Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/30/2025
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location
The Literary Bookbar
Categories
Join UIUC grad and children’s author Carol Fisher Saller on April 30 at 6 PM at The Literary Bookbar for the release event of her new middle-grade time-travel novel, which is largely set on campus.
In The Time-Jinx Twins, identical twin sisters find themselves trapped in 1970 Chicago after accidentally activating their physicist mother’s time machine. They travel to Champaign to seek help from Mom’s mentor, a character based on U of I’s real-life physicist Lorella M. Jones, the first woman to receive tenure in the College of Engineering. The story’s climax features the protagonists clinging to the top of the Altgeld chimes tower, forced to either hand over their time machine or jump!
The novel follows 12-year-old twins Ellie and Kat as they navigate the past and attempt to return home while learning to trust each other after years of separation. Publishers Weekly Booklife describes the book as a “clever, captivating time-travel adventure. . . . Endearing.”
Carol’s previous children’s books have garnered numerous accolades, including recognition as Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, Bank Street Best, Horn Book Recommended Poetry, the Carl Sandburg Award for Children’s Literature, and the 2024 Midland Authors Award for Children’s Fiction.
The Time-Jinx Twins is intended for readers ages 8–12 and is the first installment in a planned series.
At the book launch event, children will be invited to create their own hand-held time machine, just like the one that gets Ellie and Kat in so much trouble.
The event is free and open to all.
Please remember that events may be canceled or rescheduled last minute due to unpredictable weather or other factors. We encourage you to reach out to event organizers before heading out to an event to verify it is still happening.
