Review: Time Travellers: Secrets and Spies

I really enjoyed Time Travellers:  Adventure Calling so was eager to read the second book in this exciting series of historical timeslip adventures:    Secrets and Spies.

Suhana and best friends, Mia and Ayaan, are exploring Edinburgh during the Easter holidays.  As it is raining, they head in to the Museum of Scotland where they meet a tour guide who tells them about the origins of the East India Company and shares that items taken are now part of a collection in Edinburgh Castle.  Visiting the Castle, the three friends see an Indian sword with a tiger head and an amulet holder, but then Suhana’s phone alarm rings … and the friends find themselves spinning backwards through time … and into another time travelling adventure …

This time, the team find themselves in 1799 Seringapatam, India with a new mission:  to save a young princess.   Finding themselves inside a fort, they climb the walls to see thousands of tents, cannon guns and war elephants:  the fort and Sultan’s palace is under siege by troops from the East India Company. 

When they are disturbed by a young soldier, they find an ally in Imran who takes them to the royal palace where they see Sultan Tipu and learn of his resistance to the invaders, but is someone prepared to betray the Sultan and his family for their own greed?  Can the time travellers complete their mission and save the princess before the fort is breached by those intent on ending any resistance to Imperial Rule?  And, will the team return safely home to share this forgotten history with others? 

This is another brilliant adventure with plenty of fast-paced action, danger and discoveries as the children work together to save the young princess and get her to safety as they are confronted with the exploitation, disrespect and violence of the East India Company towards the Indian people.  Bengal tigers, secret passages, betrayal, and daring escapades make this a thrilling read as well as one which teaches readers about British colonialism in India. 

I really enjoyed the strong friendship which has developed between Suhana, Mia and Ayaan which makes them a great time travelling team.  The friends are courageous and determined, and are prepared to take risks to complete their mission which leads to both danger and discoveries.  They all show respect for the beliefs and culture of those they meet which is in stark contrast to how the Indian people are treated by the colonial powers forcibly expanding into their country.

There is a wonderful section at the end of the book which gives more information about the British Empire and colonialism as well as sharing more information about Tipu Sultan and one of his ancestors who played an important and heroic role in the Second World War.

This is another fantastic adventure in this time-travelling series which is perfect for children of 8+ to both enjoy as an exciting adventure and to learn more about important aspects of our diverse history which are not well known. 

Thank you to Little Tiger for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.