Book
The golden hour Hard Cover / Maiya Williams.
Thirteen-year-old Rowan and his eleven-year-old sister, Nina, still bereft by the death of their mother the year before, experience an unusual adventure through time when they come to stay with their two eccentric great-aunts in a small town on the Maine coast.
Record details
- ISBN: 0810992167 (pbk.)
- Physical Description: 259, [13] p. ; 20 cm.
- Publisher: New York : Amulet Books, 2006.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Originally published: New York: Amulet, 2004. Includes bonus chapter of Maiya Williams's upcoming sequel: The hour of the cobra. |
| Target Audience Note: | All Ages. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Time travel > Juvenile fiction. Brothers and sisters > Juvenile fiction. France > History > Revolution, 1789-1799 > Juvenile fiction. |
| Genre: | Science fiction. |
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Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at South Interlake Regional Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stonewall Library | FIC WILLIAMS (Text) | 1000070388 | Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
More information
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Monthly Selections - # 2 March 2004
Gr. 4-8. A year after their mother's death, their father sends Rowan and Nina to family friends in Maine. Soon the children befriend twins Xanthe and Xavier, and together they explore the Owatannauk, an abandoned resort hotel that is actually a time-travel portal. When Nina disappears one morning, the others follow her to Paris at the height of the French Revolution. Rowan poses as a courtier, while Xanthe and Xavier, allowing for the fact that "there weren't that many black people in Revolutionary France," take on the roles of artist and freed slave. Part realistic fiction, part fantasy, part historical adventure, this entertaining novel features several well-realized settings and some quirky, original characters. The story is particularly energized by Rowan's intelligent, wry observations: Rowan notes his mother's death was the "background noise of his life, like a radio you couldn't turn off." Although parts of the adventure in eighteenth-century France strain belief, the emotions and relationships at the heart of the story are solid and convincing. One of the few fantasies with any African American characters, this takes readers on an adventure that makes everyday phenomena seem a little more magical. ((Reviewed March 15, 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews. - BookPage Reviews : BookPage Reviews 2004 March
Travels through timeIf you could go anyplace in the world, where would you go? If you could visit any era, what would it be?
These questions lie at the heart of Maiya Williams' new novel, The Golden Hour. As the story opens, Rowen Popplewell and his sister Nina are traveling from their home in New York City to the tiny town of Owatannauk, Maine (population 104). The town may as well be the moon for the two children, who are being sent to spend the summer with two very odd great-aunts. But no one is protesting—having lost their mother in a tragic accident, the grief-stricken 13-year-old boy and his near-catatonic younger sister are numb to the world around them.
It doesn't take long for the two kids to explore Owatannauk and become acquainted with Xanthe and Xavier Alexander, twins who are also visiting for the summer. Xavier, who is a little more adventuresome than the others, has discovered something mysterious: just outside of town, facing the bay, is a dilapidated, abandoned mansion—a former resort. The aunts have warned the children away from the place. Yet when Xavier happens upon it, it looks like new! And, it was full of people dressed in 19th-century clothes!
The children are convinced that they have discovered a time-portal (which explains the odd behavior of the town's citizens), and they debate over what it could mean. Rowen, a shy, insecure boy, is hesitant to explore other times and places. But when his sister disappears, he and his two new friends have no choice but to follow her. Their quest will test Rowen's courage and resolve, and it just might cost him his life.
This is Maiya Williams' first novel, and it's a dandy. The four children are all well-drawn and believable. The plot, which is reminiscent of the work of C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L'Engle, will draw middle school readers quickly in and teach them a bit of history along the way. Williams doesn't explain everything that happens in the story, a wise move that leaves open the possibility of another adventure with these time-traveling kids. As readers discover the charms of The Golden Hour, they're certain to welcome a sequel.
James Neal Webb writes from Nashville. Copyright 2004 BookPage Reviews.
- Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2004 Fall
After their mother's death, Rowan and Nina discover a hotel that serves as a portal to other places and times. When Nina disappears, Rowan and two friends search for her in the middle of the French Revolution, where they are nearly beheaded. Despite some desultory plotting, the novel is enjoyable and is among the few fantasies featuring African-American protagonists. Copyright 2004 Horn Book Guide Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2004 February #2
Williams constructs this page-turner debut out of tried-and-true elements, from time travel and ghostly visions in a derelict old resort, to eccentric great-aunts and children hurting from their mother's sudden death. Sent to a remote corner of Maine for a month while their grieving father struggles to get his life back in order, Rowan and his younger sister Nina soon discover that Aunts Agatha and Gertrude are seasoned time travelers, pulling artifacts from the past to stock their crowded curio shop. When Nina suddenly disappears, Rowan and two new friends hare off into the past in pursuit-to be swept up willy-nilly in the chaos of the French Revolution. The author is reasonably meticulous with historical detail, though not at the expense of keeping the story moving. After encounters with well-known French figures, the young searchers nearly have a fatal "appointment" with the guillotine before the Aunts swoop to the rescue. Then Rowan, acting on a hunch, finds Nina not in 18th-century France, but 20th-century Brooklyn, where their mother is still alive. Time, so to speak, to make some choices. A heady, if familiar, mix of history, adventure, fantasy, and character growth. (Fiction. 10-12) Copyright Kirkus 2004 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Media Connection : Library Media Connection Reviews 2004 October
The Popplewell family has shut down since their beloved mother and wife died. Rowan and Nina's father sends them to visit their "aunts" in Owatannauk, Maine. After befriending twins their age, the four explore the abandoned Hotel Owatannauk. They discover that the hotel is an airport for time travel and most of the townsfolks are regular passengers. The adventure begins as Rowan suspects Nina of traveling to France just before Bastille Day. He and the twins prepare to follow her by stopping at the local library. After meeting major figures from the time and nearly getting their heads chopped off, the three teens are rescued by the aunts and Rowan figures out where Nina really went-to 1990 Brooklyn to see her mother a month before Rowan was born. Nina can't stay in 1990 and re- live her life without dire consequences (like the siblings eventually exploding), and Rowan must convince Nina that they both must finally let their mother go. This is a startlingly creative literary debut; Maiya Williams' novel has likable characters, suspense, adventure, and solid historical accuracy. Character development and emotional growth are not compromised in the adventure. The last few scenes where Rowan and Nina see their mother alive and well are particularly moving. This is a stand-alone novel that will keep readers hoping for a sequel. Highly Recommended. Julie Scordato, Young Adult Librarian, Reynoldsburg Branch, Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library System © 2004 Linworth Publishing, Inc. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2004 March #4
Mad TV writer Williams makes her children's book debut with this entertaining novel about a pair of siblings who go back in time. Thirteen-year-old Rowan and 11-year-old Nina have been sent to stay with their eccentric great-aunts in Maine after their mother is killed by a drunk driver. The elderly sisters run a small curiosity shop, stocked to the hilt with unusual items; among them, Nina (a prodigy pianist) discovers an original Beethoven composition that the world has never seen. Soon Rowan and Nina befriend twins, a boy and girl who introduce them to the town's old hotel. Rowan's great-aunt warns him away from the place, citing strange occurrences and referring to the hotel as a "portal." Of course, the four young people enter the hotel (which is accessible only during "the golden hour" just before sunset and "the silver hour" at sunrise) and come upon the "alleviator," an elevator of sorts that will transport them to any year and locale they choose-but only for seven days. When Nina turns up missing, Rowan suspects her destination and soon the other three are on their way to Paris in 1789. The plot grows rather murky as the children take different places within French society just before Bastille Day. But readers may well enjoy the spirited adventure that follows, culminating in a predictable but touching finale (involving Nina and her mother). Action-packed and laden with good-natured humor, Williams's tale is a journey worth taking. Ages 9-14. (Mar.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2004 April
Gr 5-8-When Rowan and Nina Popplewell's father sends them to spend the summer with their deceased mother's aunts in Maine, adventures and excitement follow. With their new friends Xanthe and Xavier, they explore the secrets surrounding the town and the abandoned Owatannauk resort, which comes to life and offers time-travel opportunity during the magical "golden hour," defined as "the short period of time between day and night." When Nina disappears, Rowan and the twins assume she went to France and find themselves in 1789 Paris. Rowan and the twins explore different levels of society on the eve of the French Revolution, which allows them to encounter everyone from Marie Antoinette to street beggars. As the friends travel from palaces to prisons in search of Nina, Rowan realizes that he needs to find the self he has lost to grief and anger about his mother's death as well as his missing sister. A surprising conclusion reunites the siblings and leaves room for further visits to the Owatannauk. Rowan's self-doubt makes him an appealing and realistic character, and supporting characters, including the two eccentric aunts, are well-drawn. The fast-paced plot and smooth transition from everyday life to fantasy adventure make this a good choice for reluctant readers. An author's note separating historical fact from fiction and including Williams's sources may motivate readers to learn more about the French Revolution.-Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews : VOYA Reviews 2004 June
After the death of their mother, timid Rowan Popplewell and his nearly catatonic sister Nina take a summer trip to Owatannauk, Maine, to visit their two eccentric aunts, Agatha and Gertrude, who run a curio shop full of suspiciously pristine "antiques." Bored, Rowan and Nina meet twins Xavier and Xanthe, who entice them to the mysterious-and reputedly haunted-Owatannauk Hotel. It turns out that the hotel is actually a stop for time-traveling tourists. Soon Rowan, Xavier, and Xanthe find themselves chasing runaway Nina-or so they think-to eighteenth-century France just days before the Revolution begins Williams's tone is a hybrid of Lemony Snicket, Eva Ibbotson, and John Bellairs-Rowan bears a striking resemblance to the latter's Johnny Dixon. The book's strengths lie in the simple, sensually pretty details-most notably the Dickensian Golden Hour (the moment right before sunset), occasional refreshing language moments ("the world undulated, like a blanket being flicked"), and the fast-paced historical hi-jinks on the streets of Paris. The intriguing central premise, however, that time travel is possible at the moments before sunrise and sunset, deserves a less trite story to illuminate it ("boy must find himself after unexpected death of parent"). Indeed the parallels between Rowan's and Nina's struggles and those of Louis XVI's and Marie Antoinette's are so transparent, they are literally pointed out, and the anticlimactic ending is a touch sappy. That said, this novel would still make a decently satisfying book to read while on vacation.-Christine Borne 3Q 3P M Copyright 2004 Voya Reviews.
