Alice in Time

Gr 7—10—At 14, British teen Alice doesn't see how her life could get any worse. She can't converse with her mother without shouting, the resident mean girl has made school a nightmare, and even her relationship with her only friend, Imogen, is strained. Having never forgiven her mother for her parents' divorce or her brother for being born and ruining her life, Alice is convinced that moving in with her father and his new wife would make everything better. After heated arguments with Mum and Imogen—in which both rightly call Alice out for being selfish—she leaves her house in a fury. An unusual spin on the merry-go-round leads to Alice waking in the past. With the opportunity to relive the most significant time in her life as a 14-year-old in a 7-year-old body, she realizes that she can change her future. Discerning readers will quickly recognize that her own attitude played a role in creating her misery, but will keep reading to see if she can come to that conclusion herself as she observes and experiences the same events with older eyes. The first-person point of view prevents the narrative from being overtly didactic, and most of Alice's observations upon returning to her now-altered present are realistic and satisfying. The confidence she gains and the lesson that she can take control of her actions and reactions will resonate with readers.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL