From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up–Flashing back and forth between the present and late-19th-century Connecticut, Test of Time stars Mark Twain, whose Huckleberry Finn manuscript mysteriously vanishes into thin air from his desk, only to be replaced with the laptop computer belonging to modern-day university student Orlando Ortiz. Such an intriguing plot twist could potentially evolve into a quirky, suspenseful time-travel mystery in which Orlando and Twain devise a plan to retrieve their respective belongings. But the book also hopes to serve as a learning tool for the verbal portions of standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT. Unfortunately, readers get bogged down not only by a flat narrative, but also by oddly placed, boldface vocabulary words embedded into the text. These test words, which repeatedly number well over a dozen per page, render the novel virtually unreadable and negate the attempt to promote vocabulary improvement through pleasure reading. Often three to five bold words are lumped into a single sentence, which could hamper readers' ability to deduce definitions from their context. And even though there is some interestingly believable teen speak scattered throughout, the book will still take almost as much work to get through as the usual SAT or ACT study manuals.–Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Test of Time is a captivating time-travel adventure that incorporates vocabulary words from the SAT and ACT, boldfacing them throughout the novel and providing definitions in a handy back-of-the book glossary. The result is a fun and effective study method for the thousands of diligent students who take these tests each year.

For Orlando Garcia Ortiz and his friends at prestigious Hadleyburg University, it's finals week. That same week, but many, many years before, a famously eccentric writer in Hartford, Connecticut, is putting the finishing touches on a manuscript about a rebellious boy named Huck. Suddenly, a bizarre thing happens: The manuscript disappears and in its place appears a strange contraption-a college student's laptop that has traveled through time. It's a mysterious set of circumstances, but our intrepid heroes at Hadleyburg, joined by Mark Twain, endeavor to retrieve their valued possessions and return to their proper places in time.




About the Author
CHARLES HARRINGTON ELSTER is an author, broadcaster, and logophile—a
lover of words. He is the author of seven books, and cohosts AWay with
Words, a weekly talk show on language that airs on San Diego’s KPBS-FM and
Wisconsin Public Radio. He lives in San Diego.

ANNOTATION

An eccentric writer is finishing a manuscript about a rebellious boy named Huck when it suddenly disappears and in its place appears a strange contraption--a college student's laptop that has traveled through time.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Q: What's Better than a Whole Pile of Loathsome Test-preparation Books? A: The Captivating Novel You're Holding in Your Hands. That's right: You can actually study for the SAT and ACT by reading this time-travel adventure novel. As you enjoy Test of Time, you will encounter words commonly found on both tests, each one highlighted in boldface and defined in a back-of-the-book glossary. The best part is, you'll remember the words better because you've learned each one in context -- in relation to the other words around it. And one thing the SAT and ACT will always test is your ability to comprehend what you read and your knowledge of words in context. Did you ever imagine you could study for the SAT and ACT and have fun at the same time? If that sounds like a better way to go, look inside.

FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal