Book talks for readers at Chisago Lakes Middle School.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens



Did you know Albert Einstein said there isn't anything in the universe that can go faster than the speed of light? This summer scientists in Hong Kong claim to have proven Einstein correc. They have confirmed that there isn't anything that can break the universe's ultimate traffic law.This is an amazing claim, but for some it might also be devastating.

If these scientists are correct, it might dash the dreams of those who would like to imagine space travel as possible some day. Yet, Einstein also suggested that space is warped, bent or curved. This is important because it means that there might be other ways to think about time travel. Some claim that if space is curved then it is possible that there are time travel tunnels or portals. (Take a look at one explanation by National Geographic.)

In the book, The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens, a golden-haired countess and her army of living dead are searching for a time travel portal. The countess's soulless henchmen with their ear splitting screams do her bidding as they hunt for a space-time portal called the Emerald Atlas. Legend had it that the atlas was lost forever in an underground city destroyed by an earthquake. If found, the magical book would give its owner extraordinary power over the world and could change the way events play out in history as desired. Inside the atlas are blank pages, but in the right hands it could send someone to any place or time.

The Emerald Atlas and who desires it is unknown to three siblings as they travel by train to an orphanage that will most likely kick them out eventually, just like all the rest did. As they wait to reach their destination the three pass their time by thinking of last names. Through the years they've come up with thousands of possibilities. All they know for certain is their last initial, the letter P. Pullman, Packard, Pickford, Pike, Paganelli, Page, Pershing, Pickles, and Penguin are all on their list. Penguin is one of their favorites to imagine.

Little do they realize that they will soon meet a man that knows their last name, knows who their parents are, and knows if their parents are really alive. But, will he tell them? Kate, Michael, and Emma also do not know that a bigger problem awaits them in the form of a dusty green book lying in the basement of their new home.

If you like books with time travel and more than one mystery to unravel, then I would like to recommend, The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens.

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