In the first instalment, Jack and his friend Angus not only discover the time machine, they are transported back to 1914, to try and stop the assassination of the Archduke Franz Joseph and therefore stopping World War I and changing the course of history. Jack discovers on the trip why his dad left him - he is working for the revisionists. On the trip Jack realises that he needs to make a decision - does he stop the assassination and change not only history but his own existence, or does he let the assassination happen?

Exciting, enthralling adventures., X-box meets HG Wells. Re-enacting what they have learnt in the computer game as they are transported into earlier times. The author provides a great journey through history which will hopefully provoke a genuine interest in major events that have shaped the world as it is. ( )

I was pretty disappointed in this - the promo blurbs made it sound so good, and I normally like historical fiction. It seemed to take a long time to get past the "wind-up" of the story - and I never really warmed up to any of the characters.....

Too bad, because the premise was interesting and I had been looking forward to the book.

If you want to read a series that captures a lot about that time period (without the time travel element), read any of Jacqueline Winspear's mysteries...... ( )

After reading this book, all I can say is this book is good. Not awesome or incredible, but decent. I really appreciated the adventure with the time travel machine and the characters were fun, but not complex. This read was easy but the action seemed lacking. I never felt that the main characters were in danger and the description did not hold my attention. I do feel this series has potential however, because I like the set up and I hope the characters have more to offer in the next book. ( )

This book is a historical fiction written for the younger reader, probably the middle school age reader. The main characters in the book time travel and find them selves in the middle of the war. This book focused on being entertaining while also presenting a lesson in world war 1 history. For the most part it accomplished this goal given the target reader's age. Would probably make a good supplemental reader to a history lesson. ( )

Both my son and I enjoyed this book. It presented history in an entertaining fashion, while going a little more indepth on the subject than I remember covering in school. Overall an enjoyable read for both kids and adults. ( )