Product details
- ISBN 9781035024377
- Weight: 224g
- Dimensions: 132 x 198mm
- Publication Date: 12 Feb 2026
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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The action adventure of Gladiator meets the time travel of Doctor Who in the third title of this epic series by bestselling award-winner M. G. Leonard.
Perfect for 8 to 12-year-old fans of Adventures on Trains. Supports the curriculum. Illustrated throughout in black and white by Manuel Šumberac.
'A captivating adventure loaded with history and intrigue' – Abi Elphinstone
''A cracking series with stunning illustrations' – Christopher Edge, bestselling author of Escape Room
'A complete triumph of imagination . . . readers are going to fall in love with this brilliant series' — A. F. Steadman, bestselling author of Skandar
Sim, Jeopardy and Nelson are enjoying an amazing holiday in Rome, until they they are swept up in the mysterious disappearance of world-famous illusionist Kinetic. He vanished during a live broadcast from the Colosseum, but he never reappeared. When Kinetic’s sister finds a strange description in a history book of a gladiator who sounds uncannily like her brother, the friends are determined to help.
They travel through secret time doors to the spectacular — and deadly — Colosseum in Ancient Rome, but can the brave trio survive long enough to find Kinetic and bring him home?
The Impossible Gladiator can be read as a stand-alone novel, or enjoyed as part of the thrilling Time Keys series written by M. G. Leonard. Follow Sim, Jeopardy and Nelson's adventures in Ancient Egypt, Hunt for the Golden Scarab, and Viking Norway in The Legend of Viking Thunder.
Praise for the Time Keys series:
‘Classic and fresh – a breathtaking adventure’ - Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl
‘Fabulous, fast-paced and thrilling’ - Jonathan Stroud, author of the Lockwood & Co. series
‘A thrilling time-travel adventure’ - The Guardian
‘Fast, dramatic, exciting’ - Hannah Gold
‘Thrilling adventure packed with history, mystery and action’ - The Week Junior
M. G. Leonard has made up stories since she was a little girl but back then people called them fibs or tall tales, so she didn’t think to write them down. After a successful career in the music industry and the arts, she finally dared to put pen to paper. Her inventive stories about beetles, birds, and trains are hugely popular. Her books have been translated into over forty languages and won many awards. In this, her most ambitious series yet, M. G. Leonard combines her passion for music, love of history, and instinct for adventure, to bring readers the Time Keys books.
Manuel Šumberac is a Croatian based illustrator and animator. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb where he was drawn towards the fascinating world of illustration. His work has been published and recognized in numerous book illustrations and covers, including The Dalemark Quartet, Orphans of the Tide, The Night Before Christmas and Steampunk Frankenstein, among many others. Manuel creates his illustrations using digital techniques combined with traditional media.
