The writing isn't very artistic & it's not ideal for reading aloud (A number of the story's clues are visual, so those had to be explained to my listener, and the clipped sentences & dialogue made my vocal cords feel like I had participated in a yodeling competition.). However, my kids enjoyed the fast-paced adventure and mystery. The book employs time-travel to important historical events, so it's full of interesting science & history. It's like The Magic Treehouse series for a slightly older audience. The science fiction elements also remind me very much of A Wrinkle in Time, though not as well-written or philosophical. Based on my kids' response, it looks like Book 2 is in my future. I was extremely interested in the premise of this book, an historical fantasy focused on a group (The Hystorians) that corrects mistakes made in history. Their job is to set the timeline right. It seemed like a good way to teach history while infusing it with plenty of action and fantasy. I was even willing to overcome my general dislike for genius children in books since, well, the Hystorians only recruit geniuses. Makes sense, right? Who else should be trusted with such a difficult task? As far as action and rapid-fire pacing, The Infinity Ring does not disappoint, but I often got the impression that it was trying to be too cute for its own good. The name Hystorians feels like it was created by an advertising agency or done to appear unnecessarily cool (like Qwik, Kwik, Fiverr, Tumblr, etc.). The same goes for the group’s founder, Aristotle, an ancient name that appears to be thrust into the story purely for its name recognition without being quite as obvious as Socrates or Plato. Since the Hystorians is an organization dedicated to setting the past aright, why not choose an ancient historian like Thucydides, Xenophon, Pliny, or Josephus to found it? And while The Infinity Ring (a title and approach I think is fantastic) does a good job neatly introducing history in the second half of the story, it seems to drop in unclear initial references to the past that seem too sly for its audience, as if written with a wink and a nod to a teacher or history buff. The best example of this is President McLellan, who, of course, was never president. He lost in 1864 to Abraham Lincoln. This is an obvious anachronism to be fixed, but isn’t explained as such. The Infinity Ring is a good story (I have recommended it to several young readers who liked The 39 Clues series and know of one demographically perfect reader who loved it), but it feels disjointed and forced in places. I found it a bit too slick, as if Scholastic was always thinking marketing and merchandising rather than plot and purpose.
What do You think about Um Motim No Tempo (2013)?
Would recommend it to all readers who enjoy reading about time travel.
—Nitnit
