A little history, a little science, and a lot of fun times! I'm super interested in where this world is going to go. I found the plot a bit hard to follow at times but that might be me and time travel not getting along all the time ;)

This was an excellent graphic novel for middle readers. It looked at science, working together, teams and families. There was also a cool historical element.

THE TIME MUSEUM by Matthew Loux combines science and time travel for a graphic novel likely to have broad appeal.

When Delia finds out that her uncle runs the Earth Time Museum, she decides to train for an internship. Ultimately, a team of young people from across time come together to form a team of time traveling superheroes. The high-quality artwork will keep readers engaged in the action from start to finish.

Librarians will find this first book in a new middle grade graphic novel series to be popular among a wide range of readers including those who enjoy science fiction, fantasy, and superheroes. It’s possible that the historical connections to places such as the Library of Alexandria may jumpstart an interest in history too.

Published by First Second Book on January 23, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

This is probably going to be one of my shorter reviews for a graphic novel based on a few things. The first being that if you don’t like time travel stories, then you shouldn’t bother reading this one. It’s a brilliant homage to the genre, and while creator Matthew Loux manages to tweak everything just enough to be its own, it’s hard to ignore the influences completely… but then that’s also what’s fun and entertaining about The Time Museum.

The gist of the story is that Delia is a very intelligent youngster and one summer she goes to visit her uncle and discovers that he’s the curator of the World Time Museum. He’s offering her the chance to become an intern for the museum, but she’ll have to compete with other kids her age that have been plucked from different time periods. They’re given three trials, and each of them ends up more dangerous than the last.

I won’t say much more than that about the story. The reason being that it does have several mysteries going on and only one of them is answered in this volume.

Loux does a fantastic job of not only developing the characters but developing their relationships as well. The character growth is tremendous because of that, and it puts Delia on a believable story path. Another bright spot for Loux’s writing is his dialogue. Not only was it very teen friendly, but it had a consistent style to it. The kids didn’t all talk the same or act the same, and they all have unique and well-rounded personalities.

The elephant in the room is, of course, the time travel. It’s good. It’s handled delicately in this volume because again it’s more about the relationships and two other major aspects that I won’t spoil. I would be curious to see how it’s handled more in future volumes, but for now, it’s the right fit for the story, and that’s not disappointing.

Loux’s artwork is lovely. I enjoyed the hell out of it. It has a young adult look to it, but I couldn’t help but enjoy the character designs and overall style of the story. The thick lines paired with the vibrant coloring makes for a distinct looking graphic novel. The style reminded me of something, but in the end, I just enjoyed the way it looked as it had just a positive vibe to it that put a smile on my face while looking at the visuals.

Does this story break the time traveling mold and offer something that we’ve never seen before? Parts of it does, but overall not really and it’s not important that it does either. The only way time traveling works or is interesting is if the reader cares about the characters. The Time Museum creates more than one character for you to care about and drops them into a setting and story that you’re sure to enjoy.

Brainy girl isn’t popular but she doesn’t care much because she has a scientist uncle who has influenced her decision to be brainy rather than popular. When she visits the scientist uncle, she discovers that he’s the curator of a time museum. He is, in fact, a time traveler.

Brainy girl would like to win an internship at the time museum so she can also be a time traveler. She is competing with another brainy girl who becomes her good friend but, wouldn’t you know it, there’s a glamorous girl (the popular kind) who is mean to both of them and insists she will win the competition. Saw that coming, didn’t you?

All of this is pretty familiar territory, even formulaic, but the story might be comforting for unpopular brainy girls. It teaches the usual lessons: learning is fun, perseverance is important, being helpful is better than being glamorous, boys eventually go for the brainy girls even if at first they are more attracted to the glamorous girls. Some of those lessons might even be true.

The story tries to be funny but it’s more cute than funny. The cartoonish illustrations are nice. I suspect that preteen girls would get a kick out of the story.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Scott

Imagine having a time traveling uncle from say 3000 or so odd years in the future. One who indulges curiosity in his niece, and runs the Time Museum, a masterpiece of technology, capturing the greatest mankind has to offer in a place that strangely exists ‘outside of time.’ Now imagine you are his niece, and have stumbled across this time museum and have been given the chance to compete to become a temporal custodian, guarding time itself against tears in the fabric of reality itself. The Time Museum by Matthew Loux offers a frenetically paced graphic novel that covers Delia’s (our hero of the story) adventures across the epochs.

I’ll have to admit, I’m a sucker for a well written time travel story, The Time Museum fulfilled my appetite. With stunning art and witty dialogue Loux presents a masterwork graphic novel and I can’t wait for the sequel. It is a truly reader engaging story with the science fiction theme looking at real-life struggles through the lens of past failures and gains and future catastrophes or progresses. The Time Museum is quite the work of art, stylistically and in the form of the written word.

Loux has crafted quite the story here. At no point is it ever dull or uneventful; something is always happening in the story. The writing style is unique to each of the six candidates characters (which I imagine wasn’t too difficult given the time periods they came from) and their unique voices speak volumes. This is a dialogue driven work of snappy banter, quick comebacks and soul searching questions about themselves. It’s a truly touching story with mystery and intrigue, and the surprise ending leaves you hanging for the next installment. For a 200+ page graphic novel, that’s impressive. At no point did the story waiver from its temporal nature and I found myself being pulled page by page until The Time Museum was over.

The artwork is definitely performed in the North=American in style, with cartoonish figures in exaggerated poses throughout the course of the work. By no means does this get in the way of the story. Loux can be as cartoony or as realistic as his needs suit him. The art pushes the narrative forward integrating cliffhangers at appropriate times. The Time Museum, like all museums, is a place you can take your time and admire the art and story and reflect (perhaps reread) upon the art and story. The art makes the graphic novel a moment captured in time, edging its way to its sequel. All the twists and turns in the plot grace the pages in twists and turns in the artwork. It is truly a stunning dynamic between word and picture that has been pulled off here. Loux is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

I would highly recommend this graphic novel to any studious young adult, those curious about history, and those (like myself) who love a good, fast paced time travel story. The graphic novel encourages teamwork, and overcoming differences in abilities and unifying them to become a cohesive whole. It’s a book about finding your place and giving 100% of your effort. The Time Museum is that and more, and it deserves a spot on everyone’s bookshelf (electronic or otherwise).

At face value, this is a pretty standard team adventure story. Differing personalities come together to accomplish something difficult. Their differences are what make them work as a tea,, etc. If it weren't for the charm and subtle humor of the illustrations it would be largely forgettable. The facial expressions are particularly excellent. There's a great sense of flow and movement both within and between panels. This is a solid choice for middle grade fans of adventure and graphic novels.

A REVIEW COPY OF THE TIME MUSEUM WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR A FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW. NERDOPHILES WAS NOT COMPENSATED FOR THIS REVIEW. OUR OPINIONS ARE OURS AND OURS ALONE.

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Title: The Time Museum
Author: Matthew Loux
Series: The Time Museum #1
Release Date: February 21, 2017
Publisher: First Second Books
Review Spoilers: Low
GoodReads | Amazon
3.5 Stars

Time travel seems to be the latest storytelling fad if the number of television series revolving around the theme these days is anything to go by. And thanks to Matthew Loux and First Second Books the middle grade readers among us aren't going to be left behind. The first in a new graphic novel series, The Time Museum proves to be a fun and engaging start to the story of Delia Bean and her fellow interns at the titular Time Museum.

Now, if you're looking for something that might be in any way education, this isn't exactly the book you're looking for. The Time Museum takes a Doctor Who-esque approach to time travel focusing more on the story and using time periods and environments to further the plot than actual historical facts. But if you're looking for a fun, fast-paced middle grade read then The Time Museum fits the bill.

Our heroine, Delia Bean, is a girl with ambitions. A brilliant over-achiever, she loves basically anything science related and dreams of being a scientist like her Uncle Lyndon. Unbeknownst to her, there's more to her uncle than meets the eye. He is, in fact, the founder of the world (and time) renown Time Museum as she comes to learn one summer.

Delia is invited to compete for a coveted internship with the Time Museum along with a handful of other children from across history. Age and time period of origin are no barrier, however, they are all told (or at least placed under the assumption) that there an only be one intern at the end of everything. They are run through a series of tests across time, locked in competition for that singular internship position. Friendships are formed and tested, broken and rebuilt as the kids grow and learn - and come to realize that sometimes cooperating to achieve something is more important that proving one's own, individual skills. Especially when it ultimately falls on them to save the world and basically time itself.

The Time Museum does a really great job of keeping you interested in the story and moving it along at a decent pace. A good portion of the book revolves around the trials Delia and the others are being put through but while all that is happening larger events are being put into motion in the background. A few run ins with the enigmatic Grey Earl set the stage for a climax with much larger consequences than simply which one of the kids is going to end up getting the internship.

The cast of characters is comprised of a great mix of personalities and archetypes. I really liked that the kids included a pre-historical boy and a boy from Ancient Rome - as well as kids from the modern era and even our future. They all had their own particular skills that complimented each other throughout each test and dire circumstance they founds themselves in.

One of the best parts of the book is the humor.

The Time Museum is a very lighthearted book in most respects. The kids genuinely enjoy what they are doing as do the many adult characters. Sure, there are some pretty high stakes involved in the story especially towards the end. But the dialogue and the adventure are all just generally meant to be fun and engaging. There are some pretty quirky adult characters like Uncle Lyndon and Sir Walter - a very spirited, armor suited instructor. And the dialogue between characters is often full of good-natured joking around and teasing.

At the end of the day, that sense of humor is The Time Museum's greatest strength.

It's just an all around fun book.

Some stories can take themselves a little too seriously and these days even middle grade books can delve too far into the 'gritty' trend that seems to be overtaking entertainment. But even in the more serious moments, The Time Museum retains that sense of fun throughout. Coupled with relatable characters, unique character designs and illustrations, quirky environments, and an engaging story, The Time Museum a pretty decent read.

The Time Museum a pretty smart book that manages to be both funny and engaging and I definitely think it's great for kids - especially those who love time travel books. It also gets obvious props from me for having a female main character who doesn't just love learning but who aspires to be a scientist. And while it is largely a self contained story it leaves itself open for the second installment which should keep readers excited to see what comes next.

There are lots of great reasons to check this one out!

Always on the lookout for graphic novels to recommend to a wide range of children, I was looking forward to reading this book. As a fan of time travel stories, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this graphic novel. The illustrations were stylish and colorful. Delia Bean is a quirky main character, who does not hide her interest in learning and studying nature. One illustration that stood out, which I thought really showed Delia's character was when Delia while studying the garden licked a pine cone, After she stumbles into the Time Museum, she meets other students from different time periods and they are all interesting in their own right. The story of how Delia and her new friends vie for an internship at the Time Museum is fun as they go through three time trials and wind up needing to save London. Her Uncle Lyndon and other characters such as the Grey Earl are interesting, and I am curious to see how this story plays out. The time traveling rules, such as time tears and meeting people in different time periods was easy to follow. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to continuing the story in book two.

I didn't find many graphic novels from 2016 to my liking so I am pleased to start 2017 with a good one.

Delia finds herself, along with other children from various places and times, as an intern at The Time Museum. She and the other interns learn about time travel and how to gather artifacts for the museum. But it is a competition so while they want to be friendly they know only one person will be chosen. During their first mission Delia meets a strange man who gives her a special rock. But who is he? And is he good or bad?

Loved this book. It is the first in a series and there was a bit of a "reveal" at the end but it was a tolerable cliffhanger.

The Time Museum is a graphic novel by Matthew Loux. It is currently scheduled for release on February 21 2017. The internship program at the Earth Time Museum is a little unusual. For one thing, kids as young as twelve get to apply for these prestigious summer jobs. And as for the applicant pool, well, these kids come from all over history. When Delia finds herself part of the applicant pool at the Time Museum, the last thing she expects is to be sent on time-traveling adventures with the others. From a cave-boy to a girl from the distant future, Delia's team represents nearly all of human history! They're going to need all their skills for the challenge they've got in store, defending the Time Museum itself!

The Time Museum got off to a slow start, but picked up speed quickly. First off, I really enjoyed the bright and quirky art style. It captured my attention and had me looking for hidden details and clues on every page. It was just fun and well done all on its own. Now as for the story, I always love the oddball characters, and Delia fills that role perfectly. She is smart and a free spirit, but awkward in the way teenagers are when they have not really grown into their full size and personality. Stumbling into the possibility of an internship at the Earth Time Museum and the adventures that awaited her there was just what she needed. There are multiple layers of mystery going on, along with the coming of age, getting along with peers, and fending off dinosaurs. For instance, just who is the Earl and what does he have to do with the Museum? This was just such a fun read, and a delightful find that will appeal to middle grade, young adult, and new adult readers the most. I am hoping to see more of this in series in the future.

The Time Museum is a fun, colorful graphic novel that kept me happy and entertained. I think any reader that likes adventure, science, or mystery will find this well worth the read.

I love the premise of The Time Museum: Children from various time periods are vying for a spot as an intern in the eponymous institution. Even though her uncle founded the museum and is interested in her for the position, she still needs to complete three quests in order to earn it. I love the challenges, the other applicants, and the nefarious Earl Grey. All-in-all, a fast, riveting read,

An interesting twist on time travel with a fantastically varied mix of kids and personalities from all eras making for some great humour!

Delia's the class bookworm, the class nerd... you get the idea. When school's out for the summer, all her brother wants to do is go swimming, but Delia has found something much more exciting: the possibility of an internship at The Time Museum, courtesy of her Uncle Lyndon! The Time Museum is kind of like the Natural History Museum, but on an Earth-wide basis. All time eras are welcome, as Delia learns when she meets some of the kids she's competing against for the internship: Michiko, a Japanese girl from 2217; Titus Valerius Marianus, from Ancient Rome; Dex, who's a Neanderthal, thank you very much, not a caveman; Reggie, a 51st century Canadian boy genius, and Greer, a prickly Scottish girl who's already been time traveling. As they train for the internship, they must also go through time trials - going back - or forward - in time to find and collect anachronisms. They'll also learn that working as a team is much harder, but more beneficial, than going it alone.

The Time Museum is a fun middle grade romp for every kid that wants to live Night at the Museum or catches every episode of The Librarians. Whether Delia and her friends are running away from dinosaurs or discovering a robot playing strip poker, there's something here for everyone to laugh at. There's a positive message about healthy competition and teamwork going hand in hand, there's a giant, talking brain, and a super-cool android librarian that uses android cats to fetch books. If I had a library like that, I'd never leave; I'd just hang out at my reference desk, covered in robot kittens.

The Time Museum is a lot of fun, and maybe it'll turn even reluctant readers into readers who see the fun in history. Add to your graphic novel shelves, and talk this one up with some good, tried and true Geronimo Stilton, our favorite time-traveling journalist mouse. Get out your Time Warp Trio series to create a fun display for everyone.

Delia Bean received an invitation to be an intern at the Time Museum. All she needs to do is survive three time trials dealing with dinosaurs, the Library of Alexandria, and a future London disaster while not losing to the other five intern candidates, and the job is hers! Of course she also has to figure out what The Grey Earl is up to and foil his schemes. The fun is in the character interaction and off the wall schemes that help the intern candidates fulfill their missions.