I was prompted to read this young person's novel after sitting in on a key stage 3 English class studying the book at a school in Southend, during a visit last week as part of my job. It's a time travel novel, a genre I always love, involving a boy and girl, Freddy and Polly, from 1956 who are kept in cryogenic suspension and accidentally revived in the modern day (2009 when this was written) by two other children to whom they are related, Ben and Rachel. It involves international espionage and missing scientists, but is first and foremost a study of how Freddy and Polly cope with life in the twenty-first century and their hilarious misunderstandings. As such, it is not only a great adventure story, with a very dramatic and tense final few chapters in particular, but also teaches young readers that things haven't always been as they are now, some things may be better, some may be worse. Very good. ( )

Loved it!

Great fast paced story! Couldn't put it down until I finished. Part Sci-Fi, Part Spy novel, and Part Mystery! Fantastic combination! ( )

Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com

Ben and Rachel Carter's summer with their scientist uncle goes from dull to amazing when they discover an underground vault. Hidden in a secret room within the vault are two children, Freddy and Polly Emerson, who have been Frozen in Time.

The four children try to find out what happened to Dr. Emerson (Freddy and Polly's father), but Freddy and Polly may not live to find answers. There are people who want the past to stay buried, and the further the children delve into the past, the more their futures are in danger.

This is a fun book full of adventure and excitement. I enjoyed the blend of past and present throughout the novel. Sparkes does a great job of creating engaging characters and a believable storyline. The plot had plenty of twists and turns to keep me flipping the pages. ( )

Blue Peter book of the Year for 9- 12 yo. Great story about Poppy and Freddy frozen in time in 1950's and being woken up in 2009. ( )