Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com

Peter feels he has been brushed off by his father yet again--and he has been. He's been waiting for his birthday treat for months, but his father always has business meetings and is too busy to spend time with him. His mother is off working in Los Angeles, far away from Peter and his father in London. The morning Peter and his father fight about it again, Margrit, the Au Pair, takes Peter with her to visit her friends out in the country.

These friends have a daughter, Kate, who is about Peter's age, twelve. Kate's father takes the two of them, plus Kate's dog, Molly, to the lab where he works. Kate and Peter end up chasing Molly through the halls--a small thing that ends up being very important.

One minute, they're running through the halls of the lab. The next minute, Kate and Peter, along with an antigravity machine that one of Kate's father's colleagues has been working on, have been transported back in time to a grassy hillside in 1763.

Before long, they've met two very different men of that time. The first is the Tar Man, who steals the antigravity machine, which could very well be the key to getting back to the present. The second is Gideon, an enemy of the Tar Man, who decides to help the two children from the future.

Before long, Kate and Peter are on an adventure, headed to London to recover the antigravity machine and get back to their homes and families. On their way, they will encounter highwaymen, make friends (including Gideon), and learn a lot about that time in history--the good and the bad.

Back in present-day England, Peter's parents are frantic with worry. Kate's father has figured out that the machine has something to do with their disappearance--but when ghostly images of the children appear dressed in clothing from the eighteenth-century, it becomes clear that this can't be shared with the public; who knows what destruction could result from the misuse of time travel technology?

The parallel storylines--the children's quest to get back to the present and Kate's father's struggle to bring them back--go together quite nicely. The jumping back and forth is not as confusing as it could have been, and both parts of the story are extremely well-written. The characters are realistic, the storylines interesting, the history fascinating, and, well, every aspect of this book brilliant! The cover is very unique and will draw readers right in. The story inside will not disappoint them, either! GIDEON THE CUTPURSE is the first in a trilogy, and I can't wait for the next two books! ( )

This was a good read for kids. It's not on par with some YA novels that hold the interest of adults and kids alike but I would say ages 3rd to 7th would enjoy it.

http://aftran.wordpress.com/2009/05/1... ( )

This novel is about two modern British kids (12-13 years old) who accidentally get back in time to the 1760s and experience plenty of adventures in their attempts to get back with the help of the (former) cutpurse of the title and other friends they make in the 18th century. However, it’s not just a children’s book. What sets it apart from the general adventure fare are the vivid descriptions and characterizations of 18th century England and its people. It’s a cliché to say that reading a book has made one feel as if one has actually visited the place, but personally I can’t think of any other book off the top of my head that did this for me. And actually getting to visit the country after having read it adds a whole new dimension to the experience.

This novel is the first in a trilogy, but personally I didn’t enjoy the second installment, Time Thief, as much. Most of it takes place either in contemporary London which is described as any other modern city, nothing memorable, or in the revolutionary France, which is depicted as stereotypically as the 18th century England in Gideon the Cutpurse is not. The third and final novel in this trilogy relies heavily on the curious premise that if the American war for independence had been thwarted in 1776, it would never have happened – ever, and even France would have still been a monarchy with a Bourbon on the throne. (One wonders how on earth the Dutch and the English revolutions got under way without the inspiration from across the pond.) There’s also a tendency in the two sequels to let one of the characters play the superman, making idiots of everyone he confronts. However, in spite of my disappointment with the subsequent volumes, I’m very glad I’ve bought the first one. ( )

When Peter's dad puts off his birthday treat (again) because of an important meeting, Peter is forced to spend a day with the Dyer family. Going to see Mr. Dyer's dark matter machine is all fun and games until, Molly, the golden retrever, gets loose. While chasing Molly, Peter and Kate are unexpectantly dumped in 1763 England.
I really liked how Linda Buckley-Archer uses so much discription in the blurring and the 1763 scenery and everything else!
A person who likes history to be bareable and enjoyable would like this book. ( )