Call number
JF BEL
Collection
Genres
Series
Publication
Square Fish (2009), Edition: Reprint, 464 pages
Description
Nick McIver is no ordinary boy, fighting pirates, beating Nazis at their own game, and traveling through time.
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member Homechicken
I loved this book. I read another review that said something to the effect of "I don't know if this is a kid story written for adults or an adult story written for kids," but I liked it precisely for this reason. The story was fresh, exciting, and well-written. My only complaint was the odd typo
The story is about Nick McIver, a twelve-year-old living in a lighthouse on one of the Channel Islands in 1939. Nick's father is engaged in spying on German vessels passing through the English Channel, because despite the government denying an upcoming war, many people (including Winston Churchill) believe it is inevitable. Nick gets caught up in his father's work, as does his younger sister.
Nick finds a sea chest with his name on it, buried in the sand, looking as if it was brand new despite the fact that such chests were made almost a century before. Nick is confronted by a creepy man searching for this chest, who kidnaps Nick's dog to help motivate Nick to give him the chest. It turns out this man is the infamous pirate Billy Blood, who stole a time-travel device made by DaVinci and is trying to collect its mate so he can control all of time.
Nick flees to the mysterious Hawke castle with the chest, where Lord Hawke helps him use the device to find Blood in the 1800s and join Nick's ancestor (also named Nick) in a sea battle to save Lord Nelson and the entire English fleet from a sneak attack by the Spanish and French.
It's a rousing tale, and not at all cheesy or silly. The pacing was done well, and although it is a bit long for younger readers, I think it's an excellent story for all ages.
I'm very grateful to Mr. Bell for sending me an autographed ARC, and hope that others will read this review and pick this book up on my recommendation.
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(there were around 10 or so throughout the book), but in its defense, I have an Advanced Reader Copy, which may have been through more editing before final release. I hope it was, anyway, it needed more proofreading.The story is about Nick McIver, a twelve-year-old living in a lighthouse on one of the Channel Islands in 1939. Nick's father is engaged in spying on German vessels passing through the English Channel, because despite the government denying an upcoming war, many people (including Winston Churchill) believe it is inevitable. Nick gets caught up in his father's work, as does his younger sister.
Nick finds a sea chest with his name on it, buried in the sand, looking as if it was brand new despite the fact that such chests were made almost a century before. Nick is confronted by a creepy man searching for this chest, who kidnaps Nick's dog to help motivate Nick to give him the chest. It turns out this man is the infamous pirate Billy Blood, who stole a time-travel device made by DaVinci and is trying to collect its mate so he can control all of time.
Nick flees to the mysterious Hawke castle with the chest, where Lord Hawke helps him use the device to find Blood in the 1800s and join Nick's ancestor (also named Nick) in a sea battle to save Lord Nelson and the entire English fleet from a sneak attack by the Spanish and French.
It's a rousing tale, and not at all cheesy or silly. The pacing was done well, and although it is a bit long for younger readers, I think it's an excellent story for all ages.
I'm very grateful to Mr. Bell for sending me an autographed ARC, and hope that others will read this review and pick this book up on my recommendation.
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LibraryThing member stephxsu
12-year-old Nick McIver lives with his 6-year-old sister, Kate, and their parents on an island on the north shore of Greybeard Island, an English island in the English Channel. It is the summer of 1939, there have been rumored sightings of German U-boats in the Channel, and Nick’s family is under
Then, Nick and Kate stumble across a mysterious sea chest that turns out to be a time machine highly sought after by the time traveling, kidnapping pirate Billy Blood. Blood will do anything to get his hands on the time machine, and so Nick enlists the help of Lord Hawke, the eccentric and reclusive proprietor of Hawke Castle, who’s lost his two young children to Blood for ransom. They travel back to 1805 to help Nick’s naval ancestor do battle with Blood, but the situation is also exceedingly dire back in the present world, as the Nazis close in on Greybeard Island.
This book is a good example of what NOT to do when writing a historical fantasy for young readers. It’s been quite a while since I’ve read something that contained so much amateuristic and unnecessary blither and blather that perhaps that only way to describe why this book should NOT be lauded as a noteworthy piece of juvenile historical fantasy is in a list:
1. It feels like a mediocre adult thriller writer’s attempt to write for children, i.e. it fails. Excessive description, lack of character development, confusing and unappealing plot.
2. The protagonist, Nick, undergoes no growth throughout the novel.
3. Dialogue is overly dramatic and artificial. Great for a puppet show performed for a crowd of pre-schoolers. As a middle-grade novel? Not so much.
4. The plot is uneven, with things dropped into the story and never to be seen again, and too-long tangents that readers will not care about. The time machine element is not even introduced until halfway through the 400+ page novel, and by then readers won’t cry anymore.
5. Having Kate be the only semi-appealing character in the book does not justify the other 99% of awfulness. Six-year-old main characters are just not relatable, and more often than not become extremely annoying, even as they are supposedly charming.
6. The characters are inauthentic. The villains are overly villainified, and the “joker” characters bumble around and speak geeky nonsense.
NICK OF TIME may only appeal to those who can deal with a lot of nautical terminology, who are willing to sacrifice character and plot development for the sake of a vaguely interesting concept, and who think that one okay child protagonist makes up for all the other unappealing ones. Otherwise, I’d say don’t waste your time. There are millions of other better historical fantasy books for readers of all ages out there.
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suspicion of going against the British government’s decree and spying on the Nazis.Then, Nick and Kate stumble across a mysterious sea chest that turns out to be a time machine highly sought after by the time traveling, kidnapping pirate Billy Blood. Blood will do anything to get his hands on the time machine, and so Nick enlists the help of Lord Hawke, the eccentric and reclusive proprietor of Hawke Castle, who’s lost his two young children to Blood for ransom. They travel back to 1805 to help Nick’s naval ancestor do battle with Blood, but the situation is also exceedingly dire back in the present world, as the Nazis close in on Greybeard Island.
This book is a good example of what NOT to do when writing a historical fantasy for young readers. It’s been quite a while since I’ve read something that contained so much amateuristic and unnecessary blither and blather that perhaps that only way to describe why this book should NOT be lauded as a noteworthy piece of juvenile historical fantasy is in a list:
1. It feels like a mediocre adult thriller writer’s attempt to write for children, i.e. it fails. Excessive description, lack of character development, confusing and unappealing plot.
2. The protagonist, Nick, undergoes no growth throughout the novel.
3. Dialogue is overly dramatic and artificial. Great for a puppet show performed for a crowd of pre-schoolers. As a middle-grade novel? Not so much.
4. The plot is uneven, with things dropped into the story and never to be seen again, and too-long tangents that readers will not care about. The time machine element is not even introduced until halfway through the 400+ page novel, and by then readers won’t cry anymore.
5. Having Kate be the only semi-appealing character in the book does not justify the other 99% of awfulness. Six-year-old main characters are just not relatable, and more often than not become extremely annoying, even as they are supposedly charming.
6. The characters are inauthentic. The villains are overly villainified, and the “joker” characters bumble around and speak geeky nonsense.
NICK OF TIME may only appeal to those who can deal with a lot of nautical terminology, who are willing to sacrifice character and plot development for the sake of a vaguely interesting concept, and who think that one okay child protagonist makes up for all the other unappealing ones. Otherwise, I’d say don’t waste your time. There are millions of other better historical fantasy books for readers of all ages out there.
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LibraryThing member omphalos02
Tepid adventure "through time" (although the time travel is very low-key and down-played) in which 12-year-old Nick saves England from pirates and Nazis. It seems as though Bell can't decide whether he is telling a kid's story to adults or and adult story to kids, and the book suffers greatly
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because of it. Show Less
LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
This rollicking adventure story stars Nick McIver as he spies on the Nazis, sails ships, protects his little sister, and travels through time. The tone is old-fashioned, reminiscent of classic adventure stories. I didn't totally buy Nick's voice and I think there was too much going on. It might
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have been a lovely historical adventure novel without everything else. Still, this will appeal to kids looking for an absorbing adventure story. Show Less
LibraryThing member edspicer
It’s excellent. The end is an epic sea battle which is truly amazing. You easily get attached to the characters and there isn’t ever a dull moment. AHS/JD
LibraryThing member highvoltagegrrl
This young adult book is a fast paced, continually moving adventure. It is clear to see that Ted Bell is a lover of history because he puts our hero, Nick, right smack into the middle of some very real events of the world’s past. Mixing all of this up with a time machine, that everyone wishes
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a history buff, and having just finished an American History course for college, I am a bit burnt out on the subject. The story of Nick McIver, his little sister and their (adult) friends made the history moments more than worth it. Anyone that does love history or adventure on the high seas is likely to fall in love with this story as well. Rating: 4/5
Kole’s Review
The characters within this story were intriguing and appealing. Hawk was one of my favorites because he had a mysterious aura about him in the beginning and then quickly became friendly and even fought beside Nick in his battle. I found myself rooting for the good guys and hoping the bad ones were killed off. Although it may be a good story many parts felt unreadable since I was lost knowing nothing about the history within the story itself. It was a good tale with the time traveling adventures, the numerous battles, and the friendship of the characters. I’m happily reading the sequel, The Time Pirate, next. Rating: 4/5
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they had, throwing in a pirate, nazi's, spies, how could you go wrong?I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a history buff, and having just finished an American History course for college, I am a bit burnt out on the subject. The story of Nick McIver, his little sister and their (adult) friends made the history moments more than worth it. Anyone that does love history or adventure on the high seas is likely to fall in love with this story as well. Rating: 4/5
Kole’s Review
The characters within this story were intriguing and appealing. Hawk was one of my favorites because he had a mysterious aura about him in the beginning and then quickly became friendly and even fought beside Nick in his battle. I found myself rooting for the good guys and hoping the bad ones were killed off. Although it may be a good story many parts felt unreadable since I was lost knowing nothing about the history within the story itself. It was a good tale with the time traveling adventures, the numerous battles, and the friendship of the characters. I’m happily reading the sequel, The Time Pirate, next. Rating: 4/5
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LibraryThing member ParadoxicalRae
I really thought I would have liked Nice in Time. Its basic plot sounds like just the kind of "fluff" book I enjoy. I didn't know that anyone could actually make it bad!
Since this is a YA book, I would have assumed that any and all nautical references would be explained...they are not. I live in a
The characters are flat. Take the Nazi submarine commander: Wolfgang Von Sinister-German. He does "evil" things to his own crew...for the sake of showing you how evil he is? It was done poorly. Katie is the "cute kid" and it got annoying quick. The only character I even slightly liked was the hermit-like Lord Hawke because he reminded me of Lord Groan from the Gormenghast books (which are excellent by the way), but for being so solitary he warmed up to three new people quickly.
There's quite a lot of action I suppose, but the plot moves slowly and even though this is a young adult's book I questioned a lot of decisions made by the adults. I could go into them on this review, but I don't want to give away the plot.
All in all the way the book jumped into action and had all of these boating and sea terms it felt like some kind of boy's life pulp fiction. I really thought I would have liked Nice in Time. Its basic plot sounds like just the kind of "fluff" book I enjoy. I didn't know that anyone could actually make it bad!
Since this is a YA book, I would have assumed that any and all nautical references would be explained...they are not. I live in a very flat and dry state so I had no idea what most of the boating terminology meant.
The characters are flat. Take the Nazi submarine commander: Wolfgang Von Sinister-German. He does "evil" things to his own crew...for the sake of showing you how evil he is? It was done poorly. Katie is the "cute kid" and it got annoying quick. The only character I even slightly liked was the hermit-like Lord Hawke because he reminded me of Lord Groan from the Gormenghast books (which are excellent by the way), but for being so solitary he warmed up to three new people quickly.
There's quite a lot of action I suppose, but the plot moves slowly and even though this is a young adult's book I questioned a lot of decisions made by the adults. I could go into them on this review, but I don't want to give away the plot.
There are good YA books out there but I can't recommend this one.
Since this is a YA book, I would have assumed that any and all nautical references would be explained...they are not. I live in a
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very flat and dry state so I had no idea what most of the boating terminology meant.The characters are flat. Take the Nazi submarine commander: Wolfgang Von Sinister-German. He does "evil" things to his own crew...for the sake of showing you how evil he is? It was done poorly. Katie is the "cute kid" and it got annoying quick. The only character I even slightly liked was the hermit-like Lord Hawke because he reminded me of Lord Groan from the Gormenghast books (which are excellent by the way), but for being so solitary he warmed up to three new people quickly.
There's quite a lot of action I suppose, but the plot moves slowly and even though this is a young adult's book I questioned a lot of decisions made by the adults. I could go into them on this review, but I don't want to give away the plot.
All in all the way the book jumped into action and had all of these boating and sea terms it felt like some kind of boy's life pulp fiction. I really thought I would have liked Nice in Time. Its basic plot sounds like just the kind of "fluff" book I enjoy. I didn't know that anyone could actually make it bad!
Since this is a YA book, I would have assumed that any and all nautical references would be explained...they are not. I live in a very flat and dry state so I had no idea what most of the boating terminology meant.
The characters are flat. Take the Nazi submarine commander: Wolfgang Von Sinister-German. He does "evil" things to his own crew...for the sake of showing you how evil he is? It was done poorly. Katie is the "cute kid" and it got annoying quick. The only character I even slightly liked was the hermit-like Lord Hawke because he reminded me of Lord Groan from the Gormenghast books (which are excellent by the way), but for being so solitary he warmed up to three new people quickly.
There's quite a lot of action I suppose, but the plot moves slowly and even though this is a young adult's book I questioned a lot of decisions made by the adults. I could go into them on this review, but I don't want to give away the plot.
There are good YA books out there but I can't recommend this one.
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LibraryThing member jfoster_sf
This was a great pirate adventure mixed in with some good old fashioned time traveling (oh, and some nazis). The book takes place months before WWII starts in the English Islands that are close to France. The main character, Nick, is the son of a lightkeeper and longs to be as great a seaman as his
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hero Lord Nelson, Lord of the Sea. One day while he's out sailing, he takes a rest in a cove and comes across an old sea chest-only it doesn't look old, it looks brand new. Soon after he meets two vicious pirates looking for the same chest and who look like they just stepped out of the past (which they did). This sounds kind of strange when I write it but this is definitely a book worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lelue
Nick of Time by Ted Bell
This is another bargain bin item. I get most of these books for a dollar or two a piece and because there’s so many I often skim them before buying them, you make sure I’m not buying a boring romance or mediocre mystery. But this one was called “In The Nick Of Time by
The book Nick of Time, starts out with the even of a twelve year boy named Nick saling the ship, “The stormy Pretral” through a series of rocks and reefs in a area called “the Seven Devils” And it immediately it the first twelve pages you get thins Treasure Island feel, which is awesome way to start out a book by the way. It is soon learned Nick arrives home late, so his mother gibes him no dinner. He lives on Greybeard Island in 1939, just before World War II. He lives with his mother father and sister, His father is a spy for possible Nazi airplanes and subs to report any activity to Churchill. But one day his father receives a letter saying that the king waits him to stop spying and in order to do some he will remove his family from their home. His father and mother leave to speak with the king about it, telling Nick to take care his little sister while their gone. Meanwhile on the island, Kate and Nick discover a chest that is antique yet looks bran new. The two children hide it, but soon find that there are pirates on the island looking for it and they hold Nick’s dog for ransomed. For help, Nick and Kate joins with a friend Gunner rot go to Hawke castle in order to get help. (With the chest) Lord Hawke reveals there is a time machine inside the chest with a letter saying his great grandfather needs help back in 1805
So overall, the character of Nick is a hug throwback to Jim Hawkens in Treasure Island. Yet set right before WW II with a long lost time machine created by Da Vinci that pirates are after is the comples yet very original plot for the book. It’s giving pirate novels a sci-fi twist. And the only way to describe it is this about the closest thing I’ve seen to the Disney movie Treasure Planet, where they attempted to do the same thing.
So now that I’m done explaining, what is good and what is bad?
The good is it’s a blend of piracy, time travel and then some WWII espionage. It is a genre blender and genre blenders are just so fun. So even if you don’t like one of those elements there still maybe something you enjoy. The book has a complex and elaborate narrative in which it’s unpredictable. And I will say here, because it’s unpredictable, it does have an element of suspense. It is a little draggy when explaining the time machine but it picks up with a good pacing and you’re never bored.
The bad? Well I have to say detail. When they travel back to 1805, there is lack of detail. There’s even a lack of detail in 1939. I don’t live in these times, so unless I’m a history wiz, I really don’t know what difference is between the two. There should have been astonishment of how things are different or a bit about Nick adjusting to 1805. Also Kate is capture on a U ship with Hawke’s assistant Hobbes and honestly I know very little about U-boats, so really wished they back round info there too. But I thought maybe it was because it’s aimed at kids, but then there’s a seen where a boy had his arm blown off. Well certainly if their going to throw gore in for the older reader they should gibe us more detail, for people who don’t know the terms of the older days. There were illustrations in the book of different events and characters and sadly helped me understand more of the environment than the author did. That and there is a plot hole. Such as Nick goes to Lord Hawke knowing any one who enters his castle is removed to be shot dead. He goes on a whim that he might help having no idea of who he is at all. That just doesn’t seem realistic to me. And then one last thing. The book is called “nick of time”. Cute for the title. But s the book goes on, the author uses that as s pun way too much. There’s too many scenes where Nick arrives to save some one and they go, “You just arrived in the nick of time.” Once I forgive. Twice is pushing it. Three no way. But they do it four times. It just makes the reader roll their eyes when they se it. .
So overall, it actually is a creative e story and a great genre blender. If you like pirates and time travel read it. If you’re like me, I like Disney’s Treasure Planet, this will be amazing. But he barely that even though a lot is in this, it delves into any real details or drama that is happening. It’s just fun with a lot of action, worth looking into.
3 1/4 smoothies out of four
Overall rating: Nick Of Time: A Genre Blender Featuring Time Traveling And Pirates
This is another bargain bin item. I get most of these books for a dollar or two a piece and because there’s so many I often skim them before buying them, you make sure I’m not buying a boring romance or mediocre mystery. But this one was called “In The Nick Of Time by
Show More
Ted Bell.” And I when I skimmed it, I found it was about Time Travel., and like the typical sci-fi nerd I am I go “sweet!” I love Time Travel. So it; was quickly tossed into the “To buy” pile.The book Nick of Time, starts out with the even of a twelve year boy named Nick saling the ship, “The stormy Pretral” through a series of rocks and reefs in a area called “the Seven Devils” And it immediately it the first twelve pages you get thins Treasure Island feel, which is awesome way to start out a book by the way. It is soon learned Nick arrives home late, so his mother gibes him no dinner. He lives on Greybeard Island in 1939, just before World War II. He lives with his mother father and sister, His father is a spy for possible Nazi airplanes and subs to report any activity to Churchill. But one day his father receives a letter saying that the king waits him to stop spying and in order to do some he will remove his family from their home. His father and mother leave to speak with the king about it, telling Nick to take care his little sister while their gone. Meanwhile on the island, Kate and Nick discover a chest that is antique yet looks bran new. The two children hide it, but soon find that there are pirates on the island looking for it and they hold Nick’s dog for ransomed. For help, Nick and Kate joins with a friend Gunner rot go to Hawke castle in order to get help. (With the chest) Lord Hawke reveals there is a time machine inside the chest with a letter saying his great grandfather needs help back in 1805
So overall, the character of Nick is a hug throwback to Jim Hawkens in Treasure Island. Yet set right before WW II with a long lost time machine created by Da Vinci that pirates are after is the comples yet very original plot for the book. It’s giving pirate novels a sci-fi twist. And the only way to describe it is this about the closest thing I’ve seen to the Disney movie Treasure Planet, where they attempted to do the same thing.
So now that I’m done explaining, what is good and what is bad?
The good is it’s a blend of piracy, time travel and then some WWII espionage. It is a genre blender and genre blenders are just so fun. So even if you don’t like one of those elements there still maybe something you enjoy. The book has a complex and elaborate narrative in which it’s unpredictable. And I will say here, because it’s unpredictable, it does have an element of suspense. It is a little draggy when explaining the time machine but it picks up with a good pacing and you’re never bored.
The bad? Well I have to say detail. When they travel back to 1805, there is lack of detail. There’s even a lack of detail in 1939. I don’t live in these times, so unless I’m a history wiz, I really don’t know what difference is between the two. There should have been astonishment of how things are different or a bit about Nick adjusting to 1805. Also Kate is capture on a U ship with Hawke’s assistant Hobbes and honestly I know very little about U-boats, so really wished they back round info there too. But I thought maybe it was because it’s aimed at kids, but then there’s a seen where a boy had his arm blown off. Well certainly if their going to throw gore in for the older reader they should gibe us more detail, for people who don’t know the terms of the older days. There were illustrations in the book of different events and characters and sadly helped me understand more of the environment than the author did. That and there is a plot hole. Such as Nick goes to Lord Hawke knowing any one who enters his castle is removed to be shot dead. He goes on a whim that he might help having no idea of who he is at all. That just doesn’t seem realistic to me. And then one last thing. The book is called “nick of time”. Cute for the title. But s the book goes on, the author uses that as s pun way too much. There’s too many scenes where Nick arrives to save some one and they go, “You just arrived in the nick of time.” Once I forgive. Twice is pushing it. Three no way. But they do it four times. It just makes the reader roll their eyes when they se it. .
So overall, it actually is a creative e story and a great genre blender. If you like pirates and time travel read it. If you’re like me, I like Disney’s Treasure Planet, this will be amazing. But he barely that even though a lot is in this, it delves into any real details or drama that is happening. It’s just fun with a lot of action, worth looking into.
3 1/4 smoothies out of four
Overall rating: Nick Of Time: A Genre Blender Featuring Time Traveling And Pirates
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LibraryThing member MissClark
I liked the time period, WWII in Britain, as well as the Napoleonic wars in the 19th century, but as much as I liked the characters, I never really got into the story. So, a little lack-luster. Then again, it might be more geared for 11-14 year old boys.... Some books are ageless, while some,
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though readable at most any age, definitely feel as if they were written with a very specific audience in mind, usually to the detraction of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Exciting for a junior reader; predictable for an adult. Life in the time of Nazis in Britain. Contains some history not usually found, in regard to Churchill's "spies" prior to his service as Prime Minister during WWII.
LibraryThing member matthewbloome
This is an odd sort of story. I thought all through it that I was reading a book intended for an adult audience with a teenaged protagonist. I really felt like this was just a story that will cater best to fans of Ted Bell's other books rather than the average teen book reader.
LibraryThing member jenniebooks
I am liking this more than I thought I would. Not knowledgeable of sea terms.
LibraryThing member cladnr
Loved this book.
Awards
Nēnē Award (Nominee — 2011)
Pages
464
ISBN
0312581432 / 9780312581435
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