Saving Lucas Biggs audiobook

I enjoyed this book immensely, and I'm not even a little embarrassed that the back cover says "ages 8-12." Honestly, though, that seems a little young to me. My stepson is 8, and although I think he could read all the words, he's nowhere near ready to read something as subtle and sophisticated as this book. Thinking back, I probably would have been ready at about age 9, but I was a precocious reader. That being said, readers mature enough to grasp this story will find much goodness here. It went very differently than I was expecting when I read the description, and it really made me think.(Note: I received an advance reader's edition of this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.)

My review from the San Francisco Book Review:Margaret can’t believe what she hears when Judge Biggs sentences Margaret’s father to death. Arson? Murder? It simply isn’t possible. Everyone with a brain had to know her father didn’t do this. But it seems very powerful people are arrayed against him. One couldn’t live in Victory, Arizona, or know the name Victory Fuel without realizing where those powerful people resided, and one of them sits before them all in his black robe with a gavel in his hand.Margaret’s best friend, Charlie, is with her every step of the way as she goes through this, but it is his grandfather Joshua who tells Charlie to bring Margaret to him. He needs to talk to her. It is Grandfather Joshua who knows the secret of Margaret, one that she doesn’t even know herself just yet. Not completely, anyway. When they meet, he tells Margaret the only way to save her father is to go back in time and change something that happened almost eighty years ago. Yes, Margaret can time travel. It is something her family can do, but the dangers are great and there are no guarantees. History resists change, strongly resists it. And Margaret has taken the vow, held her father’s warm hands in the courtroom after the sentencing and promised him. But, after talking to Joshua, after realizing there really isn’t any other hope of having hope, Margaret goes anyway, meeting Joshua in the past, when he is young and when the story of Victory Fuel was young as well. “But three days? It might be just enough time if everything went according to plan, but since I didn’t have a plan yet, much less a backup plan, the idea of three days was sending me right to the edge of panic.”Margaret has a limited time in the past. If she doesn’t complete her task and return to the very spot she arrived in the past by a certain time, the portal will close. And, of course, there are the dangers inherent in time travel. History does indeed resist in ways they could never imagine. History seems to become almost a corporeal enemy, standing between what should be right and what is so terribly wrong. When all hope seems lost, something completely unexpected happens.Told from three different points of view over a long period of time, this is one of the most engaging novels of the year. The characters who tell this wonderful story are a girl, Margaret, and two male characters, one young, Charlie, and one old and young in different parts of the book, Joshua. Yet all have very distinctive voices and all are completely believable. This is quite a balancing act. The fascinating thing about introducing an element of fantasy into such a contemporary world with contemporary problems is that the fantasy becomes very believable if it is done well. And this is done very, very well. The authors carefully set up rules, as one must in a fantasy environment, and make sure they never waver from those rules. This feeds into the believability of the situation. Marisa de los Santos and David Teague have created great characters, great settings, and great tension in one great story. All of this is done by two authors, yet it is absolutely seamless. Don’t miss this one.

I read a book called Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague. The main character’s name is Margaret. Her best friend in the book is named Charlie. Margaret’s father has just been sentenced to death by Judge Lucas Biggs for murder. Margaret does not believe her father is guilty of the crime. To be able to prove him innocent, she will have to use the family’s secret talent, one she’s been forbidden by her father to use.The book takes place in the mining town of Victory, Arizona. The only jobs available in the town are working for the mining company. Elijah Biggs was basically the dictator of this town until he retired and then Lucas, his adopted son who later became a judge, took over. The mining company makes all of the money because they control everything in the town. They also control the unfair court system. Whenever there are problems and accidents in the mine, they manage to cover it up and blame it on other people. The main character Margaret and her best friend Charlie are both thirteen. I think Margaret is somewhat like me. She thinks things through and she will do anything to protect her family. To prove her dad’s innocence, she used her forbidden time travel ability that she promised her father she would not use at any time. Margaret thought if she went back in time, she could fix all of the mistakes that had happened to Judge Biggs and he would see that her father was innocent. There are two words that can stop her from doing that: history resists. Is it really possible to go back and change history?I think the author is saying it is possible for children to stand up for right and wrong. Children can make a difference. They don’t have to just sit around and wait for something to happen. Margaret showed this in the book by being willing to go back and try to change history to benefit her dad in the future. She was willing to sacrifice more than her time traveling ability to learn more about Lucas Biggs so that she could hopefully change his attitude in the present time.I learned a lot about mining and how it can affect the environment. Sometimes big companies overlook the safety concerns for more profit. The needs of the families and the employees were not the most important thing to them. Lucas Biggs who later became a judge was also caught up in money and that also clouded his judgment. Margaret helped him see what was right and re-connect with his own family.I did not think that the time travel ability of Margaret was believable. I did feel like the rest of the characters and the book were. They reflected the qualities of everyday people in the real world. The author is qualified to write this book because they have kids the age of these characters and know how these kids think. They are my cousins.

This book is so well-written. It has those sentences in it that you want to write down on index cards just so you can carry them with you everywhere. You can pull them out and reread them to prove that language can be beautiful and expressive. I am looking forward to more joint ventures from this couple. Thank you for sharing these characters with me.

BOOK REVIEW: 'Saving Lucas Biggs': Can Time Traveling Change the Outcome for a Doomed Man? REVIEWED BY DAVID M. KINCHENMargaret O'Malley, the feisty protagonist in "Saving Lucas Biggs" (HarperCollins Children's Books, 288 pages, $16.99, suitable for ages 8-12 -- and adults) will do anything to save her father from a death sentence….even if it means breaking a family taboo and traveling back 76 years to change history.Authors Marisa de los Santos and David Teague, a married couple, are outstanding in their portrayal of 13-year-old Margaret and her pal Charlie and everybody else in a book aimed at young readers that teens and adults will enjoy, too.Margaret knows her father, whistleblower John Thomas O'Malley, is innocent, but that doesn't stop the cruel Judge Lucas Biggs from sentencing him to death. John O'Malley, a geologist for Victory Fuels Corp., in the company town of Victory, Ariz., has been convicted of arson and the murder of a man inside the lab he's accused of torching.Margaret is determined to save her dad, even if it means using her family's secret—and forbidden—ability to time travel. With the help of her best friend, Charlie, and his grandpa Josh, Margaret goes back to a time when Judge Biggs was a young boy and tries to prevent the chain of events that transformed him into a corrupt, jaded man. But with the forces of history working against her, will Margaret be able to change the past? Or will she be pushed back to a present in which her father is still doomed?Back in 1938, the town is in the midst of a bitter strike by coal miners. It's reminiscent of the mine wars of West Virginia and also an event that resonates in the history of Colorado and American labor relations: the Ludlow Massacre of April 20, 1914. On that date, some two dozen people in a tent colony of striking workers forced out of their company housing in Ludlow, Colo. were killed by members of the Colorado National guard and "camp guards" of the Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., controlled by John D. Rockefeller Jr. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_M...Told in alternating voices between Margaret and Josh, "Saving Lucas Biggs" shows that sometimes the forces of good need a little extra help to triumph over the forces of evil. This is a good lesson for young readers -- and older ones and adult alike.About the authorsMarisa de los Santos: "I became a writer because I love the sound and texture of words (current favorite consonant sounds: Ls and hard Cs) and love to hear what happens when they bump up against each other. I was a poet for a long time (my first book is a collection of poetry called FROM THE BONES OUT), and then, one day, unexpectedly, I found that I had a voice inside my head. As you might imagine, this was a bit alarming. However, in time, I discovered that the voice belonged to a character named Cornelia Brown, so I wrote a novel called LOVE WALKED IN about her and an eleven-year old girl named Clare. After that, I became addicted to writing novels. I wrote a second one called BELONG TO ME, and my third, FALLING TOGETHER, came out on October 4th, 2011. I'm now working on a fourth, tentatively titled THE PRECIOUS ONE. I live with my husband, children's book author David Teague, and our two kids, Charles and Annabel, in lovely Wilmington, Delaware." This is their first collaborative book.

This review and others are posted at Inspiring Insomnia. Confession: I don’t read much middle grade. OK, any. Including Harry Potter. (I know, I KNOW.) But I’m a sucker for a good time travel story, and I loved the synopsis of Saving Lucas Biggs, a book that proved to be both moving and thought-provoking.Margaret comes from a long line of time travelers. When the story begins, her father has been sentenced to a death by the crooked judge, Lucas Biggs, for a murder he didn’t commit. Margaret lives in Victory, Arizona, a mining town that is virtually run by the Victory Corporation. Her father is a geologist, and when he exposed the deadly pollution and environmental damage that was occurring as a result of Victory Corporation’s reckless mining practices, they retaliated by framing him for murder. We have to overlook a few little things, like the fact that there is apparently no appeals process in this Arizona, and apparently death sentences are carried out very quickly. Once we accept this, we can understand Margaret’s desperation and sense of urgency.She has been taught by her father that her ability to time travel must be kept secret and must never be used to alter the past. In Saving Lucas Biggs, time travel is not simple. As Margaret has been taught, the universe strongly resists any attempts to alter history. The time traveler can die or get stuck in the past if he or she stays too long. And of course, the most inconsequential actions can have a profound affect on the future. Knowing the risks, Margaret still feels she must do whatever she can to prevent her father’s execution.Grandpa Joshua is Margaret’s best friend, Charlie’s grandfather. He senses Margaret’s ability, and he encourages her to use it to save her father’s life. They plan to have Margaret travel back to 1938, when Josh was a teenager and the future Judge Lucas Biggs was his best friend. By doing so, she may be able to alter the past, despite the dangers, and set Lucas off the path that leads him to become the evil man that he is today, thereby saving Lucas Biggs.The chapters alternate between Margaret’s 2014 world and Josh’s world in 1938, which Margaret soon visits. I loved the 1938 world, and these parts felt like a very thoughtful work of historical fiction. The miners are terribly exploited by Victory Corporation, until one heartless action causes them to revolt. Margaret and the teenaged Josh and Lucas become swept up in the action, and Victory Corporation in 1938 proves to be every bit as dangerous as Judge Biggs in the present time.So, can a man like Lucas Biggs really be saved? You probably already know the answer to that. But what may surprise you is how he’s saved and by whom. What could have been a simple time travel story becomes a sweet lesson in redemption, the power of second chances, and the love of family.Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. to come.

This story explores the self-delusion of a man, Lucas Biggs, and how it leads to his unhappy life. Bigg's self-justification and a series of bad decisions result in him leading a life as a corrupt judge and hateful person. Once, he was a nice boy. Once, he tried to do the right thing. But the desire for physical revenge, versus nonviolent civil disobedience, and his youthful ignorance led him down the slippery slope of wrong-doing. While the story is somewhat slow at the start and appears realistic before changing into a time travel story, I liked the author's turn of phrases and character development of the protagonist, thirteen-year-old Margaret. The point of view alternates between her and Josh as they try to make sense of and right past wrongs. Most of the time they fail, but they never give up or give into despair. Margaret's father has been convicted of a crime he didn't commit and sentenced to death. The mining town of Victory, Arizona is owned by the Victory Company along with corrupt town leaders in powerful positions. Margaret learns that this corruption has deep roots in the past and that in order to change it, she must use her family's unique ability to travel into the past and change history. When her mission fails, she learns to pursue other means of reaching Lucas Biggs, the man that lost so much and chose to be unethical. She shows great courage in her choices and with the help of her friend, Charlie, and Josh, they make a difference.I found that it took me a while to get into the story. I preferred when Josh's flashbacks put the reader directly into the action versus when he was explaining it to Margaret and Charlie in the present tense. If you are a cartwheeling-type person like myself you might find the pace or passive voice too slow in those moments. I also wished the letter that Margaret wrote to the newspaper was revealed to the reader. I did find the information on hydrofracking interesting, I've been hearing that word quite a bit lately as we have friends in North Dakota and never took the time to learn what it meant.The emotional descriptions of Magaret's inner turmoil are rich and wonderful to read. "What I wanted more than anything was to be alone, to sit in my own pocket of space and just breathe and feel, feel whatever there was to feel without worrying about anyone seeing me." Margaret learns to have courage and be brave rather than hide. She reflects that her motivation to be brave is out of her love for her dad, just like Bigg's love for his dad motivated him to change. The theme of love and family is an undercurrent throughout the plot. A good book for messages on redemption, friends, loyalty, courage, and civic responsibility.

When Margaret’s father is sentenced to death, she can’t believe it since she is certain he is innocent. But this is what happens when someone tries to stand up to the company that owns the entire town. It’s also the company that owns Judge Biggs. The only way that Margaret can see to save her father is to change Judge Biggs’ mind. According to Grandpa Josh, her best friend’s grandfather, Judge Biggs used to be a good person until his father was accused of murder and hung himself. The only person who can change the course of time is Margaret who has to use her family’s forbidden power of time travel. But history resists change and Margaret only has a few days before history rejects her to make the necessary changes to save her father.De los Santos and Teague have written a book that takes on time travel in a very refreshing way. The idea that history actively resists change and that there is a physical toll on the time travelers makes for frustrating time travel. Yet it feels right and also creates tension in the story at just the right moment. The authors also explore company towns and how workers tried to stand up to unfair business practices. Here there is plenty of action in that fight, including murder and gunfire as well as quiet desperation. Margaret is a winning character, one who travels in time very reluctantly but is given little choice when she is the sole person who has a chance of saving her father. The story dives into complexity, never making things easy or simple. One aspect of this is the way that redemption is viewed. Characters are seen as changeable, able to be rescued from what happened to them even in their elder years. This book is about getting chances to make the right choice in the end, forgiveness for poor choices earlier, and friendships that stand through time and betrayal. A rich and vibrant look at time travel, this fantasy will also appeal to history buffs. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos and David TeagueHarper, 2014Science Fiction279 pagesRecommended for grades 5-8If I wasn't responsible for reviewing as many books per year as I need to for my committee work, I'd start this one over again right now.This husband and wife author team come from backgrounds of writing for adults and young children, and magic happened when they met in the middle.A gorgeous story about a young girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her father's life after he is found guilty of arson and murder. The opening of this book is so intriguing-it would be impossible for anyone to read to page four and not want to forge onward.Love, loyalty, bravery and time-travel merge into a tightly woven story that is full of danger, suspense and the reminder of the strength of friendship. Throughout my reading of this book I was marking and flagging, preparing to share lines with my students in writing workshop. Absolutely gorgeous writing, one of my top favorites of 2014!

This book was so touching! I admit the beginning was slow, but it started picking up after chapter 2. I loved how the authors put time traveling in this book, it really tied everything together. The character Margaret had a cute personality and really was one of those characters that you can't forget. I am not a big person on history, but reading this book surprisingly made me like history. Even though this book is fiction, the authors wrote this book so well that I actually thought it was real. This book is not one I can forget at all, from all the action, sadness, laughter, and happiness that happened. If you ever have a day where you are bored, I recommend picking this book up.

One thing that this book really impressed upon me is all the little goodness that people do: the wonderful math equation of all the little good things that add up to more than the bad things done. It is a book of hope and never giving up on someone you love. It does describe murders that happened in the book, but in emotional detail, not gore.Half way through reading the book, I knew I wanted it in my personal library, because I knew I would want to revisit it. When I hear about bad things happening in the news I will remember the math equation and all the little good things that don't show up in the news.