The Time Hackers

Gr 4–7—Meet Dorso Clayman, middle schooler. Ever since he brought in his school laptop for repairs, things have gotten unpredictable. In his world, folks have been able to alter time, so walking briefly beside General Custer while moving between classes isn't uncommon. However, having your locker temporarily full of dead bodies is unusual. While most of his friends are used to these time oddities, Dorso becomes aware that when he experiences them the reality level is greater. Custer, for example, seems to notice him, something supposedly impossible according to the revised law of time. His buddy Frank, who is obsessed with outfoxing the limitations on seeing things such as unclothed females, teams up with him to play detective. They discover someone inserted a new chip in the laptop when it was repaired that allows them to go back to historical events and be part of them. There are others with the same chip, playing a dangerous game of chicken in terms of altering history. When the boys encounter the chip maker, he enlists their aid in retrieving the game players' laptops. Nick Podehl perfectly voices all the characters, and tween boys will be drawn into the tale.—John R. Clark, Hartland Public Library, ME