Time out of Time: Book One: Beyond the Door

by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Overview

Beyond the Door, the first in the Time Out of Time duet from Maureen Doyle McQuerry, weaves a compelling coming-of-age story with fantasy and mythology. With his love of learning and the game of Scrabble, Timothy James feels like the only person who understands him is his older sister, Sarah, and he’s fairly certain nothing interesting will ever happen to him. But one night, while his parents and sister are away, the door opens, and mythical creatures appear in his own living room! Soon, a mystery of unparalleled proportions begins to unfold, revealing an age-old battle of Light against Dark, and Timothy must embark on a quest to prevent the Dark from controlling the future and changing the past. But he can’t complete the quest alone. Timothy has to team up with his sister and the school bully, Jessica, to face an ancient evil, and in the process, this unlikely trio discover they are each more than meets the eye.

Praise for Time Out of Time
STARRED REVIEW
"McQuerry’s compelling narrative races forward, immersing the reader in its lyrical mysteries."
—Booklist, starred review

"McQuerry smoothly blends adventure, coming-of-age, and mystery with a mythological world where special academic and problem-solving talents
are required assets rather than nerd-bait for bullies. The characters are charming, and the quirky, supernatural good guys are compassionate and forgiving."
—VOYA

"A promising start to a fantasy series mines the rich ore of Celtic mythology and propels a young boy into cosmic battle."
—Kirkus Reviews

"A sense of wonder and worry permeates the narrative, evocative of The Dark Is Rising or the work of Neil Gaiman, and the cliffhanger ending will leave readers clamoring for more."
—Publishers Weekly

"Fantasy addicts will find plenty to like in Beyond the Door, and it is beautifully designed with Ogham code (early Irish alphabet) at the bottom of the pages for kids to decipher while they are waiting for the next instalment."
—School Library Journal

Customer Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419714931
Publisher:	Amulet Paperbacks
Publication date:	05/12/2015
Series:	Time out of Time Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.25(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Maureen Doyle McQuerry is an award-winning poet, author, and teacher. She has taught for 20 years, specializing in young adult literature and writing. She has published two nonfiction books and numerous poems, and was the 2000 McAuliffe Fellow for Washington State. She is the author of The Peculiars. She lives in Richland, Washington.

Editorial Reviews

03/24/2014
In this lively, mythology-steeped middle-grade adventure, which launches the Time Out of Time series, McQuerry (The Peculiars) pits three children against a host of troubles mostly derived from Celtic folklore and legend. Eleven-year-old Timothy Maxwell, his older sister Sarah, and his classmate Jessica Church are swept into the ongoing struggle between Light and Dark, encountering such allies as the goddess Cerridwyn and a star in human shape, as well as enemies like the malevolent, one-eyed Balor. In their first adventure, the three battle Herne and the Wild Hunt, who has chosen one of them as his prey. Six months later, they travel to a mythical market to find a cure for Timothy and Sarah's deathly ill mother, where they discover why they were targeted in the first place. McQuerry weaves mythical and mundane elements together in a rich, complex fashion, enhancing them with layers of atmosphere and suspense. A sense of wonder and worry permeates the narrative, evocative of The Dark Is Rising or the work of Neil Gaiman, and the cliffhanger ending will leave readers clamoring for more. Ages 10–14. Agent: Sandra Bishop, MacGregor Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

In this page-turner, coming-of-age fantasy, twelve-year-old Timothy, his thirteen-year-old sister Sarah, and twelve-year-old Jessica, a school bully, are pulled into an ancient mythological battle between the Light and the Dark in which they must save themselves, each other, and the world. Timothy and Jessica share an acquaintance, Mrs. Clapper, who transforms into Cerridwyn, an Irish goddess. Cerridwyn guides Timothy to his destiny as the Filidh, “keeper of the word and wisdom.” Timothy enlists a skeptical Sarah after he meets the personifications of good and evil in his living room. Jessica is drawn into the quest as she acknowledges her destructive personal choices and the abilities she has hidden to stay popular. Timothy encounters many helpers on his journey, but their help usually comes with another challenge. The less-than-happy conclusion leaves unsolved problems for the next volume. The “Note to the Reader” presents the Ogham “Tree Alphabet,” a central backdrop for the story, and McQuerry invites the reader to decipher Ogham messages she leaves on the bottom of pages. McQuerry smoothly blends adventure, coming-of-age, and mystery with a mythological world where special academic and problem-solving talents are required assets rather than nerd-bait for bullies. The characters are charming, and the quirky, supernatural good guys are compassionate and forgiving. The bad ones are horrific. It is great fun with a thoughtful message and consequently, it is a highly recommended addition to any middle school collection. Reviewer: Lucy Schall; Ages 11 to 14.

VOYA, February 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 6) - Lucy Schall

Adventuresome is the last word eleven-year-old Scrabble-obsessed Timothy James Maxwell would use to describe himself. Bullied at school because of his bookish tendencies, Timothy only has one friend: his ballerina sister, Sarah. One night when Sarah and his parents are at a dance recital, Timothy sees a magical visitor in his front yard, and his adventures begin. Timothy and his sister are accompanied by Timothy’s classmate, Jessica, who is smarter than she lets on, and they are swept up in an ages-old battle. This conflict between light and dark continues throughout the course of the story, but the situations Timothy and his gang take part in are dynamic and perilous. Full of mystery, adventures, and Celtic lore, McQuerry’s newest title will not disappoint middle grade and junior high readers. This is the first in a series, so there is a lot of world-building and background information. Lower-level and reluctant readers may have a hard time keeping track of all the exciting happenings. A clever detail in this title is a code comprised of symbols derived from primitive Irish script. Brainy tweens and teens seeking a challenge, like Timothy, will have a great time deciphering it. While the story is jam-packed with twists and turns, the author never loses sight of the main characters, and their development throughout the course of the tale is spot-on and detailed. This is a must-read, and readers will eagerly anticipate the upcoming sequel. Reviewer: Morgan Brickey; Ages 11 to 15.

VOYA, August 2014 (Vol. 37, No. 3) - Morgan Brickey

05/01/2014
Gr 4–6—When Timothy leaves the door open one night, strange and menacing creatures enter the house. Suddenly his elderly babysitter has morphed into the tall and beautiful goddess Cerridwyn, the park bike paths have turned into forests with portways into another time, the trees are walking, the birds and animals are talking, and middle-school bully Jessica is helping Timothy and his older sister, Sarah, fight off the evil agents of the Dark. McQuerry's slightly dated hero seems as if he, too, is out of another time. Described as a nerd, Timothy likes to spend time at the library and has an annoying habit of analyzing the Scrabble score of any word in his mind instead of dealing with urgent and potentially life-threatening confrontations. (But he doesn't appear to know that the game has only one Z tile!) The story is a little confusing and a bit hokey, mixing obscure Celtic mythology, the King Arthur story, Morris dancers, a Travelers's Market, and magical beasties. The action often stops for backstory infodumps, and there is a disconcerting six-month or so lag between Part 1 and Part 2. And cruelly, McQuerry ends on an absolute cliff-hanger, with Sarah now unwillingly experiencing life as an ermine and Timothy racing to her rescue on the back of his giant magical wolf-taxi. Still, fantasy addicts will find plenty to like in Beyond the Door, and it is beautifully designed with Ogham code (early Irish alphabet) at the bottom of the pages for kids to decipher while they are waiting for the next instalment.—Jane Barrer, United Nations International School, New York City

School Library Journal

2014-01-29
A promising start to a fantasy series mines the rich ore of Celtic mythology and propels a young boy into cosmic battle. Timothy James Maxwell props open his front door to see what might happen on a March evening, and the strangers who drop in are unexpectedly otherworldly. McQuerry sends her young characters—Tim, his sister and his classmate Jessica (whose prettiness and queen-bee status torment him)—into the conflict between Light and Dark and into the territory made familiar in Susan Cooper's Dark Is Rising quintet. There is the Greenman, the horned huntsman, a Celtic warrior in wolf form, even a May Day sacrifice complete with Morris dancers. Tim's elderly babysitter, Mrs. Clapper, becomes Cerridwyn the huntress, explaining that Tim and his companions are now caught up in an ongoing cosmic story: "Before all things and after all things the story is." Jessica's role in the May Day sacrifice and Tim's substitution for her in the wild hunt put both of them in dangerous proximity to Balor, an emissary of the Dark. References to quantum physics and to the way that time might seem "like water pouring off a tabletop, flowing in all directions at once," emphasize the simultaneous presence of the mythic and everyday life. An Ogham-based code explained in an opening note runs along the bottoms of the pages for readers to decipher. Sure-handed and page-turning, this series opener leaves plenty to be resolved. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews