Alex never took much notice of the white double decker buses she saw as she grew up. They began on the day she was born, and then seeing people staring and pointing at her when out and about with her uncle became commonplace. Uncle Henry assures her it must be a case of mistaken identity, and she is happy with his answer.

Raised by Uncle Henry since birth, Alex has been encouraged to wonder, ask questions, pull things apart then rebuild them and love learning. He works from home on his computer, and has home-schooled Alex. This is fine until Alex turns 11, and asks to go to school.

Making friends isn’t as easy as the internet says it is, and Alex struggles to fit in with both teachers and her fellow students. Then there is Jasper. New to school he too is different and Alex finally believes she has a real friend. There’s something he’s not telling her though, and suddenly he is gone. Raised to be curious about the world, Alex is determined to find Jasper and for the very first time, follows a group of strangers who have been staring and pointing at her.

Nothing could have prepared Alex for what she finds, but nothing will stop her either. Jasper is in trouble and she must get to him in time.

A tale of love, friendship, differences and time-travel. I fell in love with the quirky characters instantly and the strange things happening around them intrigued me. Who are these people following Alex, even from the day she is born?

Time Travel is a hard thing to write well, and the author has achieved it brilliantly. With the rules of time travel clear within the narrative, it provides a framework which makes the story believable. The over-arching question of who Alex really is carries the reader right through the story, and the tension rises as the time to find her friend is running out. Loved it.

Author – Kate Gilby Smith

Age – 8+

(2021, Hachette, Orion Children’s Books, Time Travel, Friendship, Mystery, Science, History, School, Love, Differences, Courage, Adventure, Trial, Tribunal, Future)