A Mutiny in Time facts for kids

A Mutiny in Time is the exciting first book in the Infinity Ring series. This adventure story follows three friends: Riq, Dak, and Sera. They travel through time to fix mistakes in history. In this first book, you'll meet the trio. They must stop a dangerous revolt led by the Amancio brothers. James Dashner wrote this book. It was published on August 28, 2012. James Dashner also wrote the popular The Maze Runner series. After A Mutiny in Time, the story continues in Divide and Conquer. In that book, the friends go to the year 885. Their mission is to protect Paris from many Viking warriors.

Meet the Characters and Groups

• Dak Smyth: He is an eleven-year-old boy. Dak is best friends with Sera. He loves history more than anything!
• Sera Froste: She is also eleven years old. Sera is Dak's best friend. She is super smart when it comes to science.
• SQ: This group causes a lot of trouble. Sera believes they try to control governments around the world.
• Riq: He is a sixteen-year-old Hystorian. Riq is very serious. He is also amazing at learning languages. He knows sixteen of them!
• Hystorians: This is a special group. Aristotle started them way back in 336 B.C. Their main goal is to fix history. They want to make sure things happen the way they should.
• Amancio brothers: These are Salvador and Raul. They are mean members of the SQ. They betrayed their friends. They wanted to overthrow Christopher Columbus.
• Gloria: She is a butcher. Gloria is also a Hystorian. She helps the kids a lot. She is amazed by things from the future.
• Eyeball: He is a tough and messy man. Eyeball cares a lot about Gloria. He actually helps the kids stop the mutiny.
• Mari and Brint: They are the leaders of the Hystorians.
• The Smyths: These are Dak's mom and dad.

The Story Begins

Discovering Time Travel

The book starts with Dak Smyth and Sera Froste. They are sitting in a tree on a Saturday. They are thinking about all the problems in the world. Meanwhile, Brint Takashi and Mari Rivera are busy. They are leaders of the Hystorians. This group works to put history back on track. They know the world is in danger. Disasters are happening everywhere. This coming disaster is called the Cataclysm. Brint and Mari are watching Dak's parents. They are tracking their progress.

Dak and Sera are both very smart. Dak loves history. Sera is a science whiz. After a funeral for Dak's Great-Uncle Frankie, the kids go to the Smithsonian Museum. Dak loves looking at everything. Sera, though, finds history boring. Suddenly, an earthquake shakes the museum! A Viking longship almost falls on them.

After the earthquake, Sera feels something strange. She calls it a Remnant. It's a feeling that things should have happened differently. She tells Dak about it. He lets her into his parents' secret lab. Soon, Sera finishes a device. It's called the Infinity Ring. This amazing device lets people travel through time!

When Dak's parents return, they learn about the Infinity Ring. They decide to use it to travel back in time. But when they come back, Dak and Sera find something shocking. Dak's parents are gone!

Joining the Hystorians

Soon, a group storms the lab. Dak and Sera first think they are the SQ. But they learn they were captured by the Hystorians! This group was started by Aristotle long ago. Their mission is to save the world. They want to fix "Breaks" in history. These are times when things went wrong. Now, Sera and Dak's parents have given them time travel. This means they can fix these Breaks!

Brint and Mari introduce the kids to the Hystorians. One person stands out: Riq. He is much younger than the others. He has dark skin and eyes. Riq is only sixteen, but he knows sixteen languages! Suddenly, the real SQ attacks the Hystorian compound. Sera, Riq, and Dak quickly use the Infinity Ring to escape. They land thousands of years ago. They are at the Great Pyramid of Giza. They talk about what to do next. This is their first Break to fix:

"Sally forth, astute and wise/Search the page, find the prize/ Centuries pass, mind and heart/ Devoted to the Memory's Art."

Riq solves this riddle. It's about the Art of Memory. Then, they travel to Palos de la Frontera. The date is August 3, 1492. But they meet a Time Warden from the SQ. They have to escape quickly!

A Trip to 1492

After escaping the Time Warden, they find their Hystorian helper. Her name is Gloria. She is a butcher. They talk about the Break they need to fix. They learn that Queen Isabella has planned a big sea voyage. The group believes they must help the Amancio brothers. Salvador and Raul want to start a mutiny. They want to overthrow the cruel captain, Christopher Columbus.

Gloria helps them get onto the ship. It's called the Santa Maria. This is where the mutiny is supposed to happen. The kids have to work very hard on the ship. They still think the mutiny is a good idea. But then they discover something shocking. Raul and Salvador are actually part of the SQ!

The kids meet some "riffraff." These are the lowest-ranking sailors. They include Ricardo, Francisco, and Daniel. Eyeball hears the kids talking about the mutiny. He throws them into the ship's prison, called the brig. They are supposed to be killed the next morning!

But Eyeball is actually on their side. He loves Gloria. The "riffraff" expose the Amancio brothers. They fight them to stop the mutiny. During the fight, Raul throws Dak overboard. Dak soon learns that Salvador is dead. Raul was also thrown overboard. But Raul tries to drown Dak! Sera quickly uses the Infinity Ring. She warps herself, Dak, and Riq to another place. It's a warehouse. There, they find a wanted poster for Dak's parents. Meanwhile, Brint and Mari think about the SQ attack. Brint wonders if his high school was always named after Columbus.

Images for kids

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  First edition (published by Scholastic Inc)

See Also

• Infinity Ring