Adapted by Joe Claro / From the Television Screenplay by James D. Parriott
SUMMARY:
Released in 1982 by MCA Publishing through Scholastic Book Services, this 76-page paperback tie-in adapts the pilot episode of Voyagers! (a short-lived 1982-83 NBC TV series). In the present-day, orphaned eleven-year old Jeff Jones is inadvertently caught up in professional time traveler Phineas Bogg’s misadventures. Bogg unwittingly sacrifices his trusty guidebook to rescue Jeff from a fall out of a New York high-rise building’s window. Bogg’s Omni device (resembling a gold-plated pocket watch) transports them to Ancient Egypt in 1450 B.C. Amidst their instant bickering, Jeff’s historical insights helps the duo ensure infant Moses’ destiny floating down the Nile River.
As a Voyager field operative, the swashbuckling Bogg is responsible for ensuring that well-known events unfold, as historically recorded. An Omni ‘red’ light indicates when history must be ‘corrected’ due to some anomaly. A subsequent ‘green’ light gives Bogg the go-ahead to move on to his next assignment. In this instance, a fluke malfunction in the Omni’s circuits had transported Bogg to 1982 instead of 1492. For now, Bogg is seemingly unable to return Jeff home to his proper time period.
Stuck with his unwanted apprentice, Bogg ponders why the U.S. is handily losing World War I in 1918. Jeff deduces that, if Germany had pioneered airplanes first, then their answer lies with the Wright Brothers. It’s up to Bogg & Jeff to find the Wright Brothers at their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, in 1900, and persuade them to make their historical test flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Bogg & Jeff must also aid injured U.S. pilot Eddie Rickenbacker in an aerial showdown vs. Germany’s infamous Red Baron. Ultimately, Bogg concedes a fib he had previously told Jeff. The question is: will Jeff become a Voyager himself, or will his brash new friend fulfill a promise to take the boy back to 1982?
REVIEW:
Despite its brevity, Joe Claro’s simplistic adaptation clarifies and adds some nice depth to the surrogate father-son relationship between a begrudging Bogg and the precocious Jeff. As a fantasy adventure loosely incorporating historical facts, this paperback proves a solid read for elementary schoolers (from ages 6-10).
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
None.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
