An exciting and quirky tale of time travel, using artifacts from their local area and kept in the school library. A great variation on a theme, as just about everyone can find items in their local area. I look forward to having more adventures with the children and maybe with their school librarian!

Slightly peculiar, and a little optimistic in its intention to be the first in a series, this has two bright London schoolchildren, circa 2022, work out that the school librarian has a secret ability to time travel – the school’s little museum of historical artefacts found when building it on prime historical London real estate, and the back door she keeps locked at all times, combine to transport you to the history of the object you carry through.

Once in Regency London they get an immediate lesson in slavery and in how multicultural and ethnic London was (yawn), and then realise that they will be meeting the founder of the school they love so much, before she is able to create it – but that her life may be in danger.

It’s OK, but a bit dry-seeming (the early pages just two large paragraphs of exposition each), with perhaps too great a demand on our vocab for the level the story itself is pitched at, and quite the Reithian edutainment, where we learn through fun, or justify the entertainment by being informed at the same time. I didn’t object to any of it, but found this far from being an essential purchase.