Magical village discovered by local children
Even the neighborhood trolls couldn't find it...until now
Time Stoppersby Carrie Jones
written for ages 9-12 | recommended with reservations
published in 2016 | Bloomsbury USA | 384 pages
written for ages 9-12 | recommended with reservations
published in 2016 | Bloomsbury USA | 384 pages
Annie Nobody has lived with dozens of foster families. Even the kind ones do not seem to want to keep her because she is, well, strange. She attracts animals, such as large numbers of rabbits or dogs. She does not seek them out – they find her.
Her latest “family” is perhaps the worst. Mrs. Wiegle and her son Walden are, in a word, cruel. They only want her for the income a foster child provides. When they lock her out in the snow, she has an opportunity to make a run for it.
Annie is not the only neglected child in town. Along the way, she meets Jamie, another runaway who has recently discovered that the people he believed to be father and grandmother are actually trolls. The pair are rescued by Eva, a young dwarf, and taken to the magical town of Aurora. There they meet a host of magical beings. Aurora, however, is in danger, and although Annie is not sure she is up the task, she may be the only person who can save it.
Time Stoppers appears to be the first in the kind of fantasy series that is quite popular today. The writing is basic with no plot surprises. Annie and Jamie are likeable protagonists who are largely helped by the usual magical tricks. Young readers not quite ready for Harry Potter will enjoy this story, but beware of some coarse language and reference to a “man-crush”.
The pornography industry may be winning because its opponents are divided about its product. While many people are uneasy about it, they fear that free speech would be infringed. Others (like myself) feel that it is a serious moral issue. But they can form a common front on one idea: that pornography is an important public health issue.
In an interview this week Cordelia Anderson, a Minneapolis based educator, says: "It is arguably negligent that we’ve allowed the pornography industry to be the primary sex educator of children, youth and the public. In many ways we need to take back our sexuality from the pornography industry that has profit in mind over the well-being of its male or female users."
Michael Cook
Editor
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