Needle is a mudlark in 1864 in Inthington, where he combs the river for treasure, for lost and forgotten things that he can polish up and fix and turn into valuable items for his mother to sell in her market stall. Since Da left home, things have been really tough for both 12 year old Needle and his Mam. At least Da’s friendly crow friend, called Magpie, helps Needle with his treasure hunting. Sometimes the items he finds are cold, and the colder they are, the older the thing is. One day he stumbles across a piece of metal that is burning hot. It’s part of a plague commemorating the lives of 14 people lost in the flood of …1928.
When Needle finds himself in 1928 two days before the flood with no way home, he stumbles into 12-year old Glory, a talented jewellery designer who’s apprenticed to the unpleasant and dishonest Mrs Quick. Glory believes Needle’s story, and together they devise a plan to save the lives due to be lost. But will anyone believe them?
This is a story of courage and hardship and friendship, AND time-travel. I don’t want to give away the plot, but it ticks a lot of boxes with strong characters, a well-paced exciting tale, lots of heart and a very satisfying conclusion. I loved Needle with his caring nature and dogged determination, his honesty and his lack of confidence. His ability to tell stories from objects was very endearing, and the fact he could see sounds as colour was another intriguing facet of his character.
Glory was a very different character, brimming with confidence and nerve, except when it came to her wooden hand. I loved this detail and what a trial to her in making jewellery and how Needle helped her. This story has so much heart. There are three parts of the story that makes it really stand apart for me, but I won’t share them as they are definite spoilers. All I can say is grab a copy of this book and enjoy the story for yourself!
Valinora Troy 
14 responses to “Book Review: Elsetime by Eve McDonnell”
What a cool story. The 1928 part hooked me. I love the style of the cover, too. It has a woodprint vibe.
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It’s a great story! The cover is lovely, and the author name and title are embossed, which is a nice touch (and nice to touch!!) :). Thanks for reading, Vera!
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This sounds like such an interesting story, Valinora, and the element of time-travel must make for quite the suspenseful, hair-raising read! Thanks so much for the great review!
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It’s really good, Max! 🙂 Thanks for reading!
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Lovely cover and what an interesting premise. I’ve always enjoyed stories that feature the ability to gleam information from holding an object. The last one I can think of involved a yellow coat. Happy MMGM to you.
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Interesting – a yellow coat? I’m trying to guess what story that was but I haven’t a clue! 🙂 Happy MMGM Brenda, and hope you have a great week!
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Oh! I have to read this book! Just requested that my library purchase it. Thanks for the review.
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Oh I hope they get it for you, Carol, I’d love to hear what you think of it! 🙂
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This has all the elements of a story I certainly would enjoy. The MC sounds like one you’d remember. Thanks for the excellent review and Happy MMGM.
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It’s one of those very satisfying reads :)! Thanks for having me on MMGM, Greg!
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Love the title, love the cover, and I actually paused in the middle of your review to order a copy. This book sounds so, so good. Thanks for telling me about it.
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I hope you like it, Rosi! I really enjoyed it! I look forward to hearing what you think of it! 🙂
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This sounds like a good one. I love that it’s set in 1928 and involves time travel.
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It’s a fun story, and it has a lot of heart! Thanks for reading, Natalie 🙂
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