Toby Jones (novel series) facts for kids
Toby Jones is a cool series of books about cricket, written by Michael Panckridge. He even got help from famous Australian fast bowler Brett Lee! The stories follow a young cricketer named Toby Jones. He finds out he has an amazing secret power: he can travel back in time to any cricket match ever played! All he has to do is look at the scorecard of that match in a special book called a Wisden Cricketer's Almanack. There are five exciting books in the series.
Discover the Toby Jones Books
- Toby Jones & the Magic Cricket Almanack (2003)
- Toby Jones & the Secret of the Missing Scorecard (2004)
- Toby Jones & the Mystery of the Time Travel Tour (2005)
- Toby Jones & the Timeless Cricket Match (2005)
- Toby Jones & the Clash with Father Time (2008)
Collected Editions
Sometimes, a few books are put together into one bigger book. These are called "omnibus editions."
- Hat Trick (includes books 1, 2, and 3)
- Howzat! (includes books 4 and 5)
Meet the Characters
Tobias "Toby" Jones is the main hero of the books. One day, at a library, he meets an older man named Jim Oldfield. Jim tells Toby about his special gift: being able to time-travel to old cricket matches. Toby doesn't believe it at first, but then he tries it and realizes it's true! Only a few of his cricket teammates know his secret. Toby is also a great cricketer himself. He's a fast bowler and a good batter. He even becomes vice-captain of his school team and gets picked for the Australian Junior World Cup team!
James "Jim" Oldfield is an older man who becomes Toby's close friend. He's also a time-traveler! Jim is the one who tells Toby about his gift. They become very close, and Jim even moves in with Toby's family. Because Jim is older, his time-travel powers aren't as strong as Toby's. He can't travel as often. Jim was once a special "Cricket Lord" for a few years, which means he can't get hurt easily unless a special cricket stump is used against him.
Jay Bromley or Jay Barclay is Toby's best friend. Like Toby, Jay is unsure about the time-travel gift at first. But he believes it when he accidentally travels through time too! Sometimes, Jay feels a bit jealous of Toby. Toby has the cool gift, is a better cricketer, and seems closer to their friends. Jay is an average batter and doesn't bowl much.
Georgie is another one of Toby's best friends. She lives very close to Toby, and they've been friends since they were little kids. Georgie is the first person Toby tells about his time-travel secret. She also likes Jim, having met him several times. On the cricket field, Georgie is a good middle-order batter and can bowl medium-pace balls well.
Ally McCabe is Georgie's best friend. She used to play softball as a catcher for her state team. But she gives it up to join the cricket team as the wicketkeeper. Ally and Toby become very close quickly. This makes Georgie wonder if they are secretly dating, but they aren't! Ally is a very skilled wicketkeeper.
Rahul is one of Toby's good friends. He loves Indian cricket! Rahul is the backup wicketkeeper and a strong top-order batter. He once asked Toby to take him to a cricket match in Madras to try and save his brother, but it didn't work out.
Scott Craven is a character who is sometimes Toby's enemy and sometimes his friend. Scott is known as one of the best players around. He's a super-fast bowler and hits the ball very hard. He played for different teams but eventually joined Toby on the Junior World Cup team. Scott also won the "Best and Fairest" award in the competition.
Jimbo Temple is the quiet member of the cricket team. He is an amazing batter, probably the best on the team! But his dad wouldn't let him play cricket. Toby helps Jimbo change his dad's mind. Jimbo then joins Toby at a cricket camp and on the Junior World Cup team.
