by Amrit Sorli Srecko

Non-fiction

I knew this book might be over my head before I started, but I was interested in the subject so thought I'd give it a try and see how much I could follow. Having a general familiarity with Einstein's theories helped.

There's always a certain resistance to deviations from long established scientific theories, not just in the science community but also among laymen who have become used to an idea and then see an extrapolation that adds or changes something. The natural first reaction is to presume the author is being pretentious, but we're talking about someone with Physics knowledge far beyond my own and after that initial balking, the mind opens to the possibility that he might just see something through an educated researcher's eyes that has been missed by others.

Some of the statements the author makes come over as perfect sense, others a little harder to shift the mindset to believe. The writing gives the impression that English is not the author's first language, but it is easy enough to follow.

I've come out of this one with mixed feelings. I don't have the educational background to judge his theories and would love to see what someone like Brian Cox would have to say about it.

Finn Firth is on the verge of turning 13, and is convinced his father will forget his birthday. Which is troubling to him, but really, it's the least of his troubles. When they were three, his twin sister drowned (and he's always felt this absence, and is sure everyone around him does, too). He's not that close with his father, and his mother left home a few months ago, with no warning and no one has heard from her since. Also, his best (only?) friend, Gabi, has been spending less time with him and more time with new friends—the kind that would bully him. He's also a huge science nerd, the kind of twelve-year-old who reads (and re-reads) Richard Feynman and Carl Sagan for entertainment. The fact that he's an outsider, that he's not like the other kids at school is what drives him (like so many) to science, to something he can make sense of and put himself/his trouble in perspective.

So imagine his surprise when his grandmother informs him that she's a time traveler, actually, all the women in his family have been and are. It's not just his family, there are people throughout the world capable of this. Some in his family are more powerful than others, most can only travel to the past—one could only travel to the past but during her lifetime—his grandmother and mother are among the few that can travel forward in time. His mother, he's told, didn't leave his father and him. Finn's dad has been reassuring him that "she just needs some time," and well, that seems to be the case after all. She's stuck somewhere, unable to come back—but she's created a way for Finn to come and get her (despite being a boy).

Time travel is impossible, Finn knows—and even if it weren't, the kind of travel his grandmother describes sounds more magical than scientific. He tells his grandmother this, in fact. But—I won't get into how, it should be read in context—he's given some pretty convincing proof.

Now there are those who don't think Finn should be doing anything regarding time travel, and that no one should be tracking down his mother. And they're seemingly willing to take some extreme measures to stop him. He and Gabi set out on an adventure to evade these others and get to his mother's portal. Finn's ill-prepared for what lies ahead, but he doesn't care. Between brains and sheer determination (and largely it's the latter), he's going to find his mom.

What he never stops to ask is: what else will he find?

This is a fun little read—Finn and Gabi are well-developed characters, his various family members are interestingly and distinctively drawn, the writing is crisp and brisk—once things get going, they stay going, and it's easy to get swept up in it The best is the mix of science and . . . however you end up describing the time travel. For a book directed toward the 9-14 set, the science (time travel, chaos theory, multi-world theory, etc.) is presented plainly and without condescension. That last point, in particular, resonated with me.

The heart of this book is found in two concepts—the power of individual choice, and the importance of kindness in spite of everything. Lessons good to be absorbed by the target audience, as well as the rest of us.

I really enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it. One thing, though, kept running through my mind as I read it. As much as I enjoyed A Time Traveler's Theory of Relativity, when I was 8-13, I would've loved it (probably when I was 14 and 15, too—I just wouldn't admit to liking a book written for younger people at that time). It's the kind of book that I would've been checking out of the library every two or three months. Get this for yourself and enjoy it, get this for your kid for them to obsess over.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Carolrhoda Books via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this opportunity.

Definitely interesting, although the abysmal attempts at humour were terribly distracting, because they weren't funny at all. My Kindle counted 15 occurrences of the "People magazine" joke (which I'm calling joke for want of another word), but they felt like 50. And I kept waiting for a punchline that just never came, which made me wonder: 1) where did that 'joke' even come from, what prompted it? And 2) considering this book was originally published in French, was that even included in it, since it makes even less sense whatsoever in French?

To be honest, it's my interest for hard science that kept me reading, certainly not the tone.

I love science. I also love learning about scientific theories and the scientists who brought them to light. Initially, I thought Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman was a true account of how Einstein came up with his theory of time (relativity). Instead this collection contains fictionalized diary entries (dream journal style) from 1905. Each dream accounts for a different way to view time and is set up almost as if they take place in alternate realities. Maybe all events are fixed and predetermined so time is meaningless. Or perhaps there's a world where the closer you get to the center of a location the slower you move until you are arrested completely. Do you think there's a place where those living in higher altitudes age slower than those below? I don't even know if I could handle the world where immortality is a given and so you are forced to live and live and live. In between each of the 'diary' entries, Lightman writes about Einstein processing each of these dreams and honing his eventual theory of relativity. [Bonus: Beautiful pen and ink drawings of Berne scattered throughout.] As I said at the beginning, I started off thinking this was going to be a non-fiction biography of sorts but I think I like this even better. If you're looking for a short little dip into the dimensions of time and how they might look based on your reality then you've hit the jackpot. This is the best kind of sci-fi surprise! 9/10

What I'm Currently Reading: Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

This is a heartbreaking story of a family, but it is tinged with hope for the possible. I am a fan of stories where parents are portrayed as struggling, harried people, having myself struggled and been harried as a parent. 12-year-old Ethan seems much too wise for his years, but Hayes’ lyrical writing and sense of wonder lets me forgive her that indiscretion. There is a strong science theme in this story, but it is not pedantic or overwhelming; it’s tempered with respect and awe, especially when we see the physical world through Ethan’s eyes. Hayes sets us up for punishment: there are red herrings in this plot and we are encouraged to go down paths that will not get us where we want or need to be. We think we have the whole story in tact just because we have each person’s point of view, but their memories are highly charged and often filtered. The second point of view overlaps the first, but there still seems to be something missing, and then the third, Ethan’s, only adds to the mystery. Most painfully I think, Hayes offers a realistic story just when we thought we were getting a magical one. But I cannot fault her for being true and honest, and actually, that makes me respect her all the more.