"A fabled city lost to time, a distant place we can't recall ... "

Three 10-year-old children, one Tonkinese cat, four golden owl charms, an old book, and a special key that unlocks the secrets of the Shadows of the Past.

The stage is set for a thrilling ride through the pages of history…

"Beneath the palace lie tunnels deep.

A maze is where the beast doth sleep ..."

10-year-old twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, their best friend Charlie, and Tonkinese cat Max, are on a quest to find the twins’ missing parents who are trapped somewhere in the past.

The young time-travellers’ second adventure takes them to ancient Crete, where they must brave the labyrinth beneath the palace of Knossos, home to the dreaded Minotaur – a monstrous creature that feeds on human flesh.

"It started with an apple and ended with a horse.

Accepting gifts from Greeks was a big mistake, of course ..."

The Trojan War is just a game for the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece, but it’s no laughing matter for three young time-travellers and their Tonkinese cat when they find themselves in Troy, right in the middle of the deadly conflict.

Can the young visitors persuade the Trojans to reject the Greeks’ gift of the Wooden Horse, or will it prove impossible to change the course of history?



"The boy king's death mask gleams in gold,

But hides a tale which must be told ..."

Maximus Lancelot the Tonkinese cat is terrified of Egyptian mummies, so he’s a bag of nerves when he travels back in time to ancient Egypt with his owners, twins Jemima and Joe, and their best friend Charlie.

As they continue their search for the twins’ missing parents who are trapped somewhere in the past, the young time-travellers arrive at the court of Tutankhamun where they uncover a plot to assassinate the young Pharaoh. Danger lurks around every corner…



"The mountain cracks and spews out fire,

The daytime sky turns black as night ..."

As they continue the hunt for their missing parents who are lost somewhere in the pages of history, twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot embark on their fifth time-travelling journey into the past, accompanied by best friend Charlie, and Max their Tonkinese cat.

Their destination is the Roman town of Pompeii which lies in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, a volcano on the verge of a devastating eruption.



"In days of yore, a tale was told

of swords and stones, and knights so bold ..."

“A Lion from the future will come to save the Bear,

Accompanied by children, three – one dark, the others fair…”

Who are the Lion and the Bear mentioned in this ancient prophecy? The answer lies in the mythical kingdom of Camelot.

Another thrilling adventure awaits time-travelling twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, their best friend Charlie, and Tonkinese cat Max, when they journey into the past to uncover the truth behind the legend of King Arthur.

"The Northmen sail across the sea.

The king must fight to keep us free ... "

Still searching for their missing parents who are lost somewhere in the past, twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot journey back in time to the year 1066, together with best friend Charlie and their cat Max.

In an adventure fraught with danger, the young time-travellers attempt to change the course of history when they help King Harold in the run-up to the fateful Battle of Hastings.

In this short companion adventure to the SHADOWS OF THE PAST series, Max the talking Tonkinese cat goes on a solo mission without his usual time-travelling companions. Snatched from the house where he lives with eleven-year-old twins Joe and Jemima Lancelot, Max is dragged back into the past by an evil magician who has lined him up to perform a special task.

Torn away from all he holds dear, the despondent cat fears he may never be able to return to the present and his beloved owner, Jemima. What will become of him? Will he make it back or will he be condemned to remain forever in a distant time and place, far from home?

A second solo adventure awaits Max the time-travelling Tonkinese cat in this short tale. Invited to accompany a well-known figure on a whirlwind trip into the past, he sets off on a mission to search for something very precious to his owners Jemima and Joe Lancelot - their missing parents. The hunt reveals tantalising clues to this mystery and ends with a special surprise for the twins.

"Two princes fair, one uncle mean,

A tower of blood, a tragic scene ..."

Twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, their best friend Charlie, and Tonkinese cat Max, journey back in time to the year 1483 on a daring mission to rescue two young princes who have been locked up in the Tower of London by their uncle, King Richard III.

Is this a task too far for the time-travelling quartet? Will their plan succeed, or must they risk their own lives to save the two boys?

Max the talking Tonkinese cat has an unpleasant surprise when he finds himself trapped in the attic one night.  Will he escape the clutches of the Christmas fairy, a regiment of soldiers and three obstreperous French hens in time to enjoy a holiday with his family?

One thing’s for sure, the Twelve Days of Christmas will never seem quite the same again.

Max the talking Tonkinese cat has his 4th solo adventure in this short tale to accompany the Shadows of the Past series.

Snatched from his home in the middle of the night, Max is spirited away to a secret location. There, in the company of other animals, he is put through exhausting physical exercises and tough endurance tests – a true nightmare for the comfort-loving feline.

But who are the shadowy figures in charge and why has he been taken to their training camp?

Will Max discover the truth about his mysterious undercover adventure?

"The Tudor Rose is white and red,

Two houses joined to end bloodshed ..."

In 1588, a plot to invade England and overthrow Queen Elizabeth is being hatched by her enemies.

At this crucial moment in English history, four visitors from the future arrive in Elizabethan London. Twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, together with friend Charlie and their talking cat Max, embark on their 9th journey into the past as they continue the search for their missing parents who are lost somewhere in the mists of time.

Finding themselves tangled in a web of conspiracy, can the young time-travellers unravel the mystery of the Tudor Rose?

In his 5th solo mini-adventure, Max the talking Tonkinese cat, the feline hero of the SHADOWS OF THE PAST series, travels back in time to the mid-17th century. He doesn’t understand how this has happened until he recognises his surroundings and realises it isn't the first time he’s been to this place. Why has he been brought to this tumbledown cottage in the middle of nowhere? All is about to be revealed…

"He seeks them out, he hunts them down - will they float, or will they drown?"

In the mid-17th century, Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, was hunting down suspected witches in East Anglia.

Following on from Max's Hallowe'en Adventure, the Lancelot twins, together with their talking cat Max and friend Charlie, journey back in time to the county of Essex in the year 1645. They are on a special rescue mission but soon find themselves in great danger.

When Jemima and Max are overheard talking to each other, she is suspected of sorcery and it’s only a matter of time before they all fall into the hands of … the Witchfinder.

The rightful King of England is on the run. With a price on his head and in fear for his life, Charles Stuart is desperate to escape his pursuers, the Parliamentarians who executed his father. A rich reward has been offered for his capture and everyone is on the lookout for the young man. Nowhere is safe. How will he manage to flee the country without help?

Never fear – the Guardians of Time have a Special Agent lined up for the job … but he just so happens to be a cat!

"Behold the city all aflame! Houses blaze like rotten sticks.

Above the roofs, along the streets, the ever-creeping fire licks..."

In 1666, as London recovers from a deadly plague, an even bigger disaster is about to strike the old medieval city with its wooden buildings and narrow streets. A small spark is all it takes for the whole place to go up in flames, but is this a simple accident or a deliberate act of sabotage?

Towards the end of August, days before the Great Fire will break out, three time-travelling children and their talking cat land on the doorstep of one of the most famous figures of the 17th century. Can they discover why they’ve been sent there before it’s too late? Time is running out…

"Your journey starts in desert lands

To find Atlantis of the Sands..."

In this gripping adventure packed with mystery, danger and ancient magic, twins Jemima and Joe Lancelot, their best friend Charlie and remarkable cat Max, find themselves in the scorching Rub’ Al Khali desert, also known as the Empty Quarter. Legends speak of a lost city buried beneath the sands, but it holds a dark secret.

Can the young time-travellers unlock the truth before it’s too late or will the desert’s secrets remain hidden forever?

When Max the Tonkinese cat is sent on another mission into the past by the Guardians of Time,  he's joined by an unexpected companion.

After landing in the misty Scottish Highlands of 1746, the duo encounter Bonnie Prince Charlie – a royal fugitive fighting to reclaim the throne – and, with the fateful Battle of Culloden looming, agree to help him. Join them for a heart-pounding race through time in this tale of bravery and friendship!

"Carried off across the sea and taken to a distant shore,

Shackled, sold, no longer free, my life is changed for ever more..."

When a ship returning from the Caribbean arrives in the 18th century port of Bristol, one of its passengers, a young boy known as Cuffey, escapes from his master. Fleeing through the busy docks, the runaway slave is determined to make his way London where he hopes to find his brother but he has no idea what to do next… until he bumps into three other children who have also just landed in the city. Travellers of a different kind, this trio and their cat have journeyed not from a different country, but from another time – the 21st century.

After rescuing Cuffey from his pursuers, the time-travelling youngsters join forces with their new friend to help him in his quest, embarking on an adventure that will eventually lead them to the home of one of the most famous scholars of the age – Dr Samuel Johnson.