The Time Quake is the final book in Linda Buckley Archer's series the Gideon Trilogy.

Joined together once again, young Peter Shock and Kate Dyer find themselves back in 1763 after the Tar Man steals both anti-gravity machines and forces the kids to travel back to the past with him. Upon arrival, Lord Luxon steals one of the machines and jumps to the future. Stuck once again, the children must reunite with their friends of 1763 to track down the Tar Man and the other machine in the hopes that they will finally be able to return home and fix the mantel of time. However, their problems only seem to get worse as time quakes begin to rip through the centuries and Kate begins fast forwarding through time. In the end, help comes from the most unlikely of places.

I was glad to have young Peter and Kate back together again in this book and it was nice to see the return of Gideon as well. Unfortunately, for me, the story spiraled a bit out of control. I thought following Lord Luxon was quite interesting since we all wonder what would happen to the present/future if we went back and changed the past. However, the train of thought following the idea of parallel worlds vs. the "main" branch of time was really difficult to wrap my head around. Even after a lot of discussion, Clay and I couldn't come to an agreement on how it all worked out. Between that, and what I felt was a very abrupt ending I just couldn't feel satisfied with the final book. 

Perhaps a brighter mind than my own would be able to follow the complicated web the author weaves. If that's your thing, follow this series through to its end. If not, enjoy the first book and leave it be.

The Time Thief is the second book in Linda Buckley Archer's series the Gideon Trilogy. 

When we last saw our characters, Kate had made it back to the 21st century, but Peter was left behind in 1763.  Although she is happy to be home, Kate learns that her father and Dr. Piretti may not rescue Peter from the past. Determined to keep her promise, Kate sets out to save her friend with the help of Peter's father. Unfortunately their good intentions start to unravel when they travel back to the wrong year and the consequences begin to effect the very nature of time itself.

While Kate struggles to understand what has happened, the Tar Man is making himself at home in the 21st century. Hungry for a life of luxury, he becomes a thief unlike anyone the future has ever seen. Aided by both new and old friends, he reeks havoc on modern-day London while a more sinister plot begins to form.

Admittedly, I have mixed feelings about this book. I appreciated getting a more in depth look at the character of the Tar Man. He is undoubted a really unique, so it was fun to see how he developed. However, his story takes the place of characters we have already grown attached to and I can't help but lament the characters that are missing from this book.

Furthermore, the author's explanation of the consequences of time travel became more difficult to wrap my head around as the story went on. Of course, when time travel is involved no story can remain simple. There is certainly a lot to consider! However, the complicated nature of the subject made it more difficult to engage with the characters because of the way it was written. The story changed enough that it lost the simple idea that I loved about this first book - new friends on an adventure together.

I will certainly read the third book in this series, The Time Quake, to see where our friends end up. However, I fear that if the story continues on like the later portion of this book, I won't fully understand how it all works out. Perhaps time traveling is just too complicated!

The Time Travelers is the first book in the Gideon Trilogy written by Linda Buckley-Archer. Several weeks ago, I picked it up at the library while browsing the used book sale and decided I would put it on my "to read" list. Well, I finally got around to checking it out from the library.

Set in present day London, the story follows the story of Peter Schock and Kate Dyer as they find themselves hurled back in time to the year 1763 as a result of an accident with an antigravity machine. Upon waking from the accident, Peter comes face-to-face with the villainous Tar Man who steals the machine and leaves the children to fend for themselves. Lost, alone, and confused Peter and Kate are befriended by a man named Gideon who witnessed the children's arrival and has vowed to help them return to their own time.

Along the way they meet footpads, highway men, the King of England and many other memorable characters that make this a fun story to read. It lacks a bit of the nail-biting qualities that made Harry Potter so compelling but overall a good solid story comes through. The characters are well-developed and the environment is thoroughly created. This book delivers on exactly what it promises to be, an adventure story for kids.

If you're looking for a fast-paced page turner that offers many twists and turns, then this book probably isn't for you. Personally, I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Time Thief, to see how their adventure continues.