Anyone who’s read the first four installments of Brandon Mull’s FIVE KINGDOMS series for middle graders will undoubtedly want to read the fifth and concluding volume, Time Jumpers (2018). We all want to know if Cole and his friends will be able to escape the Outskirts and return home, and we want to know if the kids’ families and friends will still remember them!
This time Cole is visiting the last of the five kingdoms: Creon. Here he will confront the high king (whose daughters he’s been rescuing as he travels around the five kingdoms), attempt to stop an evil shaper from destroying the world, and investigate a rumor suggesting there may be a way to get himself and his friends home and restore their parents’ memories.
In Time Jumpers, Cole finally comes into his full power. When he meets Violet, a young Wayminder who can jump to any place in the five kingdoms, and then meets someone else who can send Cole and Violet backward and forward in time, Cole’s power seems almost limitless. These new friends are important but Cole also has his old friends and allies who get to play their own heroic parts, too. Even a bad guy gets a chance to redeem himself.
Time Jumpers is pretty exciting. We get to visit the Sky Raiders again and some of the questions we’ve had since the first book (Sky Raiders) get answered. We also get to fight a really scary monster and take a hilarious trip to Miami Beach.
This finale of the FIVE KINGDOMS series is satisfying. I mean, I knew it would be, but I wanted to see it happen. The series concludes with a touching epilogue.
I recommend FIVE KINGDOMS to middle grade readers who enjoy following endearing juvenile characters in bizarre fantasy worlds, and who are skilled at suspending disbelief. As far as character-building goes, this series focuses on friendship, trust, loyalty, and courage. The audio editions read by Keith Nobb and produced by Simon & Schuster Audio are quite pleasant.
Update: Yesterday was Independent Bookstore Day and I ordered the first two volumes of this.
Well done, Mandy! Thanks for your interesting and VERY well-written review. Your enthusiasm for the book in question will likely…
thanks for this! While I enjoy graphics, I confess it's an area I'm always far less aware of (save for…
Mandy, thank you for this great review. Today is Independent Bookstore Day and I will be at a specialty store…
Me, too! I think independent bookstore are enjoying a golden age, and I plan to continue to support that. One…