ALA Booklist (Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 CST 2001)

In their latest slapstick historical journey, the Time Warp Trio spins back to seventeenth-century Japan, mixing with Samurais and royalty for more nail-biting adventures, near catastrophes, and raucous humor. But there's a new ingredient in this title: poetry. The fun of making up haikus plays a large role here, and even readers sworn off poetry will find themselves captivated by Scieszka's use of haiku and haiku-esque observations in the text, particularly towards the end. The blend isn't always seamless and sometimes it's contrived, but Scieszka makes it work by keeping the laughs and the irreverence high--tough to do with spare, reverent poetry. Fans of the series won't be disappointed, and teachers looking for poetry materials may also find classroom ideas here.

Horn Book

A school haiku-writing assignment is responsible for Joe, Fred, and Sam traveling back in time to seventeenth-century Japan. A fortuitous meeting with their own time-traveling great-granddaughters saves the boys from having to contend with the questionable intentions of a future samurai shogun. The lightning pace and breezy tone make this an amusing, quick read.

Kirkus Reviews

Guys writing poetry? What a radical concept. Horsing around over a homework assignment, the Time Warp Trio inadvertently utters a haiku near The Book, and is "flushed down four hundred years," to ancient Japan where, after heroically wiping out an empty suit of samurai armor, nearly getting sliced into sushi by plug-ugly samurai Owattabut (guess why) and meeting their own granddaughters (see 2095 , 1995) paddling along on a temporal jaunt of their own, the three entertain the great Ieyasu Tokugawa himself with a string of haiku that propel them back to Brooklyn—but merit only a C- from their teacher, Ms. Basho. Aswirl with mini-lectures and crumbs of general information about Japanese poetry and society, the arbitrary plot line and wiseacre dialogue will elicit the usual rumbles—of laughter, that is. It's not the freshest of the Trio's escapades, but the author plainly isn't ready to throw in the bowel—er, towel, quite yet. (Fiction. 9-11)

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5-The Time Warp Trio is off again! This time, Sam, Fred, and Joe are working on a haiku writing assignment when they accidentally trigger their time travel Book and are transported back to old Japan. According to the rules, they can't return to the 21st century until they find the Book in the past. Unfortunately, it tends to hide in difficult and dangerous places-and important features like its "Auto Translator" keep malfunctioning. Posing as itinerant entertainers, the three friends encounter the warrior samurai Tada Honda, his cruel war leader Owattabutt, and even their own great-granddaughters who are time-traveling from the future (and who have a much more advanced understanding of the process). Haiku verses are sprinkled through the text. Elements of Japanese history blend with wild anachronisms and off-the-wall humor in an adventure that will be welcomed by children. The short text and snappy humor make the story a good choice for reluctant readers.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.