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Cover of Trapped in History – Book 1 · The Six Dials of Time

Illustrated adventure novels · Trapped in History

Trapped in HistoryBook 1 · The Six Dials of Time

by Elizabeth Gusman

An illustrated adventure novel: two friends, an ancient astrolabe and six ages of history, with the real history and a quiz at the end.

  • Ages 8-12
  • English
  • 121 pages
  • Paperback, illustrated novel
4.3/5 · 201 ratings on amazon.it(Italiano)
4.6/5 · 104 ratings on amazon.es(Español)
4.1/5 · 70 ratings on amazon.de(Deutsch)
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Direct links to Amazon, no affiliate links. Price and delivery times are shown on Amazon. Ratings checked on Amazon on November 11 and 13, 2026.

In a nutshell

On a school trip to the Egyptian Museum, Luca and Giulia, both twelve, stop in front of an ancient astrolabe. Giulia deciphers the inscriptions on its six dials, the two friends turn the mechanisms… and a whirl of light carries them into the past, with the astrolabe in their hands but none of its dials.

From Tutankhamun’s Egypt to the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, the Rome of Marcus Aurelius, a castle under siege in the Middle Ages, the Florence of the young Leonardo da Vinci and foggy Victorian London, they have to find one fragment in each age, get past traps, solve riddles, and above all change nothing in the past. It’s the only way home.

Also in other languages

What’s inside

  • Six agesAncient Egypt, ancient Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Victorian London.
  • IllustrationsBlack-and-white illustrations bring the big moments of the journey to life.
  • “What’s true in this book”The real history the heroes come across, explained at the end.
  • “Did you travel well?”A 12-question quiz, with all the answers.

Free

Read a sample before you buy

Get a free sample of “Trapped in History – Book 1 · The Six Dials of Time” by email: 11 pages (the contents and the first chapter, with its illustrations), as a PDF to read or print.

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Look inside

Pages from the book

Real pages from the book. Tap an image to enlarge it.

Opening of chapter 1, drawn on an open notebook with the pyramids, Tutankhamun’s mask and the astrolabe: “Poking about where you shouldn’t always ends badly”
The opening of chapter 1
Page of the novel with an illustration of Tutankhamun’s golden mask, as Luca and Giulia reach the door of the pharaoh’s tomb
In front of the pharaoh’s tomb
First page of “What’s true in this book”: real astrolabes, the pyramids and Tutankhamun
“What’s true in this book”

Questions from parents

Good to know

Does my child need to know a lot of history?

No. Everything comes along with the story, and at the end “What’s true in this book” separates what is invented from what really happened.

Is there a sequel?

Yes: Book 2, Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebook, picks up almost a year after this first journey. It is already available in Italian, Spanish, German and French, but not yet in English. Discover Book 2 →

Does it work in the classroom?

Yes. It works well for classroom reading, and the notes at the end and the 12-question quiz are handy for going over it together. Our free teaching guide for this book (chapter questions, student missions and answer key) is ready to print, and if you’re a teacher, write to us: we’ll be glad to help. For teachers →

Is it available in other languages?

Yes, in French, Italian, Spanish and German. Handy for bilingual families, or for practicing a language with a story you already know.

In the same series

The whole Trapped in History series →