"Terrific science fiction"
In the backyard of his family home, eleven-year-old Tycho
Tithonus decided to make a vegetable garden, but on his
first dig into the dirt he finds a weird egg-shaped and
sized object. Tinkering he discovers he has found a
miniature time machine that enables him to travel through
time and return home. He sees the device as a means of
pulling stunts on his older siblings (sixteen years old
Ludwig, fifteen years old Tamara, and thirteen years old
Leonardo) who are always telling him as the youngest what
to do. As he enjoys pranking his brothers and sister, Tycho begins
to notice subtle changes when he returns to his present.
These "modifications" seem nastier with every trek in time.
He suddenly sees a darker world, but worse he confronts the
most frightening being he has ever met, Tycho the adult in
a future that is so bleak he fears this will come true
unless he can undo all the damage he caused. Using time travel as a device to look closely at family
dynamics and interactions, THE GREEN FUTURES OF TYCHO is a
fabulous tale that upper elementary school children will
fully appreciate because many will commiserate with the
youthful hero. The key is Tycho seems so genuine that
initially readers will want to be in his sneakers pulling
off pranks against older members of his family without
any "repercussions"; I am an adult and would not mind
pulling a stunt or two. That changes once the consequences
begin to surface. Science fiction fans will enjoy this
reprint of a William Sleator 1981 classic. Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted October 21, 2005
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted November 26, 2006
|
