Me Oh Maya (Time Warp Trio Series) ANNOTATION
Joe, Fred, and Sam find themselves whisked by The Book to the main ring-ball court in Chichin Itza, Mexico in 1000 A.D., where they must play for their lives against a Mayan High Priest who cheats.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Joe, Sam, and Fred have been thrown back in time yet again. This time the Trio find themselves whisked by The Book from a basketball court in Brooklyn to the main ring ball court in Chichén Itzá, Mexico. The year is 1000 a. d. and the rules are a little different. Now the boys are playing for their lives with the Mayan High Priest as their opponent. Will they be able to get home before they learn the true meaning of a sudden death penalty?
Illustrated by Adam McCauley.
Author Biography:
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Susan Hepler, Ph.D.
This thirteenth adventure in the "Time Warp Trio" series has the three guys playing ball in a Mayan ringball court, only if they lose, they forfeit their lives. The story jumps right into the action only pausing in the second chapter to explain how The Book works. Humor, puns, snappy dialogue, an evil priest named Kakapupahed which the boys of course morph to "kakapoopoohead," and other bits make this one fun to read. The boys are captured and assumed dead, but with the help of a Mayan boy Jun and his mother who have a longtime issue to settle with the evil priest, the boys "return from the dead," playing as "Kashmuny Inurface, and Kikbut." They discover that the ball is pure rubber and heavy, but they manage to put it through the ring, steal the high priest's book, The Bookﾽand expect to go home. But one last twist gives the reader another laugh and a lesson in Mayan math. Adam McCauley's stylish drawings owe something to Mayan artwork but more to the edgy modern twist he has also used in the previous four books he has illustrated for the series. It doesn't matter which book you start with to be able to enjoy this one on its own. 2003, Viking, Ages 7 to 10.
School Library Journal
Gr 3-5-The Time Warp Trio takes yet another unscheduled trip to the past. One moment Fred, Sam, and Joe are teasing one another on the basketball court in Brooklyn, and the next, they're playing for their lives on a Mayan ball court. The three boys must rely on their wits, one another, and the kindness of strangers to get out of a dreadful jam. Newly independent readers will find plenty of momentum in the dialogue and action. Scieszka introduces just enough about the Mayan people to set up plenty of puns and even a little bathroom humor. McCauley's cartoons underscore the crazy sense of high adventure. This time-tested formula succeeds again.-Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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