LoveReading4Kids Says
This third book in Patience Agbabi’s The Leap Cycle trilogy is an action-packed, inspirational joy. Whirling with invention and the indomitable spirit and quick-witted thinking of its 14-year-old autistic protagonist, it sees Elle and her fellow extraordinary Leaplings — children born on the 29th of February with a rare gift of being able to leap through time — flip back to 1880 via a ghost train and encounter none other than The Grandfather, a notorious criminal leader.
With his “deathly white skin and “slate-grey eyes”, The Grandfather is a fearsome sight, and he has a proposition for Elle and co. He needs them to work for him to prevent Leaplings being exposed and, ultimately, to protect themselves from coming to harm. Big-time. The Grandfather knows they’re the only ones who can solve this problem, “Because…you think different. You see details others don’t. You work stuff out”.
Alongside the sense of peril and time running out, Elle is faced with tremendous personal challenges, which makes her story all the more edge-of-your seat engaging. And all this is interwoven with mystery, problem-solving and a palpable sense of friendship. The stage is set for a thrilling finale…
Joanne Owen
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The Circle Breakers Synopsis
Fourteen-year-old Elle and her friends are going to a not-to-be-missed funfair. But a ride on the Ghost Train takes them further than they ever imagined. They end up in 1880, face-to-face with criminal mastermind, The Grandfather!
To Elle's surprise, he needs her help. Someone has threatened to reveal The Gift to the media. If that happens, everyone will know that Leaplings can leap through time; no Leapling will be safe. Meanwhile, Millennia's power at the head of The Vicious Circle grows.
Will Elle work for a villain to save her secret community? Can she and The Infinites crush The Vicious Circle for good?
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781838855796 |
| Publication date: |
19th January 2023 |
| Author: |
Patience Agbabi |
| Publisher: |
Canongate Books |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
196 pages |
| Series: |
The Leap Cycle |
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Patience Agbabi Press Reviews
Praise for The Time-Thief:
'An ingenious, exhilarating adventure' - Sophie Anderson
'An adventure so thrilling it makes time fly!' - Ben Miller
'A time-travel mystery that manages to incorporate criminal masterminds, neurodivergence, racial inequalities, intertemporal friendships and Samuel Johnson - all narrated in Elle's exuberant and energetic voice. Even better than The Infinite! Loved it!' - Fleur Hitchcock
'In The Time-Thief, Agbabi has written a second instalment to the Leap Cycle series that even exceeds the first. Elle is a delightful character to follow: not just a well-rounded heroine with a unique set of beautiful insights, but also an important example of meaningful representation in a literary arena where Black autistic girls are rarely represented. In reading The Time-Thief you also get a clear sense of how much Agbabi loves creative wordplay, as she tells a gripping time-travel story that keeps you guessing, while clearly having fun with the English language along the way! A creative, imaginative novel with a fascinating lead character -- CHRIS BONNELLO, author of UNDERDOGS Thrilling . . . Starring a brilliant young heroine, this original and inventive adventure story will keep you gripped from beginning to end' - The Week Junior
'The main characters in Patience Agbabi's The Time-Thief [are] as literate as they are skilled on the athletics field. They are also neurodivergent, not least narrator Elle, whose autism is depicted accurately and sympathetically . . . just as clever and enjoyable as its forerunner' - Financial Times
'A must-read . . . Filled with thrilling twists and turns, and with a relatable main character, this a spellbinding mystery that will keep readers gripped to the final page' - Scotsman
'What a delight to be back in the company of Elle and her Infinite friends. The Time-Thief is chock-full of wicked wordplay and time-travelling conundrums, but also a breathlessly paced thriller. Time disappears while reading this book, so Agbabi actually proves that time travel is real' - Steve Tasane
'The Time-Thief pulses to its own thrillingly original beat. An exhilarating, intelligent and twisty time-travelling mystery' - Sinead O'Hart
About Patience Agbabi
Patience Agbabi was born in London in 1965 to Nigerian parents, spent her teenage years living in North Wales and now lives in Kent with her husband and children. She has been writing poetry for over twenty years, and her first novel for children, The Infinite, the first in the Leap Cycle series, was published in 2020. Like Elle, she loves sprinting, numbers and pepper soup, but, disappointingly, her leaping is less spectacular.
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