The Timekeeper

After winning a computer in an unusual quiz show, Patrick discovers that it will not work and returns to the parallel world beyond an invisible Barrier, getting involved with something far more important than a TV game.

Grade 4-6-In this sequel to the Australian fantasy Finders Keepers (Greenwillow, 1991), Patrick is literally racing against the clock to save the parallel world that exists on the other side of an invisible Barrier. When his new computer- through which he communicates with his friends in the other world-doesn't work, he crosses over to get help. But something is wrong: the Barrier is falling apart on the other side, and on Patrick's side, time is moving too fast. He learns that a special clock linking the two worlds has broken, and that he must repair it. But first, he must find his sister and brother, who have followed him with the vital missing piece of the broken clock. The boy's frantic mission to fix the timepiece, combined with the adventures of his siblings, make for exciting reading. Depending as it does on a concept well established in Finders Keepers, The Timekeeper lacks some of the sparkle and freshness of its predecessor. However, fans of the first book and readers looking for an action-filled fantasy with warm, believable depictions of family relationships should enjoy this one as well.
Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

What happens when a discrepancy in time upsets parallel worlds? Here, it's akin to the shifting of tectonic plates, coupled with the dumping of a bottomless junk drawer. In a sequel to Finders Keepers (1991), Patrick Minter is summoned to cross the Barrier once again, in order to prevent the destruction of the worlds on both sides. To avert this rapidly approaching annihilation, Patrick must get the Chestnut Tree Village clock mended before the stroke of noon, despite numerous obstacles: a rapidly deteriorating Barrier wall through which drop increasing numbers of objects from the other side; greedy Barrier combers; a desperately ill timekeeper; a missing brother and sister. Readers unfamiliar with Finders Keepers may occasionally feel confused (especially by the computer elements), but fans of the first novel will enjoy this engaging light fantasy. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 9-12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 4-6. This lively, action-packed sequel to Finders Keepers (1991) features Patrick once again helping out his friends at an unusual television game show. It seems that the collapse of a weak barrier, through which all lost things mysteriously travel (bicycles, keys, old socks), has something to do with the malfunctioning of an old clock in a shopping plaza near Patrick's house. Although Rodda provides straightforward background "notes" on the first book, newcomers to the series will probably be scratching their heads when the action first shifts to the parallel world. However, persistent readers, especially seasoned science fantasy fans and computer nuts, will encounter a compelling story as Patrick races against the clock to save his siblings, who have been accidentally transported through a television set to the other side. Although there's a tidbit of contrivance and some overexplanation, the child's point of view is strong, the family relationship is nicely developed, and the social commentary is subtle as scavengers clash with the authorities over lost goods. Julie Corsaro