Locked in Time
| Author | Lois Duncan |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult Suspense |
| Publisher | Little Brown |
Publication date | April 1985 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 242 pages |
| ISBN | 978-0-316-19555-3 |
| OCLC | 11623085 |
| LC Class | PZ7.D9117 Lo 1985 |
Locked in Time is a novel by Lois Duncan, first published in 1985. This book is categorized as a suspense novel for young adults. The story centers around a seventeen-year-old girl[1] who attends a boarding school and whose mother recently died. The story is written solely from the protagonist's point of view[2] and takes place in modern-day and primarily at her stepmother's Confederate-era plantation.
Plot summary
Seventeen-year-old Nore Robbins is less than thrilled when her father, Chuck, remarries. After all, her mother hasn't even been gone for a year yet, and there's something odd and sinister about his new wife, Lisette. Besides the fact that Lisette Berge is much too young to have teenage children, Nore's stepsister, Josie, has a habit of making strange comments about her family being "stuck where they are" and time "not counting for anything."Josie also has a precocious manner, flirts with boys, and wears too much makeup. She hesitates to pry into the matter. When Nore discovers Lisette's old diaries in the shed—some dating back to the 19th century—she realizes that she and her father are in terrible danger. The question is, can they leave Shadow Grove without meeting the very fate the Berges have worked so hard to bring on them? Dave now will help Nore to figure this out.
Major themes
The story's teenaged protagonist, Nore, must deal with her mother's death, her father's re-marriage, and the new stepmother, stepbrother, and stepsister. Her stepmother's name is Lisette, her stepbrother's name is Gabe, and her stepsister's name is Josie. The stepbrother falls in love with Nore. Nore also has dreams that include warnings from her deceased mother. Nore ignores the warning but strange things happen, and her curiosity leads to the discovery of a terrible secret. Characters in the novel must deal with the concepts of aging, death, eternal youth and everlasting life.[3]
Awards and nominations
- ALA "Quick Pick"
- Jr. Literary Guild, 1985
- IRA-CBC "Children's Choice"
- Nevada Young Readers Award, 1988
- South Carolina Young Adult Book Award, 1988
- Tennessee Young Readers Award, 1989–90
Footnotes
- ↑ "Lock in Time". "Englisch am LPM" (in German). Retrieved 2007-03-15. Archived June 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Jr. J. "Locked in Time". Building Rainbows. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ↑ "Teacher Guides". Author's site. Retrieved 2007-03-16.