The Trolley to Yesterday

📘 About This Book

A "spooky[,] spine-tingling" time travel adventure that takes a boy and his eccentric professor friend to the mysterious Byzantine Empire ( Publishers Weekly) . . . [Description] Johnny Dixon is worried about Professor Childermass. The professor has always been an odd duck, but lately his behavior has been positively bizarre. He's been talking to himself and stalking down the street with his collar turned up and his hat over his eyes, and now he won't return Johnny's calls. Johnny's afraid that the professor's old age is starting to get to him, but he will soon find it's something far more amazing—and far more dangerous. The professor has discovered a trolley that can carry them five hundred years back in time, to the last days of the Byzantine Empire. In the dark and winding streets of Constantinople, he and Johnny confront crusaders, mystics, and thieves as they attempt to save the ancient empire from destruction at the hands of the advancing Turkish armies. Created by the award-winning author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls, Johnny Dixon is one of the most charming young heroes in literature—a spunky, bespectacled young man whose curiosity often gets him into trouble—and his "wonderfully warming friendship with cantankerous old Professor Childermass makes them an endearing detective team" ( The New York Times).

📖 Summary

The Trolley to Yesterday by John Bellairs is a spooky and spine-tingling young adult time travel adventure published in 2014 across 189 pages. The story centers on a young boy named Johnny Dixon and his eccentric friend, Professor Childermass. Lately, Johnny has been growing increasingly worried about the professor's bizarre behavior. The older man has been talking to himself, stalking down the street with his coat collar turned up and his hat pulled low over his eyes, and stubbornly refusing to return Johnny's phone calls. At first, Johnny fears that old age is finally catching up to his eccentric mentor, but he soon discovers that the truth is far more amazing and infinitely more dangerous than he could have ever imagined. Professor Childermass has actually made a monumental discovery: a mysterious trolley capable of carrying passengers backward through time. Specifically, this extraordinary vehicle can transport them five hundred years into the past, landing them directly in the heart of the last days of the Byzantine Empire. Instead of a simple history lesson, Johnny and the professor find themselves thrust into an immersive and perilous journey through the dark, winding streets of a bygone era. The historical setting brings its own unique set of hazards and eerie atmosphere, blending the familiar dynamic of the beloved characters with the high stakes of temporal exploration. As they navigate the dangerous alleyways and political turmoil of the ancient world, Johnny must rely on his courage and the unpredictable guidance of the professor to survive the ordeal. Bellairs crafts a narrative that seamlessly combines historical intrigue with the supernatural suspense that young adult readers have come to expect from his work. Through tight pacing and a concise page count, the book delivers an engaging adventure that explores themes of friendship, bravery, and the uncanny nature of the past. Fans of classic middle-grade and young adult speculative fiction will find plenty of chills and thrills as Johnny and the professor embark on a trolley ride unlike any other, proving that history is never truly dead and buried, and sometimes it is waiting just around the corner for an unsuspecting traveler.

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