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| Nick of Time (Unabridged) | 
 enlarge | Author: Ted Bell
Publisher: audible.com
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $15.73
You Save: $14.22 (47%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Media: Audio Download
ASIN: B0019HXP5K
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Nick of Time is the first young reader's book written by bestselling author Ted Bell. In the grand tradition of epic novels like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island comes 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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 Swashbuckling for Juniors May 7, 2007
29 out of 30 found this review helpful
Twelve-year-old Nick McIver loves his idyllic life on Greybeard Island, the smallest of England's Channel Islands. He spends his days on his little sloop, the Stormy Petrel, exploring the coastline and mapping reefs with his little sister Katie. Their father is the lighthouse keeper at Greybeard Light, and their happy family lives there. Nick's father Angus has a secret hobby, though. He's a "birdwatcher," scouting the Channel for German U-boats and airplanes, and reporting to Winston Churchill, in direct violation of orders from the government.
One day while out exploring in the Stormy Petrel, Nick and Katie come upon a sea chest in the sand, bearing the name Nicholas McIver, which was also the name of an ancestor of theirs. A mean red parrot sitting on the chest bites Katie and flies off, and Nick hides the chest in a cave for exploring later because the weather is getting ugly. On the way home, the storm drives Nick and Katie to stop in a nearby pub where the owner, Gunner, will give them hot tea. The red parrot is there, sitting with a menacing pair, Billy Blood and Snake, a thug with red snakes tattooed on his face. After frightening Gunner and the children, they disappear. When Nick's dog Jip is kidnapped by Billy Blood the same day his parents are called to London, they ask Gunner to watch the children, and Nick convinces him to go with him to the cave to collect the sea chest, Blood's ransom for his dog. Once they retrieve the chest and begin sailing for the rendezvous with Blood, an encounter with a German U-boat leads them to mysterious Hawke Castle, where they defy security measures and gain an audience with Lord Hawke, the castle's reclusive owner, whose own children have also been kidnapped by Billy Blood. They open the sea chest with the help of Hawke's close friend Hobbes, a high-ranking British admiral, to find a time machine and a note from Nick's ancestor, Captain Nicholas McIver, who needs help in a sea battle against Billy Blood 130 years earlier.
While Nick, Gunner, and Lord Hawke travel back in time to battle Billy Blood, Hobbes and Katie sail for London to deliver the information Nick collected on the German U-boat to Winston Churchill, and they soon find themselves captured by the Germans. Both Hobbes and little Katie have to use their wits to not only survive, but outsmart the Germans, while Nick, Lord Hawke, and Gunner combine their abilities to assist Captain McIver in his battle against Billy Blood, as well as rescuing Jip, Hawke's children, and a whole brig full of kidnapped children and pets.
Though enjoyable for all readers, this book would be an excellent choice for a preteen. The violence and language are mild, and its protagonist is 12 years old. The story is told mostly from a kid's perspective, too. I liked the dual adventures against fearsome adversaries in both 1939 and the distant past. Though not as globe-hoppingly exciting as his Alex Hawke adventures, this was a pretty good page turner a kid could especially love.
 Nick of Time - not just a book for boys! March 24, 2001
22 out of 24 found this review helpful
Although Nick McIver, as the title indicates, is the hero of this book, I am happy to report that his sister Kate is able to hold her own in this wonderful adventure. Through these two engaging children we are able to experience the romance of life in a lighthouse, the excitement of sailing skillfully through rocky waters, every child's secret fantasy of traveling through time, and a beguiling introduction to a critical period in history. Nick of Time is just what we need. . . an adventure written for the young, but one that can be appreciated by all ages. It is, truly, timeless and certain to be a classic.
Excellent book! May 30, 2003
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
I am a 13 year old with a love of adventure and an interest in history. This book was excellent at meeting both of those needs. The great plot and vivid imagery kept me up many a long night. Highly recommended for all ages.
Nick of Time March 15, 2002
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
This is the most exciting adventure story I have ever read.
Both adults and children will be entertained and enthralled by it. There is something in it for everyone. The writer's visual descriptions are so vivid, I felt like I was seeing a film. I hope Hollywood will make it into a movie. It would be great fun to see it on the big screen.
"This adventure story has it all!" - Writer's Digest November 5, 2003
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
From its striking dust cover art to its beautiful binding and print, this middle-grade adventure story has it all: boats and the sea, pirates, castles, Nazis, and time travel. It has everything a young reader could want. The writing is crisp, clear, and practically flawless. Description and scene setting put the reader in the middle of things where he or she is immediately drawn into the adventure with the leading characters, Nick and Kate. As the story progresses, more and more actors are sprinkled in until a full host are moving the story faster and faster forward toward a roaring climax. Action never stops in the great novel which rivals Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island in size and scope. The author covers this book's sometimes rapid point of view changes with seamless transition and skill seldom seen in a beginning writer.
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