Liberty Frye and the Emperor’s Tomb, by J.L. McCreedy | Dedicated Review

Review sponsored* by J.L. McCreedy
The Children’s Book Review | December 20, 2018

Liberty Frye and the Emperor’s Tomb

Written by J.L. McCreedy

Illustration by Cristina Movilaenu

Age Range: 10-14

Hardcover:  231 pages

Publisher: Penelope Pipp Publishing (January 19, 2019)

ISBN:  978-0988236967

What to expect: Adventure, Abstract Thought, Excellent Writing

Liberty Frye and the Emperor’s Tomb is the third book in a wonderful series of adventures. Liberty Frye and the Witches of Hessen and Liberty Frye and the Sails of Fate are the first two installments in the trilogy.

Like these first two books, the third begins with a compelling “warning” to its readers, letting them know they are not in for the typical young adult fare. Here the warning is even more telling, since we are already in the third book, declaring simply: “Warning: But why bother? I will see you at journey’s end.”

This welcoming tone, inviting readers to come along for another adventure, signals the intelligent, quick-wit of the book itself – the third installment is indeed a welcome addition to an already fantastic series of books.

The book opens with Ine Herrmann, a girl of eleven, watching the sea from the village on the east coast of China where she lives with her family. She is surprised to see a ship coming into view as it is only the second boat she has seen in the two years she has lived there. She is able to make out the name Libertéon the side of the boat and assumes it to be a French vessel. Seeing the name of the boat, the reader expects what is soon revealed: Liberty Frye, the titular character of the series whose adventures continue in this installment, is on board!

One of the most interesting aspects of this books is a recurring discussion on the nature of time (this makes good sense, of course, as time travel is a feature). In fact, in addition to the adventurous plot, it’s safe to say that this latest Liberty Frye book also provides a unique adventure of the mind– delving into the nature of time in ways that readers are likely to find extremely compelling. Libby explains the topic, in a typically profound reflection on time and its nature: “It’s like this thing we measure and use and exchange, like money. It…it controls everything. Except we can’t see it. Or make it. Or own it. It’s something so important to everyone, but no one knows what it is.”

As the adventure continues, readers will find themselves considering the concept of time through the plot’s twists and turns and also in the abstract, through the many interesting discussions of its nature.

In many ways, it is this philosophical layer that marks so clearly what is so striking about this excellent series of books: it manages to do many things at once, and all of them in a way that pull the reader along for the ride. This is excellent writing, thinking, and adventuring all rolled into one. As Ine herself says of time, so could it be said of the Liberty series and the characters J.L. McCreedy has brought to life: it is akin to magic.

Coming Soon

About the Author

J.L. McCreedy first learned a love of writing (and developed an incurable condition of wanderlust) while growing up in Southeast Asia as the child of missionaries. She holds a B.A. in English and a law degree, freelances as a writer and consultant, and whenever possible, drags her splendid husband on ill-planned adventures. She currently lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

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