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Summary
Summary
In the tradition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and A Wrinkle in Time comes the first book in an exciting fantasy series about three siblings' adventures on the high sea--the Sea of Time, that is.
After 9/11, Susan and her younger brothers, Charles and Murray, are sent to live with their uncle Farley in Canada. Uncle Farley's house looks like a ship perched at the edge of the sea, but it's not until a great flood comes that the house's name--Drift House--starts to make sense. Floating aimlessly on the Sea of Time, the ship-like house begins to yield its many secrets--including a mural that seems to predict the future, a dumbwaiter that enables Murray to travel into the future and back again, and a parrot historian who's also a gifted translator. But when a clan of diabolical mermaids trick the children and their uncle into helping them carry out a plan that will stop time forever, it will take all of Susan's ingenuity--along with some help from a great whale, a band of pirates, and a magic carpet--to set things straight.
Author Notes
Dale Peck is an acclaimed author of many books for adults as well as a reviewer and critic. This is his first book for young readers. He lives in New York City.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Although this story is set in 2001, the fabric of time itself fluctuates in Peck's (Martin and John, for adults) thrilling debut novel for young people. Following the 9/11 attacks, Susan and her half-brothers, Charles and Murray (could the brothers' names be a nod to Charles Wallace Murray, one of the time-traveling children in Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time?) are sent to live with their Uncle Farley in Canada, until things are calmer in America. But the children notice strange things about the boat-like mansion that is to be their new home: Drift House seems "crooked," a dumbwaiter magically delivers whatever food they desire, and Uncle Farley's parrot has a better-than-average grasp of the English language. When they awake one morning to find the house adrift on the Sea of Time, Uncle Farley reveals that Drift House is a "transtemporal vessel," capable of navigating time. Murray, the youngest, disappears into the dumbwaiter and returns with hazy memories of his own future, and Susan is drafted by mermaids for a special mission. Peck depicts an affectionate bond among the siblings (Charles, brilliant but ignored as the middle sibling states, "I am not a boy-slave and I am not a baby and I am tired of being sent away!"), and an eccentric but credible guardian in Uncle Farley. Readers will flip madly through the many pages of this book to see how the siblings navigate the hazards on the Sea of Time and get Drift House safely back to shore. Ages 10-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Sent to their uncle following of September 11, Susan, Charles, and Murray find adventure when ""Drift House"" floats away on the Sea of Time. A highly imaginative setting, featuring combative mermaids and pirates, a talking parrot, and a generous dumbwaiter, combines with dramatic plotting for an exciting tale. Slight narrative talkiness will be overlooked in the satisfying escapism. Glos. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 8-11. After the events of 9/11, Mr and Mrs. Oakenfeld send their three children from New York City to Uncle Farley's home on the Bay of Eternity, somewhere in Canada. Uncle Farley and his often-sassy parrot, President Wilson, inhabit a strange, shiplike home called the Drift House. A flood sends the Drift House (and the children) into the bay and then beyond into the Sea of Time, where they meet mermaids, pirates, a talking frog, and Pierre Marin, the builder of the Drift House. The complex plot contains ruminations on the nature of time, but fortunately the story isn't swamped by philosophical insights. Funny lines come at needed intervals, and Susan, the oldest of the Oakenfeld children, turns out to be a plucky heroine that readers will cheer for. This title, by a well-known literary critic, is best for fantasy fans with a philosophical bent. --Todd Morning Copyright 2005 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Drift House chronicles the extraordinary experiences of three children placed in the guardianship of their eccentric uncle in the aftermath of September 11th. Uncle Farley lives in the nautically designed Drift House, which is situated on the Bay of Eternity in Canada. Shortly after their arrival, 12-year-old Susan and her two younger brothers discover that the mysterious house is actually a ship, and that they have unwittingly embarked on a voyage across the Sea of Time. What ensues is a thrilling and perilous adventure in which the children meet an almost superfluous cast of fantastical creatures, including a crew of Time Pirates and a band of malevolent mermaids who serve as minions of the wicked undersea Queen Octavia. When Susan is commandeered into playing a pivotal role in a diabolical plot to stop time, she must resist an otherworldly power in order to triumph over evil. This otherwise fast-moving and compelling fantasy/adventure becomes somewhat mired in convoluted discourse on metaphysics and complex explanations of temporality, which includes an overtly didactic message regarding the ramifications of humankind's proclivity for racing headlong toward the future. However, readers will find themselves drawn in by the appealing characters, generous doses of humor, and the palpable presence of the narrator, who addresses readers directly, sharing intimate details and inviting them to take part in the story as it unfolds.-Debbie Lewis O'Donnell, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
