The time travel twins by James Patterson and Tad Safran

Twins Pew and Basket Church dream of escaping the miserable misfortune of their isolated orphanage. Or, even better, the return of their unknown parents. But even in their wildest dreams, they never imagined the truth, that they come from a family that can travel through time.

And so begins the story of how Time Travelling Twins battle against an enemy who likes to change history to gain riches for himself. 

The twins after growing up in a terrible orphanage that has ultimately prepared them for their destiny escape through a portal and discover they have landed in 1877 amid George Washington’s camp as he fights in the American Civil War. They meet many different historical figures, but they also meet two other time travellers, one who is like them and a protector of time the other a time traveller who is trying to change time to benefit himself and he wants to get rid of the twins so he can continue his nefarious plan.   

This story is a cross between historical fiction and fantasy with a bit of Lemony Snicket to flavour the pot.  It is a fabulous read and one that will appeal to readers of The Magic Treehouse, and I Survived series. The history portrayed isn’t entirely accurate, but the information is there and the reader if interested can do further research; this does not detract from the story and the reader doesn’t need to know about this period in history to enjoy the book. Unfortunately, the book ends on a cliffhanger and the next book isn’t due out until late in 2025 so it will be a long wait but as the story is so enjoyable a second read before the new book is released could be made.

I can see this being used in a classroom to talk about history and the ways that historian’s perspectives can change how we think about and remember the events of the past. It is also a good way to think about what would happen if one small event had happened and how this could have affected history.  This is such a great book and one that will be a hit in any primary classroom. 

Themes: History, Family, Time travel, Fantasy, Good vs evil, Adventure.

Mhairi Alcorn