The Tale of the Boy Who Could Stop Time
Pub. November 2, 2026
The Tale of the Boy Who Could Stop Time by Lance Lee follows Peter, a sensitive ten-year-old boy who loves to write and has an unusual talent for running, but school isn't easy for him.
Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Book Reviews
Nathalie T. Retivoff's illustrations bring a lovely, cozy storybook feel, the kind that makes it a joy to sit down and share. There's a beautiful message here about where real strength comes from, and it comes through so naturally that kids will take it in without ever feeling lectured. It's a touching read that opens up some great conversations between parents and children about difficult feelings.
The Tale of the Boy Who Could Stop Time by Lance Lee reads like an enchanting children’s fable because it links gentle fantasy elements with the real emotional ups and downs of growing up. It is very uplifting to see Peter finding the courage to speak up and face his fears, making this imaginative book a perfect recommendation for families wanting a story about finding your own strength.
The Tale of the Boy Who Could Stop Time by Lance Lee deals honestly with something as real as bullying, wrapping it in just enough fantasy to make it feel approachable for young readers.... There's a beautiful message here about where real strength comes from.... It's a touching read that opens up some great conversations between parents and children about difficult feelings.
From Diane Donovan
The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is a middle-grade fable the entire family can enjoy. It tells of a ten-year-old boy who faces bullying at school with the help of retired magician Merlin.
From REEDSY
The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is a worthy read from a writer and an illustrator who excel at their respective crafts. This book is perfect for kids and families, especially those navigating the realities of divorce, bullying, depression, and loneliness. Lee and Retivoff have built something that will allow anyone to recognize the magic already within us.
From LOVE READING FOR KIDS
Return to Crouch End ... for a magical story about believing in yourself and standing up to bullies. The Tale Of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is a contemporary fable ... I liked how traditional folklore was incorporated into the modern storyline. ...sThis is a gentle story with a mix of coloured and black and white drawings throughout bringing the scenes and the characters to life. A calming read infused with encouragement.
Blueink Starred Review
Anyone who has been bullied knows it can drain the color from your world, but also provoke anger and the desire for revenge. Author Lance Lee’s novel, The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time honors those extremes but finds a peaceful middle path.
Peter is ten years old, a sweet boy who is happy when running in the park or studying animals in his room. At school, though, he’s tormented by a quartet of creeps. When his mother asks for help, she’s rebuffed by Peter’s teacher.
One day, a kind neighbor gives Peter a stone with a white lightning bolt down the middle and warns him to be careful with it. In a moment of crisis, Peter clutches the stone and time stops for everyone but him. He’s able to defuse the situation in this pause, and later uses the power to intervene and help someone else. Soon after, another crisis arises, and he jumps in to assist with no pause at all.
The cover describes this story as, “A fable for children and their parents,” and ideally it will lead to discussion between them. It’s a beautifully constructed tale, setting up Peter to discover his own power and defeat his tormentors by simply being present and facing them openly, without trickery. His mother ultimately advocates for him by supporting his passion for running, which pays off as he leaves some bullies in the dust.
The kind neighbor’s name is Merlin, which inspires a humorous running bit that leads to a fun revelation at story’s end.
There’s a dreamy, relaxed quality to the writing that lets the story breathe and occasionally sneak up and surprise. With beautiful illustrations tying the narrative threads together, The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is a powerful reminder of how much can change for the better with just a moment’s pause.
Publishers Weekly (Booklife) Review:
Lee’s Crouch End series reveals fantastical creatures living in the north London neighborhood, and in their fourth middle-grade fable, a bullied boy uses Arthurian magic to resist violence. Gentle and thoughtful, 10-year-old Peter Goforth refuses to fight the bullies who regularly taunt him. He’s been their target for years, but after this long-distance runner writes a poem about loneliness that reduces their teacher to tears, the harassment gets worse. Still reeling from his parents’ heated arguments, which led to an acrimonious divorce (and a father “too busy” to visit regularly), Peter keeps his troubles to himself.
His mother Holly is worried and tries to bring Peter out of his shell. On their daily walks to and from school, they pass a garden overrun with roses, and Peter impulsively asks an elderly gentleman if he can pet the orange tabby cat who eyes them with eerie perception. Her owner introduces himself as Merlin Smith-Jones, and Holly jokes about the fabled King Arthur’s powerful wizard. After deflecting this identification, Merlin gives Peter a black stone with a lightning-shaped white vein, along with the warning: “Be careful when you squeeze it!” In a panicked moment, Peter grasps his talisman—and time stops.
Peter can move while everything around him freezes, and he uses the opportunity to confound his bullies. Merlin has seen Peter’s inner turmoil and recognizes the compassion that moves him to help others. Lee encourages Peter to enjoy this beneficial magic but also sets up high-stakes situations where the boy can make a difference without it. Nathalie Retivoff’s illustrations beautifully reinforce Lee’s kind-hearted coming-of-age narrative, and her delicate pen-and-ink drawings and watercolors capture Peter’s fragility and resolve. Lee combines real-world struggles with fanciful magic in The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time, allowing a sensitive kid to be strong without donning armor.
Donovan's Literary Recommended Reading
The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is a middle-grade fable the entire family can enjoy. It tells of a ten-year-old boy who faces bullying at school with the help of retired magician Merlin.
Peter has many talents and is tasked with handling many adult situations, such as his parents’ divorce, along with his special abilities, which are producing emotional, meaningful writings.
What he isn’t familiar with is the possibilities of magical intervention and abilities - which, as it turns out, are not necessarily essential for handling his bullying problems.
Even Merlin’s gift of a magical amulet doesn’t solve everything, requiring that Peter employ his own creative problem-solving skills and special strengths.
The amulet does prompt the beginnings of his realization about his other powers, however. This, in turn, affects his life and choices as he both makes himself vulnerable to his enemies and chooses new reactions to life that help protect his fragile emotional empathy.
Young readers struggling with their own abilities, differences, friendships, and bullies in their lives will find many powerful tools for understanding, adapting, and change embedded in this delightful fable. Adults who join kids in discussing Peter’s pivot points and new realizations will discover that The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is packed with many thought-provoking encounters and reflections that lend perfectly to reading group, family, or classroom discussions.
It’s rare to find a children’s fable that can so widely appeal to a wide audience. The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time provides the kind of bygone wisdom that Aesop cultivated once upon a time, and is the perfect choice for adults that would inject a bit of magic into their lives and their interactions with kids, and for kids just beginning to step into the concept of their own empowerment and special abilities.
Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Book Review
The Tale of the Boy Who Could Stop Time by Lance Lee follows Peter, a sensitive ten-year-old boy who loves to write and has an unusual talent for running, but school isn't easy for him. He's bullied often, and things at home have been hard too since his parents' divorce. Then he meets Merlin, an eccentric old man living nearby in Crouch End who seems to carry a hint of real magic about him, even though he insists he's simply Merlin of Crouch End and nothing more. He gives Peter a flat black stone with a glowing white lightning bolt on its surface, one that grants him a strange and powerful ability whenever he squeezes it. Peter only uses it twice, but each time leaves him more drawn to it, until one day he acts to save someone without even thinking to reach for the stone at all, and everything changes for him in that moment.
The Tale of the Boy Who Could Stop Time by Lance Lee deals honestly with something as real as bullying, wrapping it in just enough fantasy to make it feel approachable for young readers without ever softening what Peter actually goes through. Watching him find his own courage instead of leaning on something magical to fix things is genuinely moving to read. Nathalie T. Retivoff's illustrations bring a lovely, cozy storybook feel, the kind that makes it a joy to sit down and share. There's a beautiful message here about where real strength comes from, and it comes through so naturally that kids will take it in without ever feeling lectured. It's a touching read that opens up some great conversations between parents and children about difficult feelings.
Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Book Review
The Tale Of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is a children's fable by Lance Lee. Peter is a kind-hearted young boy of ten. Since his parents divorced, Peter often feels lonely, exacerbated by the fact that he faces bullying in school. Peter is always the last one picked for a team on the playground, and his bullies never let him forget that. But he is an exceptional writer and has a unique ability to run long distances. After he meets Merlin Smith-Jones of Crouch End, Merlin gifts Peter with a flat, polished black stone. Whenever he squeezes the stone, Peter realizes that he can stop time. However, he soon learns that he doesn't need the stone to help others or face his bullies.
Whether you're a child or an older reader, The Tale Of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is bound to tug at your heartstrings. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Author Lance Lee has created some genuinely human characters whom you can't help but care for, even in a short story like this. Lee truly makes you feel for the protagonist, Peter. He is a likable young boy who puts up a brave front, standing up for himself and others in the face of bullies. Readers are going to love him, especially the younger ones. I also enjoyed the scenes featuring conversations between Peter and Merlin. Nathalie T. Retivoff has also done an amazing job with the artwork. Overall, this is a fantastic children's tale, one that I recommend very highly.
Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Book Review
If you pick up The Tale of the Boy Who Could Stop Time by Lance Lee, you’ll step right into the quiet, challenging world of Peter Goforth, a ten-year-old boy trying to navigate brutal school bullying and the deep ache of his parents’ divorce. He finds a little comfort in training as a long-distance runner, but his life changes forever when an eccentric neighborhood magician named Merlin reaches out to help. Merlin gives him a special black stone with a white lightning bolt design that stops the world around him whenever he squeezes it. Even though Peter now has an ideal way to avoid his bullies and keep out of harm’s way, he soon encounters a much bigger inner struggle. Will he figure out how to sort through his complicated circumstances and face his hurdles without turning to magic to solve all his problems?
The Tale of the Boy Who Could Stop Time by Lance Lee reads like an enchanting children’s fable because it links gentle fantasy elements with the real emotional ups and downs of growing up. Lee carefully explores values like confidence and empathy through Peter’s POV, reminding kids that actual bravery is something you discover inside yourself. The artwork by Nathalie T. Retivoff is lovely and perfectly captures the cozy feel of Crouch End, making the ordinary setting come to life. The author’s writing style is very gentle, and the central issues are resolved through emotional maturity and mutual respect, which makes the ending quite touching. It is very uplifting to see Peter finding the courage to speak up and face his fears, making this imaginative book a perfect recommendation for families wanting a story about finding your own strength.
Reedsy 4 star review
Lee and Retivoff have crafted a gentle yet empowering fable about the magic of learning what we’re capable of.
A modern fable for children and their parents that mixes fantasy and daily reality as Peter, a contemporary boy of ten, copes with bullying at school with the help of the magician Merlin, retired in Crouch End as: Merlin Smith-Jones. Peter, a sensitive boy with divorced parents, has an unusual ability to write with great emotional affect, and an equally unusual ability to run tirelessly. Magic blends seamlessly with familiar reality and Peter's gifts as Merlin helps Peter with an amulet in the form of a stone with a glowing lightning bolt in its middle that confers strange powers on Peter when he gives it a squeeze. But Peter learns he doesn't need magic to deal with his troubled reality, and faces down the bullies on his own and returns the magic stone to Merlin by story's end.
This fable, while written to be enjoyed by children, can be read with pleasure by adults, too. This is a very old literary genre, dating back at least to "Aesop's Fables." To this day those can be read to children and enjoyed equally by their parents. "The Tale Of The Boy Who Could Stop Time" is a current example. The latest installment in Lance Lee’s "Crouch End" series is a heartwarming tale of hardship and self-discovery. The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is a familiar yet wholly original take on the story of a young person in need of a supernatural boost. It’s one of those stories in which a little magic helps a child see himself anew. Along with Nathalie T. Retivoff’s bright and gorgeous illustrations, Lee’s book lives up to its subtitle—“a fable for children and their parents.” This story is as relatable and illuminating to its younger readers as it is to the adults in their lives.
Peter is ten years old, lonely, awkward, and having a tough time at school. His parents are divorced. He is bullied by a group of fellow students who just can’t seem to give him a break. And to make matters worse, Peter’s special talent—writing beautifully poetic paragraphs in English class—has earned him further ridicule and teasing (especially when his words move the teacher to tears). But everything changes after Peter and his mother meet Mr. Merlin Smith-Jones of Crouch End and his cat Nimsy. When Mr. Merlin gives Peter a strange, black stone with a bright lightning bolt on it, the boy discovers that he has the power to stop time. Peter uses this power to confuse his bullies and even save the day in town. But he soon begins to realize that this magic might not be his only power.
Lee’s prose is both gentle and witty. There is a quiet, wizened tone to the writing that calls to mind chapter books by beloved voices of the twentieth century. But Lee is also careful and conscious of the intelligence of his young readers. While there is a moral to the story (it’s a fable, after all), Lee manages to avoid being too on-the-nose, permitting authorial subtlety and readerly interpretation to work together here. The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time lends itself to second, closer readings and collaborative conversation about what Peter is going through and what he discovers about himself.
The magical elements and denizens of Crouch End are a fun layer of intrigue for the reader. And the mystery of Mr. Merlin’s true identity has delightful payoff as the book draws to its close. The biggest mystery remaining at the end of this story is how so many pedestrians seem to find themselves nearly stepping in front of traffic in this town!
The Tale of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is a worthy read from a writer and an illustrator who excel at their respective crafts. This book is perfect for kids and families, especially those navigating the realities of divorce, bullying, depression, and loneliness. Lee and Retivoff have built something that will allow anyone to recognize the magic already within us.
LoveReading4Kids Review
Return to Crouch end, an unusual corner of London for a magical story about believing in yourself and standing up to bullies.
Peter is a 10 year-old boy who has a talent for writing and loves to run tirelessly around the park. However he is quiet and bullied at school, with his headteacher saying he needs to “learn to deal with this on his own”. While meeting his unusual neighbour Merlin, Peter is given a curious stone with special powers that could help him with his problems.
The Tale Of The Boy Who Could Stop Time is a contemporary fable with a magical twist. I liked how traditional folklore was incorporated into the modern storyline as a nod to the style’s long rich history. It was great to see Peter’s life improved with the stone, and then the realisation that he doesn’t need the stone to be brave. It was nice to see his confrontation with the bullies had an impact on them, with a reassuring feeling that Peter’s positive and kind actions may spread. This is a gentle story with a mix of coloured and black and white drawings throughout bringing the scenes and the characters to life. A calming read infused with encouragement.