Edith Nesbit Resident Scholar Profiles TOP SCHOLAR: Ian Tupper SCHOLARS:
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Review Summaries
"In their third adventure, published in 1906, Robert, Anthea, Jane, and Cyril discover their old friend the Psammead in a pet store in London. The magical sand creature can no longer grant them wishes, but it can do it for others, and it leads the children to a magical half amulet that lets them travel through time and space. They search for the rest of the Amulet, which will grant them their fondest wish, to go to prehistoric Egypt, Babylon, Atlantis just before the cataclysm, Britain on the eve of Caesar's invasion, and Phoenicia. Both the Queen of Babylon and an Egyptian priest turn up in modern-day London, too."
David Loftus, Resident Edith Nesbit Scholar
"Robert, Anthea, Cyril, and Jane are reunited with the Psammead in a London pet store; the Psammead can't grant their wishes anymore - not after the last adventure - but he does tell them where to find half of an amulet of great power. That half has the power to transport them through time to try to find the other half. With the Psammead's help (and hindrance), the children are off; they go to ancient Egypt, Tyre, and even to their own future, among other places. Another of Nesbit's masterful romps."
Ivy, Resident Edith Nesbit Scholar
"Written in 1906 and dedicated to Dr Wallace Budge of the British Museum, E. Nesbit excelled herself with this humorous magical time-travel tale. The four children bump into their irascible old friend the Psammead (the most ancient and venerable form of sand-fairy, originating in Greece, but will reside wherever there is good sand to sleep in), who is now not able to directly grant their wishes, but does deign to show them where there is a most interesting amulet. Or rather, only half an amulet; in this state the enormity of its power is transmuted into the ability to grant travel in time and space to recover its lost half. The children proceed to light-heartedly rampage through the known and unknown history of man's civilisations - Stone Age Egypt, Babylon, Atlantis, Julius Caesar espying Britain across the English Channel, Egypt of the pharaohs, ancient Tyre of the Tyrian purple to learn the secret of the dibaptha cloth, and back to the future. Bringing the queen of Babylon back to Victorian London - hilarity on a stick."
Michael JR Jose, Resident Edith Nesbit Scholar
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Overall Review
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Plot
Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence - 10% planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40%
Tone of book
- very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy story on current Earth
Time Travel:
- largely backwards/past
Tech./$$$/Info hunt
Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying
- magical artifact
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Kid's book (ages 7-14)
Time Travel story?
Yes
Story largely takes place in
- Really long ago
Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- religious figure
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Terrain
- Water
Earth setting:
- 20th century
- general past
- during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
- near future (later in 21st century)
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
How much dialogue?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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