Frozen in Time (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Frozen in Time Kate Quealy-Gainer Sparkes, Ali . Frozen in Time. Egmont, 2010. [320p]. Library ed. ISBN 978-1-60684-098-6 $18.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-60684-077-1 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-8. After the implosion of their television forces tween siblings Rachel and Ben outside [End Page 500] in search of entertainment, the pair discovers what appears to be the ruin of an old laboratory on the overgrown grounds of their English countryside home. Even more surprising is what they find inside the lab: two cryogenically suspended teenagers and their pet puppy, all of whom Rachel accidentally releases with the touch of a button. Now Ben and Rachel are faced with the task of acquainting Polly and Frederick, two teens from 1956, with the norms of 2010 while trying somehow to find out what happened to the frozen pair's scientist father, who, shortly after their disappearance, was accused of his children's murder and went missing. This British import mixes good old-fashioned science fiction with a fair bit of mystery to make for an engaging adventure that will have readers guessing until the final pages. The book interweaves Ben and Rachel's story with the chronicle of the shady dealings of government agencies trying to secure the secret research of Polly and Frederick's father—but what government and to what purpose is only revealed in the thrilling conclusion. Meanwhile, Rachel and Ben's attempts to modernize the two retro teens add a nice dose of levity, especially when prim and proper Polly is introduced to teen fashion and pop magazines ("'Why do they want us to keep shaking our ass?' she queried, dismayed. 'That would be cruel. I hate cruelty to animals'"). Overall, however, this is, as Frederick might say, a jolly good tale of adventure and intrigue. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois