The action adventure of Gladiator meets the time travel of Doctor Who in the third title of this epic series by bestselling award-winner M. G. Leonard.
Perfect for 8 to 12-year-old fans of Adventures on Trains. Supports the curriculum. Illustrated throughout in black and white by Manuel Šumberac.
'A captivating adventure loaded with history and intrigue' – Abi Elphinstone
''A cracking series with stunning illustrations' – Christopher Edge, bestselling author of Escape Room
'A complete triumph of imagination . . . readers are going to fall in love with this brilliant series' — A. F. Steadman, bestselling author of Skandar
Sim, Jeopardy and Nelson are enjoying an amazing holiday in Rome, until they they are swept up in the mysterious disappearance of world-famous illusionist Kinetic. He vanished during a live broadcast from the Colosseum, but he never reappeared. When Kinetic’s sister finds a strange description in a history book of a gladiator who sounds uncannily like her brother, the friends are determined to help.
They travel through secret time doors to the spectacular — and deadly — Colosseum in Ancient Rome, but can the brave trio survive long enough to find Kinetic and bring him home?
The Impossible Gladiator can be read as a stand-alone novel, or enjoyed as part of the thrilling Time Keys series written by M. G. Leonard. Follow Sim, Jeopardy and Nelson's adventures in Ancient Egypt, Hunt for the Golden Scarab, and Viking Norway in The Legend of Viking Thunder.
Praise for the Time Keys series:
‘Classic and fresh – a breathtaking adventure’ - Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl
‘Fabulous, fast-paced and thrilling’ - Jonathan Stroud, author of the Lockwood & Co. series
‘A thrilling time-travel adventure’ - The Guardian
‘Fast, dramatic, exciting’ - Hannah Gold
‘Thrilling adventure packed with history, mystery and action’ - The Week Junior
About the Author :
M. G. Leonard has made up stories since she was a little girl but back then people called them fibs or tall tales, so she didn’t think to write them down. After a successful career in the music industry and the arts, she finally dared to put pen to paper. Her inventive stories about beetles, birds, and trains are hugely popular. Her books have been translated into over forty languages and won many awards. In this, her most ambitious series yet, M. G. Leonard combines her passion for music, love of history, and instinct for adventure, to bring readers the Time Keys books.
Manuel Šumberac is a Croatian based illustrator and animator. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb where he was drawn towards the fascinating world of illustration. His work has been published and recognized in numerous book illustrations and covers, including The Dalemark Quartet, Orphans of the Tide, The Night Before Christmas and Steampunk Frankenstein, among many others. Manuel creates his illustrations using digital techniques combined with traditional media.
Review :
A captivating adventure loaded with history and intrigue
A cracking series with stunning illustrations
It’s a total belter! Loads of action… I absolutely loved it.
M. G. Leonard has done it again! Another genius thrilling adventure!
A thrilling time-travel adventure for 8+
A note-perfect, time-travelling blockbuster - richly imagined, genuinely fresh . . . A perfect book to open doors for reluctant readers.
Classic and fresh - a breathtaking adventure
Fast, dramatic, exciting
A beautiful concept and a spellbinding, seat-of-the-pants adventure, Hunt for the Golden Scarab is fabulous, fast paced and thrilling. More please!
Utterly transporting, meticulously researched and a complete triumph of imagination. History, time travel and mystery combine in this epic new adventure from one of our best writers . . . I know so many readers are going to fall in love with this new brilliant series.
M.G. Leonard’s epic new Time Keys series is a time-travelling wonder!
Leonard was inspired to write this breathtaking series from her own lifelong passion for music and she certainly hits all the right notes with this all-action opener, fabulously illustrated by Croatian artist Manuel Sumberac.
Tremendous fun! A gripping and rollicking adventure
A captivating time travel adventure – music, magic, martial arts and Ancient Egypt
Absolutely brilliant page-turner. Atmospheric, entertaining and packed to the brim with fascinating facts . . . Loved it
A swashbuckling tale of time travel and derring-do
This thrilling adventure is packed with history, mystery and action
An absolutely incredible story
Leonard never fails to provide engaging adventures with just the right level of peril; and well-drawn bad guys
