The Time Museum has been on the TBR list for a while now. I finally got around to picking it up after it fell on the floor (after all, it was in my hand). I went at this book without a lot of pre-knowledge other than Matthew Loux had a book that had a girl in it, there was going to be some science fiction by the looks of things and was probably funny as the cover image did not look a 100% serious. I figured it was the light read I was looking for.
And it was mostly a light read. It had a slow start and a slightly obvious story but was also interesting enough to keep me reading. Maybe it has a few heavily borrowed from other science fiction images and plot points (I kept looking for a Tardis and The Librarians TV show, not to mention The Magic Tree House, came to mind a few times) but still unique enough to show Loux was not stealing but continuing the genre in their own way. The story is about friendship and working together means you can get your goals easier, you will make mistakes and Uncle Lyndon is a time traveler who invented a time museum.
There are a few plot point holes such our main character Delia has parents who are casually okay with leaving her by herself to find a magical museum and leave their son in the gift shop (I am assuming he is not aware of the magical aspect of things as he is a stereotypical little brother who probably cannot keep a secret). There are holes in the backgrounds of the five other characters (which might be explored in other books) and other small points that probably only will matter to the adult reader. The 10 to 14-year-old will not even blink I am sure. And then there is the “grandfather clause” that is only really mentioned once (if you accidentally burn the Alexandria Library down a few years before it is supposed to, things could get messy). But overall the serious of time traveling, the villain and possibly changing history is more light-hearted than not. And while I was not thinking it was the best book ever, I was enjoying the experience and looking forward to the sequels at some point.
The art is where things are not traditionally ordinary. They are realistic-cartoon, with perfect use of color, lines and details to show the characters, personality, rainbow-colored-Fabio-locked T-Rex’s (and I don’t mean the band) and action. The characters are fleshed out, but nothing is overly detailed. Things are pretty simple but not simplistic. Illustration reading is important as they give to the plot as much as the text. They are what you expect for a middle-grade graphic novel.
Everything about this book is comfortable. There is a little bit of everything and is not a “boy or girl” book. There are sports, adventure, mystery, poetry, dinosaurs, robots, kiwis and lots of obvious and subtle humor, too. I did not have to have a deep philosophical conversation with myself, but it was not total fluff. The Time Museum helped the adult me wind down and the kid me get excited to read.