Nick of Time: An Adventure Through Time (Nick McIver #1 of 2) [B1691]

2008 HCDJ, 434-pages, in nice clean condition. Nick of Time is the first young reader's book written by bestselling author Ted Bell - a wondrous tale of time travel, adventure, and riches, in which twelve-year-old Nick McIver sets out to become 'the hero of his own life'. The setting is England, 1939, on the eve of war. Nick and his younger sister, Kate, live in a lighthouse on the smallest of the Channel Islands. Nick and Kate come to the aid of their father who is engaged in a desperate war of espionage with German U-boat wolf packs that are circling the islands. The information they provide to Winston Churchill is vital as he tries to warn England of the imminent Nazi invasion.

One day Nick discovers an old sea chest, left for him by his ancestor, Captain Nicholas McIver of the Royal Navy. Inside, he finds a time machine and a desperate plea for help from the captain. He uses the machine to return to the year 1805. Captain McIver and, indeed, Admiral Nelson's entire fleet are threatened by the treachery of the French and the mutinous Captain Billy Blood. Nick must reach deep inside, using his wits, courage, and daring to rescue the imperiled British sailors. His sister, Kate, meanwhile, has enlisted the aid of two of England's most brilliant 'scientific detectives', Lord Hawke and Commander Hobbes, to thwart the invading Nazis. She and Nick must face England's underwater enemies, a challenge made all the more difficult when they discover the existence of Germany's supersecret submarine. In this striking adventure for readers of all ages, Nick must fight ruthless enemies across two different centuries, on land and sea, to help defeat those determined to destroy his home and his family. Note: the 2nd book in this series is The Time Pirate.

From a GoodReads 'review' by the Author himself: "If people have half as much fun reading this book as I did writing it I'll consider it time well spent. I've written eight novels since and that thrill, that absolute immersion into that world, has never been replicated. I am proud to immodestly state that my happy little book won the Chicago Librarian's "Best of the Best" First Novel in, I think, 2003 and a heartbreakingly wonderful review in the LA Times. It's not really a YA book by the way. It's a "Family" book, just like Treasure Island. I sold the film rights to Paramount a few years later, but it never got made. I'm at it again with another studio. Cross your fingers and whistle past the Hollywood graveyard."

From other recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This book is action-packed and features pirates! Nazis! time travel! and history. It's suitable for anyone and it's kind of long, but a lot happens. It's easy to root for the characters."; "Bravo; bravo! This was a FANTASTIC adventure. My first book by Ted Bell and certainly not my last. I'm ready to go on more high flying, deep sea diving, treasure chest finding, war fighting rides!"; "It's just a great adventure! I thoroughly enjoyed it for too many reasons to list -- Nick is a believable teen, Hawke is the Bond of the war era, and how can you go wrong with Nazi U-boats? Throw in a little time hop to the days of tall ships and a ruthless pirate and it's got pretty much everything. You may think some of these pieces are cliche, but I can vouch that Bell handles them all with panache and will keep you turning pages."