A Connecticut Yankee Arrives in King Arthur's Court (June 19, 528)

Remember when astronomy was taught in schools? No? Well then if you ever find yourself transported back in time, you will have very little chance of finding out when you are. In Mark Twain's classic, the main character places his temporal location by noting an upcoming eclipse. Which he uses to gain power. Because ...Yankee.

How to Commemorate
Find an upcoming eclipse (*cough* August *cough*).
Plan how to return to the future if stranded in the past. (There are many methods but, admittedly, this type of story relies on finding something wrong to set right. A la Quantum Leap.)
Sit at a round table. And send people on quests.

Works Cited
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain.

Don’t buy a blue car.

2016 was the official year that the father of Thursday Next gave her some advice (see our previous post), namely to stay away from Oxford, but he also gave a few other notes.

• Never buy a blue car
• Never buy a paddling pool
• Stay away from oysters and circular saws.

He also very clearly warned against being near Oxford in June 2016. It’s 2017 now, but with the nature of time travel being inherently prone to risks… do you really want to chance it?

Works Cited.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.

Amanda and Leo turn 11. A lot. (June 6)

Think Groundhog Day with a pair of cool pre-teens instead of cranky Bill Murray.  Amanda and Leo are best friends from birth… or they were until they had a falling out, especially noticeable now that they don’t celebrate their birthdays together like they used to (even though they were born on the same exact day!). But on their 11th birthday, something weird happens. Namely, the birthday. Every time the day ends, the birthday begins again. Now these former besties have to find out what’s going on with the town or their lives or the universe and set things right.

How to Commemorate:

• Repeat yourself.
• Forgive someone.
• Visit a local history museum (just so you know where it is in case you ever need to solve your own temporal loop).

Works Cited

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

Adoption Week: Meet the Robinsons (2007)

In honor of National Adoption Month, we’re featuring a few stories about adoptions and adoptive families.  In Disney’s Meet the Robinsons, Lewis is a twelve-year-old inventor who lives in an orphanage.  When another boy shows up at his science fair saying that he has a time machine, Lewis sees an opportunity to fulfill his dream of finding his mother and learning why she abandoned him at the orphanage.  All that sounds pretty serious, but then they go to the future, encounter a dinosaur, and lots of other mayhem.  This is a fun movie with a solid inclusive theme about how families come in all shapes and sizes.

 

How to Commemorate:

• Wear a bowler hat.
• Go to a science fair.
• Decide where you’d go with a time machine. (Okay, when.)
• Support an adoption center.

Learn more at Adopt US Kids or Child Welfare Information Gateway.

Share your photos and celebrations on our Facebook or twitter pages.

Works Cited    

Meet the Robinsons

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