Module 8: Time Warp Trio - Marco? Polo!

Summary:
The Time Warp Trio consists of Joe, Fred, and Sam, Joe being the protagonist and the one narrating the story. The Trio stumbled upon a special book that has the uncanny ability of 'warping' the boys to another time period without any rhyme or reason and without any sort of warning. This time, the innocent swimming pool game, Marco Polo triggers the mystical book and sends Joe and his compatriots back in time to 13th century China where they meet the real Marco Polo and must weasel their way into the good graces of the Chinese emperor and his council or risk being stranded in the past forever, or worse, find themselves deceased.

Scieszka, J. (2006). Time warp trio: Marco? Polo! New York, NY: Viking Press.

Review: School Library Journal
This installment in the series takes Joe, Sam, and Fred over the Silk Road into China. As it opens, the infamous blue Book transports Joe from the pool of his local YMCA to the desert where he meets Marco Polo, who is on his way to meet Kublai Khan. The boy is reunited with his friends only after rescuing himself and Marco Polo from bandits and a sandstorm. He also teaches the explorer how to play the game named after him, which provides for some very funny moments. The book concludes with a description of the animals in the Chinese Zodiac. This title is as rich in historical detail as it is in humor and will have special appeal to reluctant readers.

 Meulen, K. (2006). Time warp trio: Marco? Polo! School Library Journal, 52(12), 116.

My Impressions:
The Time Warp Trio series is a fun, light-hearted historical fiction series that's great for younger readers and/or reluctant readers who prefer non-fiction but still need to be entertained and persuaded to read. Jon Scieszka is a master at inserting humor into his books as well as goofy, kid-friendly illustrations that make the narrative and its speaker that much funnier. The information presented throughout was useful and informative without being tedious or over-detailed. If the intention of this book, and whole series in fact, is to provide a basic introduction of historical figures and events, then this series is great and distracts readers from the serious learning they're doing by means of humor and adventure.

Library Use:
The Time Warp Trio is a great series for students to use as mentor texts that provide context for writing about a situation where you are not in  your element or able to comprehend what is going on around you. Students could use the example of the Time Warp Trio as inspiration for summarizing most important information about a historical figure and and humanize them as a real person while doing so. Students can create their own extension by imagining themselves being dropped in a foreign land and time period. They can write their experiences through a similar narrative and use biographical and other non-fiction texts in the library to fuel and expand their research. That type of assignment is a great opportunity for showing students how to synthesize their ideas and use the Dewey Decimal classification system to their advantage.