A particular bonus in listening to this audiobook was that, at the end of every chapter, there was played a traditional Irish tune the title of which had something to do with the chapter. ( )

I read the book on cd, and enjoyed the little musical reels that played at the beginning and end of each chapter. Very interesting story about a young boy who saves two worlds by stopping the leak of time between the two. ( )

J.J. Liddy, a young musician and dancer living in the small Irish village of Kinvara, finds that time is becoming scarcer and scarcer in this immensely entertaining work of children's fantasy. When his mother, who is also a musician, asks for more time for her birthday, J.J. sets out to find it, discovering that quite a bit of his world's time has been slipping into the fairy realm of Tír na nÓg, doing damage to both places. As J.J. travels into Tír na nÓg in search of lost time, meeting many unforgettable characters along the way, the new policeman in Kinvara, Garda Larry O’Dwyer, also seeks after something, although he can't quite recall what it is...

As someone who loves both Irish mythology and Irish 'trad' (traditional folk music), I found Kate Thompson's The New Policeman absolutely marvelous, enjoying it from beginning to end. Journey stories of this sort, in which children encounter the figures of fairy and folklore, are well established in the world of Irish children's literature - Patricia Lynch's 1934 The Turf Cutter's Donkey and Pat O'Shea's 1985 The Hounds of the Morrigan are two notable examples - but Thompson manages to do something a little bit different with her tale, in which both human and fairy-folk are on the move. The incorporation of music - I counted at least twenty-three different named tunes and songs, while reading - was also lovely, and made me wish for an accompanying CD! Recommended to anyone who enjoys myth-tinged fantasy fiction, or who has a weakness for Irish music. ( )

When will publishers learn to put a CD in a book??? I am going to find a fiddle player, record the reels and jigs, and put copies in all the books I can find. So there.

I liked this book a lot more after I finished it. The sum of the parts is much greater than the parts themselves. It's a little slow, but good.

It also captures the joy of playing music as well as any other book. My other favorite for that is [book: The Maestro] by [author: Tim Wynne-Jones]. ( )

This is the first book in The New Policeman trilogy. I enjoyed this book; it was a unique middle grade novel that was a blend of fantasy, time travel, faerie, and music elements. It was a quick and easy read that I found really interesting and engaging. This book is a very complete story all on its own.

The people of Kinvara can’t figure out why they are always so pressed for time. Time seems to be literally slipping away from them. When J.J’s mother asks for more time for her birthday J.J. is determined to oblige her. What starts as a quick jaunt to bring a neighbor some cheese quickly turns into an adventure in a different world where time is supposed to stand still.

This story takes awhile to get going. The first hundred pages or so are dedicated to learning about J.J.’s ancestors and their strange musical past. Each chapter has a short piece of music after it (which I did not go and play) about something that was discussed in the preceding chapter.

I enjoyed the writing style. This was a very engaging story, the characters were likable, and I enjoyed J.J.’s close relationship with his family. Once the story got moving I was sucked into the mystery behind the time leak and curious about the other world.

Overall this was a great story. I ended up really enjoying the plot, the characters, and the magic. I would recommend to middle grade and older readers who are interested in faerie and time travel. I am unsure whether or not I will read the next two books in the series; this book wraps up the story nicely and I don’t really need anything more to read right now. ( )