Official Review: Time Begins by Matthew Landers

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Time Begins" by Matthew Landers.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Jeff forgets to stop for milk after putting in a long day as a firefighter. Becky goes to the store to get the milk and is killed in a car accident when a car runs a red light. Jeff feels guilty and is left to raise their son, Jake, alone. As Jake grows, due to his small size, he is bullied. Jake has to continually change schools because he gets caught every time he retaliates against the bullies. Jeff is injured after an explosion occurs while he is fighting a fire. His spinal cord is damaged, and he will never walk again. Jeff gets offered a Fire Chief position in another town. A NASA astronaut once owned the house they move into, and all of his belongings are still in the garage because he had no family. Jake loves science and has invented many helpful gadgets to help his father get around in his wheelchair. What does Jake find in the garage? What does he do with what he finds? You will need to read Time Begins: The Adventures of Time and Flip by Matthew Landers to find out.

The best positive aspect of this book is that it teaches the reader how to deal with bullies and that revenge is not the answer. The author has done a fantastic job developing the characters. I could visualize each of them and felt the emotions they were feeling. The illustrators created a couple of cute black and white illustrations as well as a beautiful book cover.

The biggest negative in this book is when the author forgot he had Jeff in a wheelchair and has him walking in one of the scenes. I was also disappointed that the ending is a cliffhanger, but I am also hopeful that this means we will see more about Time and Flip. About every page in the Kindle edition has some type of formatting issue that Mr. Landers needs to be aware of. Due to their nature, they appear to be an uploading issue and not an issue with the book itself.

This book has a smooth-flowing, action-packed plot that grabbed my interest on the first page. Unfortunately, I found seven errors that a professional editor would have seen. Since this is too many errors in a 24-page book, I will give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I am not giving it two stars because the author's writing style is good, and I enjoyed reading the book despite its flaws. Once a professional editor has edited this book, it will deserve the full four stars.

Although the author recommends this book to 7-18-year-olds, I believe older readers who want a short sci-fi/fantasy book about aliens and time travel will enjoy this book, as well.

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Time Begins
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[Kanchan Sharma]

A clear and candid review. I would love to check it myself. Many children go through the problem of being bullied. So parents and children must read it.

[NetMassimo]

After some "polishing", this seems like a nice book for kids, as they can enjoy a story that is engaging and addresses an important issue. Thank you for your great review!

[El_limitless]

Interesting storyline. I'd love to know what Jake found in the garage. Jeff exemplified so much strength and courage in the story. Thank you for the great review.

[The frant1c reader]

It would be inspiring to discover how Jeff overcomes his obstacles. Thank you for such a well written review!

[onyii_review]

Oh. What a life Jeff has to go through. Feel sorry for him already. Thanks for the review.

[the_bibliofile]

I love the strong message, after some finishing touches, would be a great book! Thank you for the crisp review, I'm on my way to check it out!