June 2009, Corgi Yearling
248 pages
Childrens, 9 years +
Cushions: 2/5
Smiles: 4/5
Tissues: 2/5
Overall rating: 5/5
Even those who watch little TV (I'm a dvd fan) have probably heard or noticed the rising popularity of reality TV shows over the last few years. The TV Time Travellers documents the birth of a new reality show: Strictly Evacuees. Five children find themselves transported back to 1939, on a farm in wartorn Britain. Each child has a distinctive personality. Zac, miserable after his mother's death and the way his Dad isn't around any more had already immersed himself in research of the Second World War. Seeing the ad for the show was the icing on the cake. After the extreme measure taken to go to the audition, he settles into farm life, helping out the farmer with the chores. He and Izzy are the protagonists in this story.
Izzy is the opposite of Zac: if I'm being diplomatic, there's hardly anything about being an evacuee which she enjoys. Her mouth gets her into trouble, but that's nothing compared to the agony she endures because of her always happy room mate, Harriet. Her catch phrase 'It's all good, babe, all good' forces Izzy to take drastic action.
Then there's Barney, the sock ventriloquist who provides comic value. Leo, also a funny character. The strict Miss Weed and Mr Wallack unrelenting discipline contrasts to Mr and Mrs Benson, whose farm the show takes place on. I'll never forget Mrs Benson putting Izzy in the camera's blindspot, chucking her cakes (food was one of many things Izzy didn't like),
I feel there are two main themes to this book. The first, is an interesting way to help children understand what life was like in WWII, a way outside of textbooks. The characters themselves appreciate how hard life must have been for the evacuees - even Zac finds one thing about the war he wouldn't like to experience. It is helped by bringing in genuine evacuees, who lived through the war without their family beside them.
The second is about reality shows, that they aren't as fun as they appear. Sometimes unethical measures are introduced, behind the particpants' backs. This happens for Mr & Mrs Benson, they would never have agreed to one part of the show. As the children get evicted, both fairly and unfairly, the rest must choose whether they'll stand alongside their new friends and protest against the show, or stick around for the chance to win a holiday.
Content: There's quite a lot of tension throughout the book with both minor and major plotlines. There's a lot of laughs to be had here, as well as several sad moments where I couldn't read the text because my eyes filled up. The TV Time Travellers has a good mix of emotion, and sends out several positive messages about perception of fame from TV shows.
Information about Paul Johnson can be found here.
Liked this? Try Spellfall or The Witch Trade
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