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David Shapiro and Christopher Herndon Terra Tempo : Ice Age Cataclysm Reviewed By Lavanya Karthik of Bookpleasures.com
- By Lavanya Karthik
- Published March 30, 2011
- Childrens & Young Adults
Lavanya Karthik
Reviewer
Lavanya Karthik: Lavanya is from Mumbai, India and is a licensed
architect and consultant in environmental management. She lives in
Mumbai with her husband and six-year old daughter. She loves reading
and enjoys a diverse range of authors across genres.
Author: David Shapiro
Publisher: Craigmore Creations
ISBN: 978-0-9844422-1-8
Click Here To Purchase Terra Tempo: Ice Age Cataclysm! (Terra Tempo, Volume 1)
Combining time travel with geology, ‘Terra Tempo’ is an engrossing graphic novel for young readers, with its story of a group of intrepid modern day kids who witness one of the planet’s earliest recorded episodes of climate change .
Snooping around in their uncle’s study one boring afternoon, twins Jenna and Caleb stumble upon an interesting discovery – a compass and a journal, with directions to a mysterious portal. Joined soon after by their friend Ari, a paleontology buff, they follow the journal’s clues, only to find themselves transported through time – to 13,000 BC , slap bang in the middle of an Ice Age!
With ring side seats to the phenomena collectively known as the great Missoula Flood, the children brave encounters with all kinds of fearsome prehistoric beasts, battle the elements, and learn to survive in the wilderness, as they figure out how to get back home. Aided in their travels by a giant bird that they can summon at will, the children learn a little about climate change, and a great deal about working together as a team.
Terra Tempo does a great job of combining fact and fiction. With its lucid text and striking visuals, the book makes its subject – the Ice Age - accessible and entertaining. It is scripted well, with a snappy pace, loads of suspenseful moments, and lots of humor as well. Its spunky protagonists are well etched, be it sarcastic Jenna, careful Caleb or gung-ho Ari with his penchant for accidents.
Herndon’s drawings are commendable – painterly, yet somehow childlike, with their grainy, sketchy strokes. He captures the sweeping landscape and its denizens with elan – rolling plains, swirling waters, toothsome tigers, woolly mammoths. I especially liked the sepia tinted sketches at the start of each chapter, with their seemingly careless stains and creases.
The book ends on an open note- and with a twist I wasn’t expecting – and I look forward to seeing the time traveling trio in more such adventures soon.
Click Here To Purchase Terra Tempo: Ice Age Cataclysm! (Terra Tempo, Volume 1)