The Time Travel Guides Books in Order

The Time Travel Guides brings the Binkertons' historical adventures back in a new graphic-novel format. Josh and Emma Binkerton, their younger sister Libby, and the mysterious Julian T. Pettigrew first appeared in the Good Times Travel Agency books. Here, several of those trips return with updated information, new titles, and expanded resources for readers who want to dig deeper.

The travel agency is still a problem waiting to happen.

Josh, Emma, and Libby would often prefer an ordinary day, but Pettigrew's peculiar guidebooks keep sending them into the past. The new editions include Hot on the Trail in Ancient Egypt, Stowing Away with the Vikings, Game On in Ancient Greece, and On the Run in Ancient China. Each story puts the siblings in a historically rich setting where they need to understand the local world quickly if they are going to make it home.

In Egypt, the children land in the time of pyramid building and face the Nile, soldiers, and dangerous misunderstandings. With the Vikings, a stowaway trip on a longship brings storms, seasickness, and a raid. Ancient Greece begins with the Binkertons caught between opposing soldiers before they reach the Olympic Games. In ancient China, Libby slips away in a carriage, leaving Josh and Emma to race through the empire while guards mistake them for spies.

The books are designed to be read in two directions at once. The comic panels deliver a fast, character-led adventure, while the guidebook material supplies facts about the people, places, inventions, beliefs, food, clothing, and social rules of each period. That blend lets readers enjoy the chase first, then return for the information that explains the world around it.

Libby remains the wild card of the group. Her curiosity can cause a crisis, but it also keeps the stories moving. Josh and Emma try to be responsible, even when they are cold, hungry, seasick, or being pursued. Their sibling arguments feel current, which makes the historical details easier to approach.

The tone is funny, energetic, and full of visual storytelling. The series does not pretend the past was comfortable. It shows hard work, strict rules, unequal freedoms, and real dangers, while keeping the focus on what daily life might have felt like for young people. The children learn by being there, often more closely than they would choose.

Start with Hot on the Trail in Ancient Egypt, then follow the new editions in order. The books stand on their own, but together they offer a welcoming mix of time travel, comics, and history for readers who want facts without leaving the adventure behind.