LitPick Review
How do you think it would feel to have a magic calendar that can take you through different dates and months of the year? Incredible, right? Well, this is Roger Tarkington and The Magic Calendar: Time's Up by I. M. Maynard, which is about a young boy named Roger who owned a magic calendar but had to accomplish a mission before the year runs out. Roger Tarkington is a young boy who was privileged to be gifted a calendar. Not any calendar, but a magical one. He has been using it to travel to the past and present, but this time, a different situation appears. He has traveled some days into the future to discover that his house alongside that of his bully, Aiden, was covered in toilet paper. The worst was that the toilet paper belonged to the school! On a quest to find out who was behind it, he travels back to present. Unfortunately, things take a different turn as the calendar has a few days until it runs out. Would Roger be able to complete his mission on time?
Opinion:
First, I was intrigued by the cover page of the book, which had the picture of a scared Roger and the torn magic calendar. On seeing the ripped calendar, I was keen on reading and finding out what had led to that. The book featured some adventures which were brought about by Roger's frequent time travel. The plot was focused on a quest which was to find out the person behind Roger's toilet-papered yard. On page 103, we were introduced to a suspense which was unknown before. It stated that the calendar would run out at the end of the year and Roger was already in the last month! The worst part was that at one point, the calendar was ripped into two by a bully. On reaching this part, I was glued to the book because I wanted to find out the end. The plot was undoubtedly a page-turner and an interesting one.
The characters were young teen students and some adults who were mostly teachers and parents. Roger, the main character, is a normal team except that he has a magic calendar that can take him back in time. Elizabeth Emily Elliot, known as E3 to Roger, is his best friend and an intelligent young girl. Aiden is one character I hated before because of his behavior as a bully, but I began to like him after he and Roger traveled back to their time in elementary school, where they made up and settled their differences. Frankie, Roger's cousin, was another naughty character with his attitude of always pulling various pranks both on Roger and even in school! Apart from these, there were other characters in the book, and they all fulfilled their roles. Places like Jefferson Middle School, Bellingware Elementary School, Roger's home, and other places which were used in the story all matched the activities such as learning and living that took place there. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I can't wait to read the other books in the series.