Gideon the Cutpurse

Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy
by Linda-Buckley Archer

To Peter Schock, nothing sounds more boring than the trip from his home in London to the little farm in Derbyshire. But his father has an urgent business meeting, and his mother’s been on a movie set in California for months. So with his au pair, Margrit, he goes out to the country to spend the weekend. But things don’t turn out as boring as Peter thought. Kate Dyer (the oldest girl from the farm) and Peter are chasing the dog through Kate’s father’s laboratory when they accidentally run into the experimental “antigravity machine.” When they next wake up, they find themselves in an almost completely unfamiliar place. Lost, disoriented, and hungry, the two children are confused and frightened about what happened. But Gideon—Cutpurse and Gentleman—has been hiding in the bushes and sees what happens to them. He is the one who tells them the shocking news: the year is 1763. They’ve traveled back in time. Seeking shelter, Peter and Kate journey with Gideon to his new employers’ house in Bakewell, where they find good food, ridiculous clothing, and (hopefully) a way to get home. But who would believe their story? Both Kate and Peter know how improbable it sounds, so they tell only Gideon, who already believes them. On their way to London, the party runs into highwaymen, famous figures including King George III, and many people who seem to be on the hunt for Gideon. Meanwhile, Peter and Kate desperately try to get home, help keep Gideon from the noose, and stay alive in such a lawless era.

A great book. The School Library Journal remarked that Gideon the Cutpurse “may very well give J.K. Rowling a run for her money.” Peter and Kate were only twelve-year-olds, but I liked how they didn’t act extremely juvenile because of it. The story was great, lots of twisting in the plot and unexpected new adventures at every corner. Gideon the Cutpurse was renamed The Time Travelers in the US, so try not to be confused like I was. Book #2, The Time Thief, was recently released, and the final installment, The Splintering of Time, will be published sometime this year.