The Hundred-Towered City

Jack, Annie and Davey’s father is an inventor, whose latest inspiration is a time-travelling vintage motorbike. However, when their adventurous parents fail to return from a trip to 1903 Prague and instead a bewildered Bohemian native returns on the bike bringing the news that they have been arrested, the children realise that they, too, must travel back in time in order to effect a rescue.

Cue an extended series of roistering adventures which acquaint ambitious readers with the relevant political, literary and historical elements of life in early 20th-century Prague. Annie samples life in an aristocratic household, Jack joins the Army and Davey exercises his talents in the theatre. There is a satisfying exploration of the supernatural, with a memorable array of creatures from Bohemian folklore.

The narrative sprawls a little at times and the inevitability of the happy ending is rather pressing but the book is ultimately redeemed by a clear sense of justice and a timely exploration of morality.