Lost Time

by Susan Maupin Schmid

A space age mystery! Twelve-year-old Violynne Vivant wants answers. Orphaned and anguished, she wonders daily what happened to her parents, archaeologists who went digging for the ancient city of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399244603
• ISBN13: 9780399244605
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Length: 169 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

An involving read.

Susan Maupin Schmid's LOST TIME tells of pre-teen Violynne, who is orphaned and wonders what happened to her parents, archaeologists who vanished during a dig. When a thief breaks into the house seeking her, she's involved in a host of spooky events that may provide clues to her parents' disappearance and the mystery revolving around them. High school readers will find it an involving read.

Excellent Tale

I'm not a huge fan of the science fiction genre because most writers seem to be more interested in the gadgetry and alien beings than in the characters. Ms. Schmid avoided those pitfalls and gives us an engaging tale of a young woman in search of answers. It's partly a mystery, partly a thriller, and wholly a fine heroic quest. It's inevitable than any writer of books for teens will be compared to J.K. Rowling. While this is a slim book (compared to the Harry Potter tomes), the quality of Ms. Schmid's writing is as imaginative and engaging as anything produced by the accomplished Rowling. Schmid creates a very believable "other" world populated with fully developed characters. The story takes off like a rocket and keeps moving forward. Most teens should like the book (even if adults do, too!).

Imaginative and Fun

Lost Time is an engaging and cleverly written book. I am always on the look out for interesting and positive female protagonist, especially in the science fiction genre, and Violynne is a gem!

entertaining young adult science fiction thriller

Few humans reside on the planet Lindos; Alexander and Viola Vivant and their daughter Violynne are some of the few. Violynne's parents are archeologists seeking sites with Croon artifacts left behind by a vast empire that has since vanished over a millennium ago. She is worried and frightened because her parents disappeared a year ago and even the planetary scanner cannot locate them. Currently Violynne lives with her butler Einhart and her Aunt Madelyn. One night someone breaks into their house stealing her father's violin. The family believes the ruler of the planet the Arbiter of Lyrling sanctioned the theft. The Arbiter invites the family to a party; once there Violynne snoops around until she finds her father's thought pack that he took to the dig. Only she can open it, but the Arbiter wants to control her. He arrests her aunt to force her hand, but Violynne instead goes into hiding as she is caught between the Arbiter and the real ruler the Coil. Each has a different agenda that holds in common using Violynne, but she wants to find her parents apparently LOST IN TIME. This is an entertaining young adult science fiction thriller. The diverse alien species are fully developed yet it is easy to understand their motives as each of the races want to make Violynne play their tune. LOST TIME is filled with enough action to keep audience interest, but it is the manipulations of Violynne by the various species that makes this a fun outer space thriller. Harriet Klausner

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Violynne is twelve years old and living on the planet Lindos. Her parents disappeared a year ago while searching for the lost civilization of the Croon. She lives in an unique house shaped like a crescent moon with her butler, Einhart, and her Aunt Madelyn. Then one day her house gets robbed, and they get an invitation to go to the capital city to attend the Perpetuity Masquerade Ball. This ball is given by the Arbiter, the supreme ruler of the planet. Violynne doesn't want to go because she thinks that the Arbiter is the one who made her parents disappear. When they get to the capital city, havoc erupts. Violynne is amazed to discover that her butler and her aunt aren't who she thinks they are, and suddenly she ends up alone and determined to find her parents. I enjoyed this book immensely. There are great sci-fi names such as the Coil, Raki, Croon, Quashers, Lyrling, Aros, and Arguaylan. There are brilliant sci-fi gadgets, too. They have thoughtbooks, flying cars, houses that can think, time portals, and planet-wide rules and edicts. That makes it interesting, but what makes it real is that you fall in love with the heroine. You hope that she will find her parents because the love between them is genuine. I have read a lot of sci-fi in my life, and what makes a good science fiction tale is the humanism of the characters. This book had it all. It was a very good story! Reviewed by: Marta Morrison