Time Lions and the chrono-loop by Krystal Sutherland & Martin Serenviratne

12-year-old twins, Pearl and Patrick, are talented young people. Pearl is a daring and brave science genius, and Patrick is less confident and a history guru, but they both hide their brilliance. Pearl has used her ‘science-smarts’ to create a time-travel device that sends the twins on a journey into the past. The challenge in time-travel is the desire to change the past to protect the future, but in doing so, will they create a complete mess-up of reality or make an improvement?  The organisation TIME (The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry) takes these ethical dilemmas seriously, and Pearl and Patrick are confronted by the logic to never change anything - good or bad. Another time traveler seems to be creating ripples in time, and Pearl and Patrick must confront the problems that are created while also addressing their own personal concerns - Pearl has a desire to be recognised and appreciated, and Patrick feels the need to feel brave while still valuing his esteem of history (and maybe even survive the taunts of the class bully). And all of their adventures must happen in secret - even from their family. Can time heal all their struggles, or are they likely to continue in the time-loops of mistakes? 

This is a glorious story … I loved every minute of my reading journey, both back in time and into the present. The challenge of writing about time travel is handled brilliantly by the authors, and there is a logical understanding of the possibilities and impossibilities of time travel. The flavour of a Sri Lankan culture for the twins is also unique and appealing - food culture and some history is highlighted. Thank you to Martin Seneviratne for highlighting his own understanding of his family’s culture, mythology, and history. But it is all the journeys into the historical past that are fascinating, with their ethical dilemmas. Would you prevent the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand? This and other time-travel journeys give wonderful insights into history. But there is also a considerable esteem given to scientific investigation in the story as well.

This will be a much-loved adventure where kids use their brains in amazing ways. Readers aged 11-14 with a desire to exercise their own intelligence will love this book (I hope there are more Chrono-loop adventures to follow). It does require some mental gymnastics to follow time-travel logic, but it is worth it!

Themes: Time travel, History, Science, Twins, Bullying, Sri Lanka - Culture and history.

Carolyn Hull