Timelight

"Timelight"by Faith Conlon is a riveting fictional novel that takes readers on a exhilarating journey through time. The story follows the adventures of thirteen year old Charlie and his three friends who follows him on his search for his mother who has been lost.. In their quest they travel through different historical times & meet different people in history about whom they had read in their books. They also manage to witness some historical events happening in front of their eyes.
As they travel through different eras & historical events, the friends have a wonderful adventure, headed by Charlie who has discovered that he has inherited his family magic of time travel on his thirteenth birthday.. But here they have to face another time traveller who is following them & trying to destroy Charlie & get hold of his family heirloom.. Timelight explores the themes of destiny & the concept of time travel.
With its blend of thrilling action, thought provoking concepts & poignant human drama, Timelight is sure to captivate readers who enjoy imaginative tales of time travel & adventure.. Faith Conlon's masterful storytelling keeps readers on their seat until the very end.

Timelight is a book for a younger audience, say 8 and up, though I as a 22-year-old quite enjoyed it.
It was an interesting read that keeps you guessing, I really liked that animals are a big part of the whole story.
It is definitely something I would recommend to young readers, that love fantasy and the thought of time travel.
It leaves off on a sort of cliff hanger, so I believe this might be a series, but this is the first one. Timelight gets published in October of this year. So be on the look out for this great read for your children or maybe, if you are like me and you like stories of time travel, mystery and adventure, for yourself this October!!!!

Timelight
Faith Conion
Birthdays are supposed to be happy times, but Charlie’s left him puzzled and sad. He was a mere fourth grader when his mother disappeared on his birthday. That was three years ago. His family refused to talk about her vanishing except for his grandmother. On Charlies’ thirteenth birthday, he discovers he has inherited the ability to time travel. He and three of his best buddies embark on an adventure; they are searching for a silver amulet that is a family heirloom. He believes the amulet will let him to his mother. Together the boys search across the world and across time, and along the way they befriend animals which join them on the adventure. They meet historical people whom they have only read about. They witness historical events as they take place right in front of their eyes. Someone else is looking for the silver amulet, Malcolm Mordrex; he is an evil time traveler with evil intents. It isn’t an easy journey, there are difficulties and ambushes along the way. It is a battle between Charlie and Malcolm.
This is a thrilling novel for high level elementary readers and middle schoolers. The action in this tale is exciting. This tale explores the concept of destiny, time travel, and human drama. The action in this tale is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seat eagerly turning pages. It appears this is the first book in a new series. This book is 304 pages long and due to be published in October 2024. Put this one on your list.

With a very strong storyline and great complex characters, this made for great reading for our entire family group. Time travel is always exciting (and educational) but this aspect was well set within the story. An excellent read.

I got an eArc for this book and I was really excited. MG and Time Travel is one of my favorite combinations, this one did not disappoint, the rules of the universe were weird at first but kinda interesting. Only being able to travel from six to six months. It kinda makes sense, for storytelling and the next book being six months later.
The book was slow in some parts but this is an early copy so this might change in the finished version, but the story is really interesting and also good for middle graders, being able to teach kids about history and also the erasure of people of color in western history, I really apreciate the focus on the japanese americans fighting in World War II + the racism they faced because of Japan being part of the Third Reich. Really hope that the next books focus on similar events.

Timelight is an exciting adventure that follows Charlie and his friends as they discover the necklace, given to Charlie by his grandmother, allows him to travel in time. Their adventure takes them to different places in the world and in time.

Timelight is perfect for kids 8 and up. The story is adventurous but is also educational. As the group travels in time, they land in places to see historical events happens like Galileo or V-E Day. I think it was a great story but I did find the situation with Excalibur and Arthur to be a little confusing. Overall this was a fun book and would love to see where the story leads.

*I got a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley, this in no way affected my review*

Timelight would have been an amazing 5 star read and I would have been obsessed with it if 13 year old me had read this, but since I’m pushing 30, I’m keeping it at a demure 4 stars

We follow Charlie, who finds out he’s a time traveller after his grandma ends up at the hospital. We go on this wild journey with him and his friends and the book never slows down right until the end.

The animal companions were definitely my favourite and now I also want a dog, cat and a French speaking parrot, thank you very much.

The overall plot wasn’t too heavy, so I wish we could’ve had some more of that, but since this is the start of a series for younger readers, I can imagine we get a glimpse of that and more reveals as the next books come out

So definitely pick this up if you’re in the mood for some light middle grade fantasy.

First off I have to say I've never really cared much for time travel stories. However, I was intrigued by the cover as it hinted that animals would play a big part of the story. Between that and the description, which I found compelling, I decided to take a chance and find out if this title was as good as it appeared. Well let me tell you I'm so glad I did! I loved the characters and their friendship, which seemed so pure and honest. I adored the animals which were definitely a significant an large part of the story. I also appreciated the fact that they went back to a pivotal time in history as it oftentimes will spark an interest in the reader to actually want to learn more on that subject. So with out a doubt I'll will most assuredly be recommending this wonderful book to all the children in my life, not to mention several adults as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flashpoint for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will add this review to Amazon and Goodreads as soon as they allow it.

What worked:
Readers can immediately speculate about what’s to come when Charlie’s grandmother gives him a necklace with a magical stone attached. He has no idea what makes it so special and then he notices a dark shadow following him around town. This is all coupled with the bad dreams he’s been having and the strange behavior of a dog and a cat. Charlie then discovers a letter from Malcolm Mordrex inside his soccer bag saying he knows where to find Charlie’s missing mother. She disappeared years ago and promised to return. Charlie doesn’t know what it all means so readers can wonder about what will happen when he realizes he can travel through time. However, Mordrex constantly appears at inopportune times and he has diabolical plans that involve Charlie.
Charlie is told he must travel with his mentor before trying it on his own but his grandmother/mentor is still in the hospital. Of course, readers know that’s not going to happen. He unexpectedly finds himself several centuries in the past in Italy without knowing how he did it. He hasn’t finished reading the manual on using the Winter Stone and he doesn’t know why his grandmother left certain objects in her travel bag. Readers, Charlie, and his friends will learn about using the amulet for time travel by trial and error. This creates uncertainty and anticipation in the story. What happens if Charlie loses the Winter Stone while he’s in the past?
The author doesn’t spend much time addressing the paradox of time travel regarding what happens if Charlie changes an event that affects the future. One of the rules for time travelers is that they’re only observers. Readers are also informed that Charlie can only travel on his birthday or half birthday and he must travel to fixed locations in time. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the first place he travels and the Seattle Space Needle is another. Somehow, clothing for Charlie and his friends magically changes whenever they visit another time period. An innovative twist concerns animals and how they interact with portals which Charlie learns along the way.
What didn’t work as well:
These kinds of books often have the characters interacting with famous historical personalities but Galileo only makes a brief appearance this time. There really aren’t any suspenseful moments when they might have altered history which is a surprise since Charlie doesn’t know what he’s doing. Also, it’s not clear why there are time travelers in the first place.
The final verdict:
This book offers an innovative take on time travel with printed rules to be followed. Charlie has ulterior motives to locate his mother so that adds some heart to the story. Overall, this is a fun book of time-traveling adventure and I recommend you give it a shot.

This was a really strong story in the fantasy genre, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall story being told. The characters felt like they belonged in this universe and enjoyed the way they worked with the story. I thought Faith Conlon had a great writing style and couldn’t wait for more.

Time travel, magical artefacts, and endearing animal companions bound together with a missing mother and a villain out for vengeance makes this an entertaining middle grade fantasy adventure..

On the eve of his 13th birthday, Charlie finds his grandmother lying outside her house, confused and concussed. She asks him to take care of a family heirloom, the Winter Stone, a pale blue gemstone that Charlie has never seen before. Before she lapses into unconsciousness, she warns Charlie about someone called Malcolm who is looking for the silver wolf, and mutters about the star in her attic. It doesn’t take Charlie long to discover that his grandmother is a time traveller, that her friend and bookstore owner Mr Tanaka is her Guardian whose dog Lucky was rescued by Charlie’s grandmother travelling back to 1942. Unfortunately Malcolm, another time traveller who is out for revenge, wants something from Charlie and will use whatever means necessary to get it. It’s up to Charlie and his friends to stop Malcom. If they can…

This is an entertaining tale. I particularly liked the documented rules of time travel, and I loved the animal companions! Charlie and his group of friends, best friend Skye, Francophile Zach, and new friend Lia, are likeable and believable. Charlie is sworn to secrecy about the family secret but I did enjoy him immediately telling his friends he was a time traveller, it seems very realistic!

This book is obviously the start of a series, and while the main plot in Timelight is resolved, the story is far from over. I like the thread about Charlie’s mother who seems to be lost in time. It was a nice touch also to include Mr Tanaka who was interred with his family during World War two like so many Japanese-Americans.

If you like time travel, family heirlooms, and animal companions, be sure to check out this entertaining middle grade fantasy.

I love a good time-travel story, and Timelight didn’t disappoint. I’m always fascinated by the new ways authors get their characters to travel through time and this story had a very unique way of doing it.
Charlie and three friends, along with a menagerie of animals collected along the way, travel to different times in history searching for an object he believes will lead him to his missing mum. Of course there’s a villainous villain out to stop him, and there’s plenty of non stop action throughout to keep even the most reluctant reader glued to the pages.
I would’ve loved a little more interaction with the people of the past, but this is a small nitpick of a wonderful book that really held my interest from start to finish.
Highly recommend for ages 8+.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to give my honest review of Timelight.