JumpMan Rule #1: Don't Touch Anything

In a futuristic world, kids play with a special game that allows them to be transported to any place back in time, but when the creators of the JumpMan games decide to rig the machines against their users, Theo finds himself in a real bad place when he stumbles upon his best friend asking his girl out on a date. Reprint.

Trouble begins when flashy boy-from-the-future, Theodore Pine Four, a seasoned recreational time-traveler, wins a contest that allows him to briefly visit a special, never-before-seen place and time with the brand-new, handheld TimeMaster JumpMan Pro. Unfortunately, contest director Quincy Blake gives Theo the wrong JumpMan prototype. He doesn’t end up somewhere amazing like the Great Pyramids, but, to his dismay, in an incredibly boring bedroom in Mil3 (the 21st century), populated by a 14-year-girl named Genevieve and her childhood friend, Jules. Unfortunately, Jules has just mustered the nerve to ask Gen on a date. Budding romance is not the only thing Theo interrupts. If he breaks the one TimeJump rule--"don't touch anything"--he will change history forever.

Theo's perspectives on the 21st century are often hilarious. His commentary on many topics, including how Bill Gates is actually a TimeJumper from the future, will have readers looking at everything in a new light. The action is fast and furious as Theo, Jules, and Gen travel through time and try to get Theo back home in one piece. The question that simmers beneath it all is whether Jules can rise to the occasion to deal with Theo, get reacquainted with his recently-divorced father, and, of course, get the girl. Readers of all ages will devour this smart, funny, thought-provoking adventure, the first in James Valentine's bestselling Australian series. (Ages 9 to 13) --Karin Snelson