Cracking Time (Book 1)
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Cracking Time by David Meyer is a middle grade mystery story full of adventure and intrigue. The story follows four characters - Andy, Trish, Felix, and Dora. As the story opens, Meyer sets the scene and the stage for each character as they are addicted to their devices and the events that lead their parents to signing them up for Camp Digi-Detox. Their stories collide once they reach Camp Digi-Detox and they realize that they know each other from the neighborhood they all used to live in, though much has changed since that time for each of them.
A little background - they all used to live in a town called Infinity Point. Weird stuff happened in this small town, but the weirdest thing of all was when they were forced to move as the governor sold the town to Jason Pitts to build an amusement attraction. Now, these long lost friends spend the majority of their time online building their accounts, trying to be the next online influencer, trying to join a hacking community, or advancing in their online game play with a world separate from their reality. The big twist is that Jason Pitts does not plan to actually build on the land. He is in search of two secret items that will allow him to go back in time to stop his father’s death. Camp Digi-Detox, which Jason is hosting and paying for, is an illusion. He is using the children to play a “game” in hopes that they will help break the code to the two items he is looking for, which are buried somewhere in Infinity Point.
While at Digi-Detox, Andy, Trish, Felix, and Dora reconnect and realize that disconnecting can help them in all the ways they have been missing - a connection that the internet cannot fill. Without spoiling too much, Felix hacks into the system for the word play game they are forced to participate in at Digi-Detox. As they begin to look around, specifically trying to get their devices back, they uncover more than they expected and learn exactly what Jason Pitts is up to. The question is, can they stop him before he uncovers the last two pieces and changes time and their lives forever.
Noteworthy Quotes/ Mentions:
Trish’s parents are separated.
Dora, upset like the other children, who acknowledges what they see as the double standard of their parents on their phones, but also limiting them states, “Our screens are our lives. Which is what makes all of this so patently unfair” (Chapter 6).
“They don’t know the camp’s true purpose” (Chapter 15).
“Camp Digi-Detox isn’t using documents to help us. It’s using us to help the documents” (Chapter 16).
“It won’t just be his life that gets messed up. It could be anyone’s life” (Chapter 31).
Dora’s internal struggle is revealed a bit in chapter 31. She is close to getting her tablet back and being able to restore her beloved game. However, she questions if that is even something she wants anymore. “I was so close to getting my tablet back. But is that what I really want? Suddenly, I’m not so sure” (Chapter 31).
In the following chapter, Felix goes through the same feelings as Dora. “Returning to Infinity Point, running around with my old gang, has awakened something within me. A desire for a physical community rather than just a digital one. A wish to recapture what’s been lost rather than settle for something new” (Chapter 31).
In chapter 34, Meyer gives a simple telling of the Gospel within the story as Trish ponders her grandfather.
“What would I do if I had it? Would I use it to fix the past? To make it so my family stays together? To make it so that we never have to leave home? Maybe. Honestly, I’m not sure” (Chapter 39).
When Jason Pitts finds out that the children know about his plans, they are brutally captured and henchmen are ordered to kill children however they please. This portion of the story could be a bit scary for more sensitive readers. The children do manage to escape and capture the bad guys until the police are able to get them.
The children ponder whether or not they should use the Boda Scythe to go back in time. In a conversation between Andy and Trish, she speaks of her grandfather and his nostalgia for the past in Infinity Point, “He was. And yet, he craved it, all the same. He had nostalgia for the old days, for his youth. He said it seems so perfect, so idyllic. And yet, he knew that wasn’t even close to true.” [...] “That he wasn’t made for this world. Rather, he was made for the next one” [...] “He speculated that God planted those longings in his heart. So that he might see beyond the veil. That he might realize he was really meant for the Kingdom” (Chapter 50).
In the end, the mystery is solved and elements of the children each change for the better. For example, Trish becomes less obsessed with her appearance and desire to be an influencer. Furthermore, parents will be happy to know that there isn’t any profanity, and in fact, Meyer weaves in scripture as the characters are considering their lives and the situations they find themselves in. One thing I do think worth mentioning is that there can also be a little introspection for parents as well. In almost each case of the children, their parents are seen as super busy by the children and spend lots of time on their own phones. It is important to consider what type of example we also set for our children, and if we also have healthy boundaries with our devices. Do our children feel more connected to the real people in their lives or the digital ones that live in their online connections? I really enjoyed this story, and I look forward to reading more by David Meyer.
