The Time Tider

Mara has never had a settled life.  She and her father, Gabriel, have always been on the move in their mobile home and all she knows is that it has something to do with his mysterious job.  When her father disappears and Mara is under threat, she discovers the world of the Timetider.  It seems that her father holds this special role, which enables him to harvest any time that is left unused by a person, if they die earlier than designated.  Mara discovers a whole group of people who are involved with keeping this ‘time’ safe, but who are now under threat.  Who has kidnapped Gabriel and why?  It is up to Mara and her new friends to try and find out the reasons and save the day.

A gloriously imaginative and spooky story about what happens to the time that is lost when a person dies earlier than intended.  This is a concept that most of us don’t even think about; there is almost an assumption that regardless of age, a person dies when “their time is up”.  Sinead O’Hart has managed to get us thinking about other possibilities and consider whether accidental happenings can change our fate.  Mara is a strong character who has spent her life moving around with her father, but when he is kidnapped by those wanting his powers as a ‘Tider’ she finds herself having to take up the challenge and solve the mystery. Not only does she have to start learning about the role of the Tider, but she has to learn about living in a society that she has not been part of and which she finds difficult. There is a strong element of needing to have more empathy with those who are different, and understanding that it takes many different people to make a world.  This is a fantastic and fast paced story that will have readers on the edge of their seat.  Great for the Middle Grade reader.