People of the Sun

by Ben Gartner

Overview

⭐️ Gold Recipient, Mom's Choice Awards Honoring Excellence

⭐️ First Place, Gertrude Warner Middle Grade Awards

⭐️ Bronze Medal, 2022 International Readers' Favorite Awards

The explosive reveal about who John and Sarah really are and why they're traveling through time, with their most gut-wrenching challenge yet. In the time of the Aztec, a scoundrel named Cortés arrives and the kids are forced to make an extremely difficult decision: If you could change history, should you?

For more twists, more danger, and more fun, read the third book in The Eye of Ra series, People of the Sun!

"An SF-infused tale that proves both entertaining and educational."

-Kirkus Reviews

*****

"Middle-grade readers with a love of high-stakes fantasy will be pleased with this time-crossed historical adventure."

-BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly

*****

"The epic reveal we've been waiting for with the biggest stakes yet! You'll be breathlessly turning pages until the very end..."

-Sam Subity, author of The Last Shadow Warrior

*****

"Thought-provoking, compelling, and exquisitely designed, this is a satisfying conclusion to the Eye of Ra series and is a highly recommended addition to libraries for advanced middle grade readers."

-Mary Lanni, book blogger, librarian, and reviewer for School Library Journal.

*****

"People of the Sun is full of history, adventure, suspense and time travel! Kids will be lining up to read this!"

-Stacy Alfano, 5th grade teacher

*****

"People of the Sun is an amazing read that keeps you on the edge of your seat! I loved the first two books in the series, and this was my favorite."

-Emmie Enchanted, kid blogger

*****

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781734155280
Publisher:	Crescent Vista Press
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Series:	The Eye of Ra , #3
Pages:	262
Sales rank:	653,579
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.59(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ben Gartner is the award-winning author of The Eye of Ra adventure series for middle graders. His books take readers for a thrilling ride, maybe even teaching them something in the meantime. Ben can be found living and writing near the mountains with his wife and two boys. Learn more at BenGartner.com

Editorial Reviews

09/27/2021

Time-traveling siblings Sarah and John return in the spirited third installment in Gartner’s Eye of Ra series. As their family prepares to move across the country again, Sarah and John are kidnapped by a mysterious older man and woman. The young protagonists discover that their ability to move through time comes from a technology that will be developed in 2049—though things will go awry during a product demonstration, thanks to a solar flare in the atmosphere, severely altering reality by scattering the audience across the past. Now, Sarah and John must again save the day, by returning the audience members to the future—and restoring their “story line” before it ceases to exist.

This adventure takes the young siblings to 1519, when Hernán Cortés arrives on the shores of what is now Mexico, and one castaway from 2049 attempts to prevent the fall of the Aztec Empire. These circumstances allow Gartner to vividly recreate ancient Aztec society while more deeply exploring the protagonists’ growth. Rich historic detail breathes fresh life into this new adventure, As Gartner goes beyond name checking gods and historical figures to highlight resplendent Aztec clothing and a currency system that values items like cacao. Meanwhile, Sarah and John must come to grips with what it means to control only what’s actually within their grasp–with a duty to preserve the past while still trying to prevent their story line from disappearing.

With apparent ease, Gartner weaves the story through time, space, and back again. The exposition on the science of time travel tangled with surprise revelations on occasion feels a bit heavy but manages not to impede the adventure’s fast-paced energy. Although such a burden of responsibility would be unrealistic for actual 10- or 12-year-olds, Gartner balances the difficult decisions the protagonists face with humor—even appealing to video game aficionados by using rogue-like game strategies in battle.

Takeaway: Middle-grade readers with a love of high-stakes fantasy will be pleased with this time-crossed historical adventure.

Great for fans of: P.B. Kerr’s Children of the Lamp series, Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series.

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: a Illustrations: N/A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews

Praise for The Eye of Ra series

⭐️ Gold Recipient, Mom's Choice Awards Honoring Excellence

⭐️ Silver Medal in Children's Adventure, 2020 International Readers' Favorite Awards

⭐️ Award-winning Finalist, Next Generation Book Awards

⭐️ 1st Place in both Children's Adventure AND Grades 4th-6th, 2020 TopShelf Awards

⭐️ Grand Prize Winner, Colorado Author Project

⭐️ 1st Place, Gertrude Warner Middle Grade Fiction Award

"An engaging, eventful, history-based fantasy with realistic protagonists and an enjoyable, twist-filled plot." -Kirkus Reviews on The Eye of Ra

"Once again, Gartner deftly weaves real-life history into a compelling adventure, offering high-stakes, realistic danger and vivid scene-setting." -Kirkus Reviews on Sol Invictus

"Gartner's middle grade time-travel adventure is a rollicking ride . . . this adventure novel hits the sweet spot. " - BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly on The Eye of Ra

"Gartner has a knack for action and creating compelling historical personalities . . . Middle readers who treasure ancient history with a side of adventure will welcome this fantasy story." -BookLife Reviews by Publishers Weekly on Sol Invictus

"Gartner's narrative voice complements the book's brisk pacing and heightens its unending action...The book echoes the same adventure-driven narrative of Percy Jackson and the Olympians but with its own Roman twist. However, Gartner skillfully embellishes a narrow glimpse of history that is typically studied for its grander narrative." -BookLife Prize, 2021 on Sol Invictus

"Ben Gartner has a gift for capturing details of the past and weaving a story that brings the adventure out of history. This series creates a love of history and learning with the wonder and excitement that the siblings find when they travel back in time." -Readers' Favorite

"Fun, action-packed read, with a healthy dose of historical facts. Kids will be hooked on this one!" -Adam Perry, author of The Magicians of Elephant County

"A heartwarming and fun action adventure novel for the whole family. Full of interesting historical tidbits and fun mishaps, The Eye of Ra keeps the pages turning. An excellent read! " -Kerelyn Smith, author of Mulrox and the Malcognitos

"With tons of action, humor, excellent character development, and historical details that will make you feel like you've been swept back in time too, this is sure to be a winner for middle grade readers." -Sam Subity, author of The Last Shadow Warrior

"The Eye of Ra is a delightfully quick and smart magical tour of ancient Egypt, giving middle grade readers an educational survey from the perspective of a modern kid without ever feeling like a lecture." -Jason Henderson, author of Young Captain Nemo

"This book was awesome! The book captivated me." -10-year-old book blogger from Fantastic Books and Where to Find Them

From the Publisher

2021-08-25
Time-traveling siblings race to save the world’s future by restoring historical events in this third installment of a middle-grade fantasy series.

After discovering the eye of Ra, Sarah and her younger brother, John, traveled through time and space to ancient lands. They embarked on adventures and saved the planet, so now they can be typical kids in California—if their mom scores a teaching gig there. But apparently there’s more for the siblings to do. Two aging, time-traveling strangers show up and ask for their help. In 2049, a solar flare interrupts a demonstration of a time-slowing device. This catastrophic event not only wipes out the future beyond 2049, but also transports people at the demonstration into the past. Toci, a woman in early-16th-century Mexico, plans to lead the Aztecs in defeating Cortés before he slaughters them. Sadly, this tragedy must occur, as it’s a consequential part of history’s “story lines.” Sarah and John travel back in time to stop Toci, but this smart and resourceful Aztec scholar has already anticipated innovative adversaries and is determined to take down Cortés. Gartner wisely simplifies his briskly paced tale, which zeroes in on a single “mission.” Along with lessening potential time-traveling complications, the move paves the way for additional quests in future volumes. This book is primed for younger readers, highlighting real-life customs and places as well as the Aztecs’ Nahuatl language (with helpful phonetic spellings trailing certain words). The author, meanwhile, paints a sublime portrait of old Mexico and its people: “Canoes drifted on canals like the pictures he’d seen of Venice in Italy….Farther out into the lake, men cast nets and brought up flopping silver fish, their scales sparkling in the sun.” As in earlier installments, the author includes a recipe—xocolatl, a spicy, nonsweet hot chocolate Toci deems an “acquired taste.”

An SF–infused tale that proves both entertaining and educational.

Kirkus Reviews