96. A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler
Publication: Candlewick (October 11, 2011), ARC paperback, 292pp / ISBN 0763655953
Genre: MG Sci-fi/Fiction
Read: August 9, 2011
Source: Publisher (thank you!)
Summary from Amazon:
Jenni Green’s family vacation has finally arrived! Even though she has to deal with her annoying little brother, her slightly overbearing dad, and her very pregnant mom, she gets to spend a week with her bestest friend in the world, Autumn. But twelve-year-old Jenni’s world turns upside down when she takes an old elevator to visit Autumn and discovers that everything has changed: not only is her friend in a different condo, but tragedy has struck Autumn’s family, Jenni’s mother has had her baby, and everyone is a year older. When Jenni realizes that the elevator caused her to skip a whole year, she tries to go back, but soon finds that fixing things won’t be as easy as pressing a button. How can she alter the past and keep her family and Autumn’s from falling apart? With honesty and insight, Liz Kessler explores how the bonds of family and friendship can endure through time.
Note: There are probably some spoilers in this review.
Review
I haven’t read any of Liz Kessler’s other books, although I’m familiar with her Emily Windsnap books (and I think I have the first one on my Kindle). I knew she wrote cute, light-hearted, funny books, and while A Year Without Autumn deviates a bit from that idea it’s still a very enjoyable book.
A Year Without Autumn deals with a tough subject– the longterm illness of a child and how that affects everybody, including alcoholism, drug abuse, and depression– but it’s still, for all that, reasonably light. I sympathized with the characters and I felt really badly for them, and the story was both tragic and weirdly exciting. I also really like time travel books, if only because they do give you the chance to go back and fix things. Continue reading »
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