by Ted Bell
First published 2010
Nick McIver faces war on two fronts across time. In 1940, Nazi forces invade his home in the British Channel Islands. Nick finds a World War One fighter plane hidden in a barn and teaches himself to fly. He photographs German ships and bombs enemy airfields under cover of darkness. Meanwhile, the ruthless pirate Captain Billy Blood kidnaps Nick's sister Kate and drags her back to 1781 Jamaica. Blood sends Nick a deadly ultimatum: surrender the time machine or Kate dies. Nick travels back to the eighteenth century, where he uncovers a conspiracy that could alter the American Revolution. Disguised as a cabin boy, he sails to the Caribbean to face Blood's massive pirate fleet. The young time traveler must fight enemies in two different wars, with his sister's life and the fate of nations hanging in the balance.
Genres: science-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, time-travel
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: British Channel Islands, Jamaica, Caribbean
Period: 1940, 1781
Audio CD · Macmillan Young Listeners
Content warnings: violence, war