Saving Lucas Biggs

Title:

Saving Lucas Biggs

Author:

de los Santos, Marisa

Teague, David

Subject:

Juvenile Literature

Mystery

Juvenile Fiction

Science Fiction

Description:

Perfect for fans of The Thing About Jellyfish, Echo, and Hour of the Bees, this charming time-travel story from husband-and-wife team Marisa de los Santos and David Teague follows one girl's race to change the past in order to save her father's future.Thirteen-year-old Margaret knows her father is innocent, but that doesn't stop the cruel Judge Biggs from sentencing him to death. Margaret is determined to save her dad, even if it means using her family's secret—and forbidden—ability to time travel. With the help of her best friend, Charlie, and his grandpa Josh, Margaret goes back to a time when Judge Biggs was a young boy and tries to prevent the chain of events that transformed him into a corrupt, jaded man. But with the forces of history working against her, will Margaret be able to change the past? Or will she be pushed back to a present in which her father is still doomed?Told in alternating voices between Margaret and Josh, this heartwarming story shows that sometimes the forces of good need a little extra help to triumph over the forces of evil.

Publisher:

HarperCollins

Date:

2014/04/29

Digital Format:

READ IN BROWSER

ADOBE EPUB

KINDLE

Language:

English

ISBN:

9780062274649

Summary

Thirteen-year-old Margaret knows her father is innocent, but that doesn't stop the cruel Judge Biggs from sentencing him to death. Margaret is determined to save her dad, even if it means using her family's secret--and forbidden--ability to time travel.

With the help of her best friend, Charlie, and his grandpa Josh, Margaret goes back to a time when Judge Biggs was a young boy and tries to prevent the chain of events that transformed him into a corrupt, jaded man. But with the forces of history working against her, will Margaret be able to change the past? Or will she be pushed back to a present in which her father is still doomed?

Told in alternating voices between Margaret and Josh, this heartwarming story shows that sometimes the forces of good need a little extra help to triumph over the forces of evil.

Author Notes

Marisa de los Santos is an American author and poet. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland and grew up in Virginia. She earned an English degree from the University of Virginia, as well as an MFA in Poetry from Sarah Lawrence College and a Ph.D in English and Creative Writing from the University of Houston.

In addition to her collection of poetry entitled From the Bones Out, Marisa has written numerous novels, including: The Precious One, Falling Together, Belong to Me and Love Walked in. She also co-wrote Saving Lucas Biggs, with children's author, David Teague.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8-Margaret O'Malley's father is sentenced to death for crimes she knows he did not commit. She watches as he is taken from the courtroom, his voice calling out to her with a verse from a poem. It is a vow that could carry her to a world gone by, but is not to be used. His clever explanation of string-theory physics and her family's "quirk" of being able to relocate, although briefly, into history sends her on a quest to save him from bitter, vindictive Judge Biggs's sentence and from the people who are still trying to silence him. Margaret goes back to 1938 and witnesses the events that caused Lucas Biggs to become the person he is today. The authors weave a tale of justice and family bonds with threads of historical fiction accented with the fantastical physics of time travel. The heroine begins to realize that the very stuff that makes people who they are-that combination of all their life experiences-can sometimes shift the very fabric of history. At least that's what Margaret is hoping, because the only way to save her father is to first save corrupt Lucas Biggs from himself.-Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Margaret O'Malley's father has just been sentenced to death for a murder he didn't commit. In the same town 70 years earlier, a miners' strike led to another murder and another falsely accused man. The O'Malleys' forbidden ability to time travel might save everyone or no one, but Margaret is desperate enough to try. De los Santos and Teague craft a gentle, quiet sci-fi story where the focus is not on the science. Margaret's time-travel abilities aren't the point love, nonviolence, and social justice are. The husband-and-wife writing team keep the story moving along at a nice clip, so the peaceful message grows naturally out of the action and drama. The resolution might be a bit easy, but by that point most readers won't care. They will be too busy appreciating determined Margaret, her plucky friend Charlie, and his steadfast grandfather Joshua a character in both 2014 and 1938. Give this one to readers who like stories about family, doing the right thing, and standing up to those who don't.--Wildsmith, Snow Copyright 2010 Booklist