From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. In this odd, intriguing novella by Australian fantasist Marsden by way of H. G. Wells, the time machine isn't just a thrilling gizmo but a vehicle for exploring the human condition. The novel's most prominent characters are mute, seemingly autistic James, who steals a time machine from the laboratory of a deceased physicist, and a girl who is separated from her parents by a bomb in an unidentified city. Their stories merge when James uses his time machine to help the war-torn family reunite. Hovering alongside these primary narratives are numerous, haunting vignettes, all sharing themes of grief and loss and reminiscent of the unsolved-mystery case studies James avidly collects. A flashback revealing a tragedy in James' recent past suggests a poignant purpose to his hops through time--and opens the elliptical story to multiple, intriguing interpretations. This won't necessarily appeal to the same audience that responded to Marsden's fast-paced Tomorrow series, but sophisticated YAs will enjoy chasing its elusive ripples of meaning.
Jennifer MattsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Description
An exciting time travel adventure from the author of the hugely popular Tomorrow series for teens! James reads by his open bedroom window at night. Other lives and other worlds beckon. One of these worlds is conjured by old Mr Woodford, a physicist who looks more like an accountant and who constructs a strange black box. One day when James slips into the laboratory, he makes a dreadful discovery and learns to master a great power. Who is the little boy in Mexico who scratches pictures of aeroplanes in the dust? How will the girl caught in a wartime bomb blast be reunited with her parents? And why does James sit alone in his island of silence?
