Time Ghost

Sheree Haughian is a teacher-librarian in Orangeville, Ontario.

What time is it really at the North Pole? That question, presented like
a clever riddle, provides the intriguing foundation for this time-travel
adventure. Sara and Karl are residents of 21st-century Ottawa, now a
domed city. Along with their two best friends, Josh and Dani, they
accompany their environmentalist grandmother on a mission to the arctic
tundra in an attempt to save the last healthy piece of the planet from a
developer’s plans to drill for oil. The young people also bring other
worries and agendas with them on their journey. Sara is terrified of
life outside a protective cover. Josh is convinced that the North
Pole—the converging point of all time zones—may provide the entrance
to another era. When the right key is discovered, Sara and Dani are
whisked back into the last days of the loon, the final years of the 20th
century.

The time-travel scenario, almost familiar enough to be awarded genre
status in young-adult fiction, is developed with originality and depth
by Katz. For all its probing into the nature of time and history, the
novel never relinquishes its energetic pace. Time Ghost is a fascinating
narrative that reminds us that time may be running out. Highly
recommended.