The Story of the Amulet

Typical Nesbit fun, but weighed down a by her Fabianism - it got a bit didactic at times. But it was still a fun read, and I enjoyed her take on the complications of time travel.

This one is a bit darker than the others. After all, mother is sick and father is going off to war (it sounds like WWI). It was interesting to see the growth in the boys and the conflict between them and Anthea. I was absolutely disgusted with Jane, who seems to have regressed in age and behavior, but then I decided that it was part of the genius of Nesbit for, after all, don't children react that way when they become stressed? It didn't really change my irritation at her, but I tolerated her whining after that.

I think the end was a bit interesting, different than her others. Was that a sly jab at magical tricks? It was a nice ending to a clever series.

I have not read the prequel to this book, but this book is actually pretty good on its own, though it does refer to a few events in the past book. For the time it was written in, this is actually a pretty great book that in some ways was ahead of its time, with a somewhat sci-fi feel in some parts mixed with the magic. One day I'll read the prequel, this book was so good that the other books in this trilogy should be as well!

The Psammead returns in the life of the children and helps them locate a magical time-traveling Amulet. With this new gift, they travel back in the past to historical places like Babylon, Atlantis, Egypt, etc. and even travel to the future.

Nesbit's research into past cultures is clearly visible in the book. But I didn't enjoy this book as much as the former two. Though this story involves time travel, it is the most dated of the three books and the English "We are superior" mentality of the time reveals itself too strongly. I know it was written in 1906 so I shouldn't really judge it by today's standards but somehow, for this book, I couldn't get past this. There were just too many stereotypes in this book and after a point, it just show more becomes irritating. Rating: 2/5

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The Psammead returns in the life of the children and helps them locate a magical time-traveling Amulet. With this new gift, they travel back in the past to historical places like Babylon, Atlantis, Egypt, etc. and even travel to the future.

Nesbit's research into past cultures is clearly visible in the book. But I didn't enjoy this book as much as the former two. Though this story involves time travel, it is the most dated of the three books and the English "We are superior" mentality of the time reveals itself too strongly. I know it was written in 1906 so I shouldn't really judge it by today's standards but somehow, for this book, I couldn't get past this. There were just too many stereotypes in this book and after a point, it just show more becomes irritating. Rating: 2/5

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Join me on the Facebook group, "Readers Forever!", for more reviews and other book-related discussions and fun. show less

This time the children from "Five Children and It" and "The Phoenix and the Carpet" are traveling through time with the help of a magic amulet. As always, E. Nesbit is a wonderful storyteller, and the children's adventures are interesting and amusing. They travel back 8000 years, visit Babylon, see the destruction of Atlantis, meet Julius Caesar, as well as other adventures, all in order to get their heart's desire, which was the quick return of their parents from a trip away from home. A lovely book.

This book, and Five Children and It, are I think my favourite Nesbit books. I read them over and over again as a child, and wished I could be a character in the story. In fact I tried making some sort of amulet for myself...but it never transported me anywhere :(