Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop
By Krystal Sutherland and Martin Seneviratne
Reviewed by Mia Macrossan
Krystal Sutherland the winner of the Prime Minister’s Award for the YA novel The Invocations has here teamed up with her husband Martin Seneviratne to create a thrilling middle grade page turner, filled to the brim with adventure, history, humour and heart.
Twelve year old twins Patrick and Pearl hide their genius at school while engaging in multifarious, not always legal, escapades to get the materials to achieve their ultimate aim – make a time machine. Pearl has the scientific knowledge and drive to succeed while Patrick is the history buff, who aids and abets her in every new venture. They create the Chrono-Loop which gives them a quick visit to Tutankhamun’s Egypt, but this catches the attention of TIME,(The Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry), whose mission is to make sure history is not altered by careless people with time machines.
After that events happen thick and fast, with many twists and turns as others try to alter time for their own ends. Who are the goodies or baddies? The only way to find out is to time travel as ultimately the only way to save the future is to go back to the past. There are some mind bending explorations and explanations of time paradoxes which, like Patrick, are a bit over my head, but the action and characters are so engrossing that you keep reading to the glorious satisfying ending.
Pearl and Patrick learn a lot about themselves along the way. What is friendship? How important is it to be famous? Can you be brave if you are scared the whole time? Should you save the lives of the people on the Titanic or prevent World War 1, even if it means changing history? These questions are gently explored in a framework that foregrounds Sri Lankan culture and history. It’s a long time since I went to Sri Lanka and visited Sigiriya but reading about it here was a welcome change from the usual Greek and Roman history mysteries.
Time travel is a popular genre for middle grade readers and there are many available. Below I have listed a few recently reviewed in StoryLinks, but Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop is refreshingly different, and there is a sequel on the way!
Penguin 2025
Krystal Sutherland
Time Travel Titles
The Time Travel Diaries
Harper Wells Renegade Timeline Officer
The Boy Who Stepped Through Time
Outlaw Girls
Moonboy
