Author: Kesha Rushing
Publisher: Kea Publishing (self-published)
Pages: 2085
Review copy: Digital Edition via author
Availability: For purchase online
Summary: Eleven-year-old Terrell and his eight year-old sister, KeKe, are time-travelers. It’s the end of school year, their parents have been having financial troubles and they had to leave their friends in Chicago to spend the summer with their grandparents in small-town Tennessee. An entire summer with a sassy, annoying little sister following his every step?! This may be Terrell’s most boring summer ever. Or, will it? The woods behind his grandparents’ house are deep, dark and forbidden - the perfect place for an adventure. The pair discover a hidden cabin and a trunk full of books that will lead them on a whirlwind adventure through time. Their second stop? The march from Selma to Montgomery led by great leaders from the Civil Rights Movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King. On their journey, they will experience danger, fear and courage in their pursuit of equality. Terrell & KeKe’s Adventures Through Time is a spell-binding series that transports readers to world events from the past and future. Travel with this brother and sister as they learn more about history, and themselves, on their journeys around the globe.
Review: This is the second book of the series and was even more riveting than the first. Traveling the Underground Railroad was the beginning of the series and I reviewed it here.
Terrell and Keke are a brother and sister team who fuss at each other sometimes, but ultimately work well together. There are moments of humor, but this is not a lighthearted book. In this adventure, they end up in the midst of the preparations for the march from Selma to Montgomery. They experience some very tense and racist interactions with police and are in various other difficult situations. Terrell and Keke are seeing how racism is literally killing some people.
They also get to meet prominent people in the civil rights movement. John Lewis is there and tells them, "But young brother, where there's a will there's a way. Believe that. We can knock down all walls before us, no matter how big."
What I appreciate the most is that Terrell and Keke see these events and turn to trusted adults for answers. In this way, readers may see things that seem scary and horrible, but they also get some context and explanation. They learn about what the adults are doing and why. Michael, one of the trusted adults explains, "Until the value of our lives is just as important to everyone else as it is to us, we will always be seen as less than. To be honest, it sometimes gets very exhausting trying to make others see the beauty, brilliance, and resilience in us."
Recommendation: This is a great historical fiction series that digs into our past. It would be an excellent way to start some quality discussions about our history, our present, and the future of our country.
