Throwback

September 9, 2019
After learning that he is a Throwback, who can travel back in time and alter the past, Corey Fletcher, 13, vows to do what his grandfather couldn’t: prevent his grandmother from dying in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Things go awry, though; he ends up robbed and stranded in New York City in 1917, and he must retrieve his possessions and avoid myriad dangers if he wants to return to his own era. With this exciting adventure, Lerangis (the Seven Wonders series) captures the diversity of New York throughout the decades, and Corey’s own heritage (his mother is Puerto Rican and father is Greek-American) plays a small but important role along the way. The narrative works best when it focuses on the personal stakes; elements of the worldbuilding—such as the long-term side effects of time travel—are less successful, while related subplots are left dangling for future installments of the planned trilogy to address. Nevertheless, the thought-provoking concept and Corey’s own heartbreaking attempts to prevent tragedy should easily draw readers. Ages 8–12.

October 1, 2019

Gr 4-7-Lerangis's novel takes the intriguing premise that some people can time travel simply by concentrating on an object from a certain time. Thirteen-year-old Corey time-hops around New York City's history with the guidance of his Greek American Papou (grandfather) and the support of best friend Leila. September 11th features prominently, but Corey also goes back to the 1860s and spends some time with track-clearing "West Side Cowboys" in 1917. Of course, time-jumping has dangers that lend themselves well to a forward-moving adventure tale such as this; in this case, losing an object means losing the ability to go to that period, frequent time-jumpers find themselves turning into weird animals, and convincing people to change their behavior to change the future is frustratingly difficult. Lerangis avoids delving too deeply into the paradoxes of time travel or describing period accoutrements, leaving this a light, fast-paced adventure full of lively dialogue and action with not-very-perceptive yet colorful time-locals. Corey is ostensibly half Greek American and half Puerto Rican. VERDICT A welcome addition to time-travel literature for middle grade readers, especially those who love New York.-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2019
A fledgling time traveler learns that changing the past--or even just visiting--can have...disturbing consequences. In a tale that twists its way to an unexpectedly light ending after a string of wrenching incidents, young New Yorker Corey Fletcher discovers that, like his beloved grandfather and a small community of others, he can travel in time. Better yet, Corey just might be one of the legendarily rare Throwbacks who can actually alter the fixed past...albeit at a cost of unpredictable changes up the line. Nevertheless, he recklessly slips back to 2001 to watch Papou Gus repeatedly fail to steer his wife away from her job in the World Trade Center, then tries his hand at it--and finds himself temporarily stranded in Lower Manhattan in 1917. Lerangis gives Corey two redoubtable female foils. In 1917, "Quinn Roper" has disguised herself as a cowboy, causing Corey to reflect, rather clumsily, on changing attitudes toward gender assumptions and presentation. In the 21st century, fellow time traveler Leila also gives the 9/11 rescue a go. The author crafts a white default cast but ably evokes the stews of old New York's Bowery and, while leaving his biracial protagonist's Puerto Rican mom in the background, does slip in markers for Corey's Greek American ancestry. A trilogy opener with all the makings of a grand tale...in time. (Fantasy. 11-13)

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August 1, 2019
Grades 4-7 After 13-year-old Corey discovers that he has inherited the ability to journey into the past and change the future, he sets out on his first mission: saving his grandmother from the tragic events of September 11, 2001. It was not part of his plan, however, to end up stuck in the year 1917. In order to get back home, he puts his faith in a new friend and soon learns that things in the past aren't as simple as he'd thought. Lerangis takes readers through time with humor and action, capturing the grittiness of the different settings and putting Corey through realistic struggles. While the story weaves through three time periods, the plot centers around 9/11 and its impact on Corey's family, and despite the sf trappings, this is an emotional journey, full of heart, about family and wanting to change the past. It's the kind of story that stays with you long after reading, and it will resonate with many.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)