Books new and old that have caught my eye.
The Time Pirate: A Nick McIver Time Adventure
By Ted Bell
This is a worthy sequel to the enormously fun Nick of Time. The young hero again uses a time machine, this time to fight nefarious pirates, Nazi invaders, and General Cornwallis. Along the way he is befriended by the Marquis de Lafayette and George Washington; even Winston Churchill is amazed by the plucky Nick. Implausible, of course. Card-boardy characters, ethical questions (why does Nick lie so easily to his parents?), minor editing boo-boos, and some plot holes (why does Billy Blood go ahead with his ambush even after his plans are stolen?) make this adventure less than perfect-but only just. A great page-turner for kids (and their dads), well told.