The Lost Track of Time

Gr 4–6—Penelope never has enough time. At least, not enough to do what she wants. Her mother has her scheduled every minute of every day, even over her summer vacation. She hopes to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and is just coming to the realization that her parents will never understand her desire to tell stories when she's suddenly faced with a whole day, accidentally unscheduled. Running to her eccentric neighbor, Miss Maddie, Penelope suddenly finds herself in the Realm of Possibilities, a place where kids can moodle (imagine and dream) as much as they want and where those Ideas, Fancies, and even Worries appear in the world as actual things. Well, at least they used to when the Great Moodler was in charge. Penelope soon learns from her new friend Dill that those things have been outlawed and that the terrible Chronos has turned everyone into Clockworkers, whose lives are tied to the sound of the great ticking timepiece in the center of the gray, paved city that is taking over the Realm of Possibilities. Penelope and Dill set off to find the Great Moodler, with the help of some mushrooms and a Coo-Coo bird. The book makes clever use of wordplay, such as in a scene in which Penelope and Dill happen upon a Wild Bore, who turns out to be a very nice man who bores listeners to death with excessive talking. Muted purple illustrations are sprinkled throughout and match the imaginative and mercurial quality of the text. Unfortunately, the plot seems a bit too forced and didactic, particularly in attempting to teach Penelope, and thus readers, about the dangers of being overscheduled.