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Title details for Time and the Tapestry by Phyllis Saroff - Available

Time and the Tapestry

A William Morris Adventure

by Phyllis Saroff
John Plotz
ebook
2 of 2 copies available
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2 of 2 copies available
What kind of adventure begins in the living room on a rainy Monday afternoon? It depends. Say you just found out that Granny, who raised you, is going to lose her house because there's nothing valuable left to sell except an unfinished tapestry. And say that your pet blackbird Mead starts talking and swells up to the size of large motorcycle, and that you suddenly find yourself on his back falling into what you could have sworn was just an old rug covered with pictures of knights galloping through forests. If that's your situation, then this adventure could be weirder, scarier, and more amazing than anything you ever imagined. Time and the Tapestry tells the story of a 13 year old, would-be artist Jen and her not-quite-as-nerdy-as-he used-to-be- 10 year old brother Ed. They find themselves adrift in 19th century England, unable to make their way back home until they've gathered the missing pieces to make that tapestry whole. It's great that they can ride on Mead's back. But not so great that his feathers are falling off, too fast to count. Great that they keep meeting up with the rugmaker himself, Jen's hero, British radical William Morris. But not so great that he always seems to be yelling at somebody or tossing something at them. Great that as they travel from London to Oxford to Iceland, they begin to figure out a way to save the Tapestry (and Granny's house along with it). But downright terrifying that Mead's going to be grounded soon, leaving them trapped with Morris and his wacky daughter May in a Victorian London that may be filled with cranky artists and loveable animals, but....it's a long long way from home. The scenes set in Canterbury, Oxford, the English countryside, Trafalgar Square, Iceland, and Boston will enchant those drawn to the tapestry of history. Along with its magnificently detailed illustrations, this expertly woven tale threads together the best of classical fantasy with a tale of modern-day adventure that will captivate readers of all ages. First-time children's book author John Plotz—who's spent years studying, teaching, and dreaming about William Morris—brings the story of Arts and Crafts to life with a yarn about a world where the power of imagination may just be strong enough to bring dragons, flying birds and enchanted books to life.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 1, 2014

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781593731748

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781593731748
      • File size: 7303 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 17, 2014
      Plotz’s children’s debut is an ambitious attempt to mix time-travel fantasy with a history lesson about multifaceted artist William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement of 19th-century England. Focusing on an unfinished tapestry that 14-year-old Jen and 11-year-old Ed’s grandmother received as an apprentice in Morris’s factory, the novel begins with a crisis that propels the orphaned siblings onto the back of a giant blackbird, soaring through the tapestry and into Morris’s life. As the trio embarks on a scavenger hunt (or is it a geas—a quest?) based on fragments of a Morris poem, Jen explores mysterious (and never satisfyingly explained) memories and ponders the significance of art. Filled with scenes that reveal the larger-than-life artist and his family, companions, and many accomplishments, the story never fully takes on a life of its own, seeming, instead, to have been built around Plotz’s considerable knowledge of, and passion for sharing, all things William Morris. Saroff’s elegant full-page b&w illustrations and ornamentations—initial caps, miniatures, and borders—beautifully evoke Morris’s style and are a strong component of the book’s thoughtful design. Ages 9–14.

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2014
      Thirteen-year-old Jen and her fact-loving younger brother Ed can only save their granny's house by selling an old tapestry, but it's unfinished. Miraculously, they ride on the back of their pet blackbird to nineteenth-century England to help out the artist William Morris. Delivering facts nonstop, the story is little more than an art history lesson wrapped in a paper-thin fantasy conceit.

      (Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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