See You Later, Gladiator (The Time Warp Trio Series #9) »

Jon Scieszka is the author of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, the Time Warp Trio series, The Stinky Cheese Man, and a truckload of other books that inspire kids to want to read. His work as an elementary school teacher and as founder of a literacy initiative for boys (www.guysread.com) drove him to create Trucktown, a crazy, fun action series for the youngest readers.

Everyone's favorite time-travelers are changing their style! The Time Warp Trio® series now features brand-new, eye-catching art in a modern design, sure to appeal to longtime fans and those new to Jon Scieszka's wacky brand of humor.

Alan Review

This is the next book in a series about three time traveling boys—Joe, Sam, and Fred—who find adventure by falling into a magic "Book." This story transports this trio to ancient Rome where the boys find themselves enrolled in a gladiator school. While trying to stay out of fights with various gladiators, the young trio is desperately trying to find the "Book," which will also transport them back home. When the boys enlist the help of a Professor, the boys are, unfortunately, promptly captured. Soon, the boys and the professor are scheduled to fight, but the time warp trio cons the Emperor into letting them perform a wrestling match instead, which meets the approval of the ancient Roman spectators. Finally, the boys sneak away from the gladiator arena and hide in the Temple of Vesta to avoid the gladiators who are searching for them. In time, an ancient Roman priestess finds them, and returns their "Book," and the famed trio returns safely home. As Roman tradition says, it was foretold that time travelers would return to claim their missing volume on the first day of the ancient Roman games — and so it happens. Scieszka has written another of one his satirical children stories — one appreciated by students of all ages. Genre: Fantasy/Adventure. 2000,The Penguin Group, 87 pp., $14.99. Ages 8 up. Reviewer: Barbara Wilcox; Merritt Island, Florida