Tunnels of Terror

10 December 2021

Tunnels of Terror: Moose Jaw Time Travel Adventure #2
by Mary Harelkin Bishop
Published by DriverWorks Ink and emmbee ink
Review by Michelle Shaw
$19.95 ISBN 9781927570678

It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the Moose Jaw Time Travel adventure series was first published. Tunnels of Terror is the second book of the series to be rereleased and updated and will definitely captivate a new generation of readers.

Tunnels of Terror takes place about a year after the events in the first book, Tunnels of Time. The book begins with Andrea and her younger brother Tony on the bus to Moose Jaw to spend some time with their grandparents and Great Aunt Bea. The last thing Andrea wants to do is return to the city where she was catapulted back in time and forced to deal with the dreaded Al Capone and his gangsters in the underground tunnels. But Tony has been ill and Andrea is persuaded that her parents really need a break so Moose Jaw it is. She’s uneasy though because she’s been having unsettling nightmares about being trapped in the tunnels and captured.

Tony, meanwhile, has been desperate to learn what happened to his sister in Moose Jaw on their previous visit but she refuses to talk about it. So, on the bus trip, while Andrea is sleeping, he reads her diary. His eyes grow huge as he reads about his sister’s adventures in the tunnels and he decides that this time he is going to have adventures too!

Andrea and Tony’s trip gets off to a bad start when they arrive in Moose Jaw to discover that their grandparents have been called away unexpectedly and the two children are left all alone in their grandparents’ big house. Before they have much chance to figure things out Tony is pulled back into 1920s Moose Jaw. The gangsters might be gone but there are still bad guys, and the children get caught up trying to expose them.

Bishop is so good at slowly building up the tension. I read the story with an increasing sense of dread as the two children explore the tunnels and discover something they never expected. A crucial part of the story is the issue of Tony’s juvenile diabetes. In the tunnels, he loses his backpack with his insulin. Trying to rescue him, Andrea is captured and nearly dies. Will the children survive, and will they ever get back to the present day? Bishop really does keep you on the edge of your seat.

The book includes new cover art and 10 new black and white illustrations by Wendi Nordell. There are also a variety of resources including discussion questions, historical notes, writing suggestions (You be the Writer) and an interview with the author.

Mary Harelkin Bishop is the author of numerous books including Skye Bird and the Eagle Feather and Mistasinîy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM

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