To the New World & Back: Blake and the Mysterious Coin (DNA Chronicles)

Written by Carol Sauder
Review by Elizabeth Caulfield Felt

In the modern-day United States, Blake gets in trouble in history class and is assigned to write a special report on the Pilgrims. At home, his punishment is to help organize his ancestor’s belongings, which are being stored in a barn. In a dusty desk, Blake discovers an old coin and is transported back in time to the Mayflower crossing the Atlantic. He is no longer Blake James; he is Henry Samson, traveling to the New World with an aunt, uncle and cousin. Having allegedly hit his head and been knocked unconscious in a storm, Blake/Henry’s lack of knowledge is seen as amnesia. As friends and family explain life on the Mayflower, Blake/Henry (and the reader) learn all about the setting details and the people on board. He witnesses the signing of the Mayflower Compact and the peace agreement between Chief Massasoit and Governor Carver. Blake/Henry befriends Squanto and attends the first Thanksgiving, but he misses his family in the 21^st century. Will he ever return to his own time?

MVP Kids is a media venture, publishing books for preschoolers to adolescents, teaching through “social-emotional learning” and by “nurturing students’ hearts and relationships.” The goals of the publisher’s mission are obvious in this book. The characters speak lessons and history in a didactic rather than realistic fashion. Blake’s travel back in time throws the reader into the historical environment, teaching much about that time in history while also teaching lessons about good behavior. For me, this book felt less like a story and more like a learning tool. Children may not have the same response, especially children who have been reading MVP books from an early age. Intended for ages 10 and up.