Zack Files 08: My Son, the Time Traveler

"My Son the Time Traveler," by Dan Greenburg, is #8 in the "Zack Files" series of short novels for young adult readers. The story is told in the first person by Zack, a 10-year old who often becomes involved in paranormal phenomena. As Zack himself puts it in the book's opening paragraph, "...weird stuff follows me around like a puppy."In "My Son," Zack encounters a strangely familiar 13-year old boy wearing a 2030 World Series sweatshirt. Well, as the title hints, this teen is none other than Zack's son Mack, who is time traveling from the future. The story revolves around the boys' curious friendship and their quest to return Mack to his proper time.This is a lighthearted, highly entertaining take on a classic science fiction theme. Greenburg spices Mack's dialogue with some clever info about the future (including a taste of futuristic teen slang). Greenburg gets a lot of comic mileage out of the absurd notion of a 10-year old hanging out with a "son" who is older than him. But despite the absurdity, the relationship is nicely developed and quite appealing. And the story as a whole is greatly enhanced by Jack E. Davis' illustrations, which have a fun cartoonish energy. Overall, "My Son" is a high point in an enjoyable series.