The Golden Hour - Hardcover

Williams, Maiya

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810948230 ISBN 13: 9780810948235

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2004

Synopsis

"[An] intriguing time-traveller tale with echoes of Tom's Midnight Garden." -Richard Peck, author of Newbery Medal-winner A Year Down Yonder

A classic adventure story of gadgets, eccentrics, and unexpected travel . . . This thrilling first novel will remind readers of the adventure stories of Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming, with their amazing inventions, mysterious adults, and courageous kids.

Rowan Popplewell's life stinks. He can think of ten reasons why without even trying. And having to spend the summer in tiny Owatannauk, Maine, with two strange aunts and his silent sister, Nina, isn't even the biggest one. But just when he thinks he's in for a month of shell collecting and watching the grass grow, Rowan notices weird things going on in Owatannauk, particularly at the abandoned hotel at the edge of town. Xanthe and Xavier, twins who befriend Rowan, invite him to explore the place. Aunt Agatha warns him not to go near it. Rowan isn't sure what he wants to do. Then the weirdest and worst thing of all happens-Nina disappears. Now Rowan, who has made it through every level of every video game he's ever played, finds himself playing a game with rules he doesn't know against the toughest opponent of all-time.

About this title

About the Author

Maiya Williams was an editor and vice president of the Harvard Lampoon and a writer for the TV shows Rugrats and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. She is currently a writer and producer for Mad TV and lives with her husband, three children, a Labrador retriever, and a variety of fish in Pacific Palisades. This is her first novel.

Reviews

Grade 5-8-When Rowan and Nina Popplewell's father sends them to spend the summer with their deceased mother's aunts in Maine, adventures and excitement follow. With their new friends Xanthe and Xavier, they explore the secrets surrounding the town and the abandoned Owatannauk resort, which comes to life and offers time-travel opportunity during the magical "golden hour," defined as "the short period of time between day and night." When Nina disappears, Rowan and the twins assume she went to France and find themselves in 1789 Paris. Rowan and the twins explore different levels of society on the eve of the French Revolution, which allows them to encounter everyone from Marie Antoinette to street beggars. As the friends travel from palaces to prisons in search of Nina, Rowan realizes that he needs to find the self he has lost to grief and anger about his mother's death as well as his missing sister. A surprising conclusion reunites the siblings and leaves room for further visits to the Owatannauk. Rowan's self-doubt makes him an appealing and realistic character, and supporting characters, including the two eccentric aunts, are well-drawn. The fast-paced plot and smooth transition from everyday life to fantasy adventure make this a good choice for reluctant readers. An author's note separating historical fact from fiction and including Williams's sources may motivate readers to learn more about the French Revolution.-Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 4-8. A year after their mother's death, their father sends Rowan and Nina to family friends in Maine. Soon the children befriend twins Xanthe and Xavier, and together they explore the Owatannauk, an abandoned resort hotel that is actually a time-travel portal. When Nina disappears one morning, the others follow her to Paris at the height of the French Revolution. Rowan poses as a courtier, while Xanthe and Xavier, allowing for the fact that "there weren't that many black people in Revolutionary France," take on the roles of artist and freed slave. Part realistic fiction, part fantasy, part historical adventure, this entertaining novel features several well-realized settings and some quirky, original characters. The story is particularly energized by Rowan's intelligent, wry observations: Rowan notes his mother's death was the "background noise of his life, like a radio you couldn't turn off." Although parts of the adventure in eighteenth-century France strain belief, the emotions and relationships at the heart of the story are solid and convincing. One of the few fantasies with any African American characters, this takes readers on an adventure that makes everyday phenomena seem a little more magical. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0810948230
• ISBN 13: 9780810948235
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272