Torn: M.P. Haddix Has Done It Again!

A short note from your reviewer:

Greetings, readers of The Bookshelf! I know earlier I posted a list of reviews that would be published throughout this month, but with the start of school, my personal vacation to Ocean City, Maryland, multiple orientations, and . . . oh, yeah, the EARTHQUAKE, I've fallen a wee bit behind.

Below is a short "mini review" of Torn by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This is a syndicated review from my Amazon account. While this review is shorter and more informal than most, I believe it provides much insight, explanation, and opinion of a fourth book in a historical, mystery, sci fi, thriller time traveling series.

Look for a few more posts before the end of August. Thank you!

And by "done it again", I mean "created another great history/mystery time travel tale".

The fourth installment in The Missing series, Torn by Margaret Peterson Haddix, follows Jonah and Katherine as they travel back in time to the year 1611. The missing child that they must return to history in order to correct time? John Hudson, son of the famous (famously crazy, that is) Henry Hudson. The only problem: JB, Jonah and Katherine's time travel...supervisor, you could say, is unable to find the 21st century boy who is actually John Hudson to send him back to the past. A truly missing child!

But, of course, there are more problems than just a missing (missing) historical figure. Jonah must pretend to be John, mask, wigs, clothing, and all, in hopes of setting history straight. However, after an hour or so aboard the Discovery, Henry Hudson's ship, all time is thrown out of balance. Tracers, ghost-like figures that show what is supposed to happen in history, go missing, Jonah and Katherine lose all connections with JB, and an evil Mr. Prickett threatens the safety of the ship's crew, most significantly Jonah.

Taking matters into their own hands, Jonah (still disguised as John Hudson) and Katherine (who is invisible thanks to the time traveling device, the Elucidator) try to make sense of the odd mishaps in time that keep occurring and attempt to save history and rescue their friends who are still stuck in the year 1600.

Captivating and well-paced, Torn provides a set of loveable characters and rich historical settings to create an enjoyable read. Fans of the previous books in the Missing series will not be disappointed.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

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