Well worth reading with your younger kids.

[Maksym]

I love this book! It is written very simply but nevertheless interesting to a wide age group. People ages 8-12 will definitely enjoy this book. It is a nice, easy, and fun way to learn about history. I love how each chapter has its own little do-it-yourself craft to further immerse yourself into the reading. The illustrations are great and informative as well.

[ral]

Not as much as an entertaining book as it had the possibility of being. A way to teach about history, yes. Background and theories on time travel (paradoxes?), and you'll find nothing. I was definitely expecting more.

[Lisa]

Really good for giving children a snippet of history. As a primary school teacher I can see me using this book for visualisation games :)

[Toby]

A nicely written little book for children that teaches about various events and periods of history in a fun way. Includes occasional activities for the reader to do at home too.

[Aeles Garrido]

If I ever have children, I'm gonna read this to them. Funny, easy to read and an enjoyable learning tool.

[Van Empasis]

Well, it's really a whacky and wooly adventure being a time traveler. Enjoy history with this special book and learn many practical things you can apply to the future.