Scan barcode
mbenzz's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a great book! I love history, so the fact that Alec (in 2015) was able to communicate with two young sisters from 1915 made for an excellent story.
Josie and her little sister Cassandra live in their new Victorian home with their beloved tutor Emily, and their horrible mother, Lavinia, who works as a popular and sought-after medium/seer. She shows her children no affection, and punishes them (especially little Cass) in cruel and inhumane ways. She never permits them to leave the house, and essentially keeps them prisoners in their own rooms, often times having the maid or cook locking them inside.
Alec and his mother (who is going through a divorce from Alec's father) move into the old Victorian house on Sparrow St. in 2015. First through a Ouji board, then through a Phonograph, Alec is able to communicate Josie and Cass. Alec, being 100 years in the girls future, does his best to help save them from what seems to be a very lonely and possibly dangerous future.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The things I didn't really like I cant say too much about because I'm afraid it would be a spoiler. I guess all I can say is, I don't understand WHY he waited so long at the end for the final letter. He wanted to know everything he could about the girls, yet he kept putting off visiting the one place he knew he would get answers...didn't make much sense.
Also, as others have noted, I would have like to have learned a little more about Alec and his family dynamic. You get an understanding about half-way through the book as to WHY his parents are divorcing, but you never really get to know his mother. The majority of the book focuses on Josie, Cass and their mother Lavinia.
In the end though, these couple things aside, I still really like the story. I'd definitely recommend it for Middle Grade children. There's a couple parts that are unpleasant, but nothing that a child that age can't handle.
** I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Josie and her little sister Cassandra live in their new Victorian home with their beloved tutor Emily, and their horrible mother, Lavinia, who works as a popular and sought-after medium/seer. She shows her children no affection, and punishes them (especially little Cass) in cruel and inhumane ways. She never permits them to leave the house, and essentially keeps them prisoners in their own rooms, often times having the maid or cook locking them inside.
Alec and his mother (who is going through a divorce from Alec's father) move into the old Victorian house on Sparrow St. in 2015. First through a Ouji board, then through a Phonograph, Alec is able to communicate Josie and Cass. Alec, being 100 years in the girls future, does his best to help save them from what seems to be a very lonely and possibly dangerous future.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The things I didn't really like I cant say too much about because I'm afraid it would be a spoiler. I guess all I can say is, I don't understand WHY he waited so long at the end for the final letter. He wanted to know everything he could about the girls, yet he kept putting off visiting the one place he knew he would get answers...didn't make much sense.
Also, as others have noted, I would have like to have learned a little more about Alec and his family dynamic. You get an understanding about half-way through the book as to WHY his parents are divorcing, but you never really get to know his mother. The majority of the book focuses on Josie, Cass and their mother Lavinia.
In the end though, these couple things aside, I still really like the story. I'd definitely recommend it for Middle Grade children. There's a couple parts that are unpleasant, but nothing that a child that age can't handle.
** I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
leafblade's review against another edition
5.0
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley.
When I started reading this, I was just hoping to get a fun middle grade book about two kids being friends despite them being 100 years apart from each other. I didn't expect my heart to ache every other page.
Both main characters are relatable, real and a pleasure to follow. You can clearly see the differences between them, and that somehow makes them fit in the story perfectly.
The writing style was amazing. It didn't hold back from using long words, which many middle grades do. It keeps you in the edge of your seat and makes you feel deeply for the characters and the hardships they go through.
I loved reading Alec, Josie and Cass interacting through letters, phonographs, messages carved on windowsills and time capsules. They all felt like genuine twelve year olds, had that distinct "not a kid but not a teen either" way of thinking and solving problems that when done right is the most joyous thing to read about for me.
Trigger warning for child abuse here, Cass and Josie's mother gives them hell. I appreciated and hated her character more and more with each passing page. A good contrast with Alec's mom, who ends up knowing his secret and talking to the girls. She tries REALLY hard to believe what her son is telling her, and it was great for a change. Moms don't usually get a part in middle grade or young adult literature, and it was very refreshing to read.
When the ending came I was literally clutching my chest. It felt cathartic in a way, even though I wouldn't say I identify with anything that went on. This book deserves tons of readers, and I'll make sure to tell everyone I can about it.
When I started reading this, I was just hoping to get a fun middle grade book about two kids being friends despite them being 100 years apart from each other. I didn't expect my heart to ache every other page.
Both main characters are relatable, real and a pleasure to follow. You can clearly see the differences between them, and that somehow makes them fit in the story perfectly.
The writing style was amazing. It didn't hold back from using long words, which many middle grades do. It keeps you in the edge of your seat and makes you feel deeply for the characters and the hardships they go through.
I loved reading Alec, Josie and Cass interacting through letters, phonographs, messages carved on windowsills and time capsules. They all felt like genuine twelve year olds, had that distinct "not a kid but not a teen either" way of thinking and solving problems that when done right is the most joyous thing to read about for me.
Trigger warning for child abuse here, Cass and Josie's mother gives them hell. I appreciated and hated her character more and more with each passing page. A good contrast with Alec's mom, who ends up knowing his secret and talking to the girls. She tries REALLY hard to believe what her son is telling her, and it was great for a change. Moms don't usually get a part in middle grade or young adult literature, and it was very refreshing to read.
When the ending came I was literally clutching my chest. It felt cathartic in a way, even though I wouldn't say I identify with anything that went on. This book deserves tons of readers, and I'll make sure to tell everyone I can about it.
booksofsummer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
labunnywtf's review against another edition
4.0
Josie Clifford required a friend; someone her own age, who knew what it was to be lonely, who would not call her morbid when she confided that she sometimes awoke cold and trembling in the middle of the night, convinced that she would not live to her sixteenth birthday.
This is the story of two very lonely children living in the same house. Danny and Josie are both 12, both being raised by single mothers, and both have a very real need for a friend.
The only trouble is, Josie is alive in 1915 and Danny is alive in 2015. A trifling matter.
This is an incredibly sweet and fun story. It's Middle Grade, skewing towards a slightly Coraline-level creep feel. (I had this thought before the book was mentioned by Danny, and felt vindicated). Josie and Danny communicate first through a "talking board" (a much more pleasant way to say Ouija board), then through letters written by Josie and found by Danny. Danny occasionally finds the letters before Josie has written them.
And finally, the two learn they can communicate via a very old gramophone. There, they amuse each other with their different ways of speaking, Josie's little sister Cass tells Danny of her doll that can predict the future even better than her and Josie's mother, and Danny plays rock music that completely throws Josie for a loop.
The under current to their friendship is the horrible home life Josie and her sister are subjected to. Tutored at home rather than allowed to go to school, they are raised by a cruel mother. Lavinia Clifford is psychic to high society, written about in magazines and visited from all over the country. And also, she locks her children in cupboards for hours when they make her angry. She's an absolute terror.
Is it her friendship with Danny that will save her future, and her sister's? This is Middle Grade, and it's not Christopher Pike we're dealing with, so you know nothing too bad will happen. But the suspense is real, and the desire for Cass and Josie to make it is intense. And also the hope, the seemingly impossible hope, that Danny and Josie will get to meet someday, as impossible as it may seem.
Absolutely delightful.
And I'd like to thank the author for the foot note at the very, very end, about taking care when using a 'talking board'. Because that part....made me slightly uncomfortable.
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review
This is the story of two very lonely children living in the same house. Danny and Josie are both 12, both being raised by single mothers, and both have a very real need for a friend.
The only trouble is, Josie is alive in 1915 and Danny is alive in 2015. A trifling matter.
This is an incredibly sweet and fun story. It's Middle Grade, skewing towards a slightly Coraline-level creep feel. (I had this thought before the book was mentioned by Danny, and felt vindicated). Josie and Danny communicate first through a "talking board" (a much more pleasant way to say Ouija board), then through letters written by Josie and found by Danny. Danny occasionally finds the letters before Josie has written them.
And finally, the two learn they can communicate via a very old gramophone. There, they amuse each other with their different ways of speaking, Josie's little sister Cass tells Danny of her doll that can predict the future even better than her and Josie's mother, and Danny plays rock music that completely throws Josie for a loop.
The under current to their friendship is the horrible home life Josie and her sister are subjected to. Tutored at home rather than allowed to go to school, they are raised by a cruel mother. Lavinia Clifford is psychic to high society, written about in magazines and visited from all over the country. And also, she locks her children in cupboards for hours when they make her angry. She's an absolute terror.
Is it her friendship with Danny that will save her future, and her sister's? This is Middle Grade, and it's not Christopher Pike we're dealing with, so you know nothing too bad will happen. But the suspense is real, and the desire for Cass and Josie to make it is intense. And also the hope, the seemingly impossible hope, that Danny and Josie will get to meet someday, as impossible as it may seem.
Absolutely delightful.
And I'd like to thank the author for the foot note at the very, very end, about taking care when using a 'talking board'. Because that part....made me slightly uncomfortable.
Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review
zanybibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
Josie, Cassie and Alec all live at 444 Sparrow Street and sleep in the same room but have never seen each other in person. Why? Because Josie and Cassie are in the year 1915 and Alec is in 2015. Somehow, despite being a hundred years apart, the two girls and Alec can speak to each other through a talking board.
Alec Frost is a kind 12-year-old boy who finally got his wish of living away from the city by moving to a small town with his mum. The only downside is that his father will not be joining them. His parents are getting a divorce and while it does have some effect on him, he handles the situations really well.
Josie Clifford is the same age as Alec - just a hundred years before - and she did not believe it possible to talk to someone from the future despite her mother, Lavina Clifford, being known for her abilities to talk to the dead. Josie is a clever and polite young lady, but thanks to her mothers fear or dislike of people and the outside world, she is not allowed to go to school. Being trapped in a house with a mother with no time for her children, a handful of servants, her little sister, Cassie, and their tutor, Emily Jasper.
Cassie is a spirited child with a heart of gold but a knack for getting herself into trouble. She also has the habit of saying strange things on behalf of Mrs Gubbins, her dirty and tatty looking doll. Cassie wants nothing more than her mother's love and is denied it. Luckily for both of the Clifford girls, Emily is there and she cares about both of the girls more than most tutors would.
I love how the book started - both groups thinking the other were ghosts. It was an interesting, entertaining, heartwarming and heartbreaking story all at once. The plot was brilliant and I enjoyed the mystery elements that were an underlying feature to be wrapped up at the end. The writing style appropriate for younger readers but still engaging enough for older audiences and I enjoyed the layout of the story with the alternating points of view and time periods. Both Alec and Josie were lovely characters to read the story through and most of the characters in the book were well developed and just complex enough for their role in the story.
I could not be happier with this book and I believe it will be one of my favourite reads of 2018!
Alec Frost is a kind 12-year-old boy who finally got his wish of living away from the city by moving to a small town with his mum. The only downside is that his father will not be joining them. His parents are getting a divorce and while it does have some effect on him, he handles the situations really well.
Josie Clifford is the same age as Alec - just a hundred years before - and she did not believe it possible to talk to someone from the future despite her mother, Lavina Clifford, being known for her abilities to talk to the dead. Josie is a clever and polite young lady, but thanks to her mothers fear or dislike of people and the outside world, she is not allowed to go to school. Being trapped in a house with a mother with no time for her children, a handful of servants, her little sister, Cassie, and their tutor, Emily Jasper.
Cassie is a spirited child with a heart of gold but a knack for getting herself into trouble. She also has the habit of saying strange things on behalf of Mrs Gubbins, her dirty and tatty looking doll. Cassie wants nothing more than her mother's love and is denied it. Luckily for both of the Clifford girls, Emily is there and she cares about both of the girls more than most tutors would.
I love how the book started - both groups thinking the other were ghosts. It was an interesting, entertaining, heartwarming and heartbreaking story all at once. The plot was brilliant and I enjoyed the mystery elements that were an underlying feature to be wrapped up at the end. The writing style appropriate for younger readers but still engaging enough for older audiences and I enjoyed the layout of the story with the alternating points of view and time periods. Both Alec and Josie were lovely characters to read the story through and most of the characters in the book were well developed and just complex enough for their role in the story.
I could not be happier with this book and I believe it will be one of my favourite reads of 2018!
booksnbeanies's review
3.0
Josie and Alec both live in the same house — 444 Sparrow Street — but have never seen each other. That’s because Josie lives in 1915 while Alec lives in 2015. Both being twelve years old, they become friends, communicating through an Ouija board that belongs to Josie’s mother. Josie’s mother never lets Josie or her sister Cass out of the house, leaving the girls afraid for their safety. Alec searches through libraries and archives to find out what is going to happen to the girls in order to help them change their future.
When you think of time travel, you generally think of the future, not the past, but this story was refreshingly different. The Boy from Tomorrow by Camille DeAngelis is a story about a friendship formed across a century of time. The author did a great job of merging the two time periods and making the story believable. You could feel the emotions of every character as they were going through their own family issues and how they cared for one another. This story was done beautifully and tugged at my heart on more than one occasion.
While this book may be more geared toward children, I really enjoyed reading it and I loved the characters and the friendship that they shared. My heart broke for Josie and Cass because of the way their mother treated them. I feel like the girls being able to talk to Alec helped them develop the courage they needed to get away from their mother. The only thing I didn’t like about the book is that Alec’s family situation could have been included more.
Like I said before, this book is probably geared more toward children, but I think anyone with a love of good stories, time travel, and friendships will enjoy reading this book.
Thank you, NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for this Advanced Reader Copy in return for an honest review.
When you think of time travel, you generally think of the future, not the past, but this story was refreshingly different. The Boy from Tomorrow by Camille DeAngelis is a story about a friendship formed across a century of time. The author did a great job of merging the two time periods and making the story believable. You could feel the emotions of every character as they were going through their own family issues and how they cared for one another. This story was done beautifully and tugged at my heart on more than one occasion.
While this book may be more geared toward children, I really enjoyed reading it and I loved the characters and the friendship that they shared. My heart broke for Josie and Cass because of the way their mother treated them. I feel like the girls being able to talk to Alec helped them develop the courage they needed to get away from their mother. The only thing I didn’t like about the book is that Alec’s family situation could have been included more.
Like I said before, this book is probably geared more toward children, but I think anyone with a love of good stories, time travel, and friendships will enjoy reading this book.
Thank you, NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for this Advanced Reader Copy in return for an honest review.
jaheath86's review against another edition
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
linesuponapage's review against another edition
5.0
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to know the people who lived in your house before you did? Especially if your house is over 100 years old? This book might get your juices flowing. The Boy From Tomorrow is a delightful book. Children of all ages will love exploring and getting to know the past with Alec while rooting for Josie and Cass to thrive in the midst of their uncontrollable living situation.
This book has adventure, human relationship teaching moments and a loveable, (and hateful) cast mixed into a story to make you dream you had some way to connect with the people who lived in your home too.
The author, Camille DeAngelis has a smooth, relatable style of writing. One that makes you feel as if you are living with Josie and Cass in the 1915’s. Her story moves in and out of the past but not distractingly like some books I’ve read in the last few months. The makes for an ease that lets your soul wander into the story.
I suggest that you buy this book for your child when it is released May 8th, 2018 or preorder it. It’s that good.
I received this book from Amberjack Publishing via NetGalley in lieu of my honest opinion.
This book has adventure, human relationship teaching moments and a loveable, (and hateful) cast mixed into a story to make you dream you had some way to connect with the people who lived in your home too.
The author, Camille DeAngelis has a smooth, relatable style of writing. One that makes you feel as if you are living with Josie and Cass in the 1915’s. Her story moves in and out of the past but not distractingly like some books I’ve read in the last few months. The makes for an ease that lets your soul wander into the story.
I suggest that you buy this book for your child when it is released May 8th, 2018 or preorder it. It’s that good.
I received this book from Amberjack Publishing via NetGalley in lieu of my honest opinion.
ckhdonick's review against another edition
5.0
A truly beautiful story about the power friendship - I was completely captivated by this book, and by Josie and Alec (Cassie and Mrs. Gubbins too!). Heartwarming, and at times heartbreaking, but so full of hope. Full discloser, this made me weep on a plane next to a stranger. It was worth it.
librarianlinda82's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book. I've never been much of a fan of science fiction or time travel, but this is a refreshing change of pace for a genre that for middle school has been done often. Three children living at 444 Sparrow Street in fictional Edwardstown, NY communicate over time through letters, a Ouija board, and an old phonograph. Good story for middle school students without fear of something objectionable that a parent or librarian might be concerned about.