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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Penelope's life is run by the clock because of her mother who is a stickler for schedules, agendas, and filling every spare moment. Unfortunately for Penelope, she is a person who loves quiet moments for thinking and imagining--in fact, she wishes to grow up to be a writer. One summer morning when Penelope has a moment to catch a breath (because her mother mistakenly left a "hole in her schedule"), she falls into the hole in her schedule and finds herself in a strange land called the Realm of Possibilities. Penelope explores the realm and learns many valuable lessons as she tries to find her way home.
The Lost Track of Time reminded me a great deal of The Phantom Tollbooth, except all the wordplay and puns are related to time. The book has a lot to say about how we use time, and I found that much of it hit close to home for me, as I've been considering my own time and priorities a good deal lately! If readers will bear with a bit of a slow start, they will be rewarded with a very well-written, clever, and important story.
When I first read The Lost Track of Time, my first thoughts were that it is very similar to Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth. And, humorously enough, Britt gives a nod to Juster in her acknowledgements. But while The Phantom Tollbooth has its characteristic cleverness in several areas, The Lost Track of Time focuses its cleverness in the arenas of time and words. Did you know how many different types of time there are? Also, be on the lookout for Wild Bores.
I do wish the the relationship between Penelope and her parents was different. I love when parents and children have a strong, solid relationship in novels, and even more when the parents are more developed as characters. In The Lost Track of Time, Penelope’s parents feel a little bit like they are just there to make the time restrictions on Penelope’s life. However, once she goes to the Realm of Possibility, her parents disappear from the plot, so it didn’t really bother me after that. And the ending hints at a better relationship between them, so that was nice.
Because of the style that The Lost Track of Time is written in, it won’t appeal to everyone. If you’ve read The Phantom Tollbooth and didn’t like the style, I’d avoid The Lost Track of Time. However, if you’re like me and enjoy the type of cleverness and whimsy it takes to write novels like these, you’ll enjoy The Lost Track of Time.
Cautions: none