Out of Time by Mark Golding is a gorgeous children's science-fiction story. On a wintery Sunday afternoon, Joe Jackson, a twelve-year-old, curious, and adventurous boy from the small town of Highcross, England, was trying to find an unexploded World War II bomb when he ended up in a cave. He met a 15-year-old kid named Maxelon from the planet Proxima Centauri b there. The extraterrestrial Maxelon explained to Joe that he had been stuck on this planet for almost a year and now needed to return to his world, but his Tamiran technology was broken. Once Joe learns of Max's mission to capture Dardan, the leader of the Wolfians and thief from Proxima Centauri b, who aims to take over Earth, he decides to help him. Follow Joe and Max as they travel through time and place to stop a tyrant from becoming the ruler of Earth.

I really enjoyed Out of Time for its storyline, unexpected turns of events, wonderful black-and-white illustrations, and suspenseful action. Mark Golding has created a fantastic story with a nice sprinkling of history, engaging characters to root for, and science fiction elements such as aliens, innovative technology, a portable time machine, time travel, mind control, and more. This is a book any young science fiction and fantasy fan should read. It takes readers on the most unexpected, dangerous, and fantastic adventure that will keep them traveling to the pyramids of Egypt, Stonehenge, London, inside a volcano, the Cretaceous period (the dinosaur times), Roman times, and the Middle Ages. This time-traveling adventure is an excellent read for both children and adults.

Joe may seem like an ordinary twelve-year-old boy, but he’s rather adventurous. He likes to go exploring and he often manages to get lost on his expeditions. This is what happens one day when he’s exploring the site of what is believed to be an unexploded Second World War bomb. It’s a rather dangerous trek, and when the bomb disposal team blows up the hole where Joe, unbeknownst to the adults, is doing his own exploring, the ground beneath his feet sinks and he finds himself inside a deep cavern. In Mark Golding’s Out of Time, the plot thickens as Joe tries to find a way out, but ends up meeting Max, an extra-terrestrial from another planet. That’s really where the adventure begins with Joe, his new friend Max, and other friends from his so-called boring community of Highcross in the middle of jolly old England.

Mark Golding’s middle-grade novel, Out of Time, is full of adventure, science fiction, time travel, and space travel that will have young readers tuned in to the very last page. The plot is well developed with lots of exciting events, great dialogue, collaboration amongst young people, and the importance and power of friendship. The characters are true to their age and believable. As the plot thickens and Joe’s group of travelers makes their journey through both space and time, they meet all kinds of creatures, like dinosaurs, and historical figures like medieval knights. And there’s evil afoot as a dangerous power is setting its course to take over Earth. There’s a lot packed into this lively tale for young readers to both enjoy and learn.