Currently, if asked to describe this book, my eyes would just sort of roll back in my head and I would go “ugh this book!” and you would be like “uh Patricia is that good or … ?” and I would look at you and my jaw would sort of uncomfortably shift to one side and you’d ask me if I’m okay and I would say, “read this book.” Anyway, that is how I feel about The Boy From Tomorrow.

How I’d Describe This Book to a Friend
I am still trying to figure out how to explain this one without giving too much away, and because I am still processing My Feelings™ I am not 100% sure I even can! I will try. Let’s try.

The Boy From Tomorrow is a middle grade book that ignites hope all of us have deep inside that still burns reverently that there is still some magic in this world. It explores the possibility of connections across decades, between people who will never meet. And yes, I repeat: this is a book for children. Because we often underestimate a kid’s capacity for “big” stories like this – definitely don’t.

It’s 2015. Alec moves into an old, run-down house that “has potential,” as some guy on HGTV with a bushy beard would say. His mom is recovering from a recent messy divorce and Alec is feeling all sorts of things – he is 12 years old, and that’s just the sort of thing that happens. He explores the old, creaking house, and discovers a Ouija board. With two of his new neighbor friends, Alec sets off to talk to a ghost, because that’s what a 12 year old does with a Ouija board, and frankly so would I at 28.

Only problem is, someone answers. And it’s not what you would expect.

It’s 1915. Josie is 12 years old, and lives in the self-same house. She has a little sister named Cass, a beloved tutor named Emily, and their abusive mother, a psychic spiritualist who often has people over to her parlor to read their futures. One evening, Josie reaches for her mother’s spirit board, and connects with Alec, 100 years in the future.

When they discover that they aren’t talking to ghosts, but to actual living, breathing humans, they start to experiment. And both their worlds will never be the same.

Bottom Line
I absolutely adored this book. At under 300 pages, I still felt like each character was a friend of mine – sweet, gentle Alec, determined Josie, stubborn Cass. I hated Josie and Cass’s mother right along with them, begging her mentally to quit being a terrible person. I felt aligned with Alec’s mom, understanding how hard it is to rebuild from the ground up when you expected your way of life would last forever. I felt terrified whenever Cass would talk through her creepy doll, Mrs. Gubbins – seriously, Mrs. G is the reason I had to turn my lights on one night. May I reiterate that I am almost 29 years old and a grown adult? Okay, just checking.

This being a middle grade book is one of the best things that could have happened to it. Were this a YA book, about halfway through, Josie and Alec would fall in love and somehow find some way to transcend time and space and be together in 3D as real-live, beating-heart people. This – sorry to spoil your hopes and dreams – does not happen. Because Ms. DeAngelis is realistic with her Ouija board time travel stories, damn it. But I digress. There is no unnecessary romance, no long two-page description of the sunlight rippling in Josie’s hair. This is two 12 year olds who are growing up 100 years apart, in two very distinctly different ways, and I love both of them very much. Trust that you will not be disappointed, and read this book.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley and the publisher.

Josie Clifford didn’t really have any friends. It was hard being the daughter of a mother who did “readings” for a living. Believers came to their house so that Mrs. Clifford could talk to their dead relatives. All of the children in town were either afraid of Josie and her younger sister Cassie or made fun of them because of their mother.

Alec Frost had to find some new friends. His parents divorced and now he and his mother moved to a very old house in a new town to start a new beginning. Unlike Josie, Alec did find a few friends and he also found a “talking board” secreted away in his new home. Similar to Ouija Boards, it was used in the early 1900’s to communicate with the dead.

When Alec and his friends started playing around with the board, they found it was more than a game. Somehow it was allowing them to communicate with Josie and Cass, residents of Alec’s new house a century ago. Alec now slept in the bedroom once occupied by the girls and their beloved Nanny and teacher, Emily.

When Mrs. Clifford found out what her daughters were doing she was furious. Unfortunately, the cruel and conniving Mrs. Clifford found a way to use her children and Alec for her own gain by having him tell her about events in the future. When life became more and more dangerous for the girls, could Alec figure out a way to save them even though they exist 100 years apart?

This fast paced children’s book is sure to become a classic. The intricate story draws the reader in making it impossible to put down. It is written for middle grade children but as an adult I quite enjoyed it.

The artful switching from the girls’ point of view to the present time point of view of Alec and his friends pulls the reader into the thoughts and feelings of the characters. I have to admit that I sniffled more than once. It is impossible not to get emotionally attached to Alec, Josie and Cassie.

The ending of this book was magnificent. It tied up all of the loose ends. It is important to not leave things hanging in books such as these, and The Boy from Tomorrow did not disappoint.

Copyright © 2018 Laura Hartman

A remarkable story told in a fresh way. Josie and Cass, young daughters of an early 20th Century Spiritualist, use their talking board to contact the spirit world. One hundred years later Alec lives in the very same house, finds the very same talking board, and strikes up an impossible friendship. Separated by an chasm of time bridgeable only by mysterious technologies, a powerful friendship builds and these young people do what friends do: help with big problems. I really got sucked into this book. It's lively, careful, and honest. It's true in a way only a book about spiritualism, terrible parents, good friends, and hope for the future can be. This is a great new book, and should make its way into lots of homes and classrooms.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I know that this novel was written with a younger audience in mind, but the story was absolutely wonderful and I would also recommend it to adult readers in a heartbeat. I loved the intricately woven tale that encompassed an amazingly wide range of genres and themes; everything from the darker thriller, suspense, superstitious, betrayal, and abuse, to the lighter empowering, magical, friendship, romance, and adventure - all of which are counterbalanced between history and the present. The beautiful voices and spirits of Camille DeAngelis’ characters will undoubtedly resound with all readers past the last page.

This book is another fun Freaky Friday/ time travel story. Alec and Josie live in the same house 100 years apart in time (1915 and 2015). They connect using a toy Ouji board. I'm a fan of magical sci-fi mysteries, so this was right up my alley. It was just suspenseful enough and not at all predictable plot wise which is always great in a middle-grade novel.

I didn't have time to read this aloud before writing the review, but I'm looking forward to sharing it with my kids.

A fantastic concept that brings history to life.

More in a feature on my YA blog in May.

https://nataliaheaney.wordpress.com

Did not finish. The idea sounded interesting, but I did not like the use of a ouija board by young children.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Boy From Tomorrow is an engrossing story about a boy from the present (Alec), and two girls from the past (Josie and Cass). This is the story of their young lives, and friendships and personal struggles. It tackles hard topics like parental divorce and abuse.

As a child, I would have absolutely DEVOURED The Boy From Tomorrow. As an adult, literally my only complaint about the entire book is this: As the children in this book communicated through a Ouija board, they went back and forth in complete sentences. In spite of the fact that it would have had to take place one letter at a time.
Otherwise, this book was fabulous.

Honestly, it kept me guessing. I was not sure what the fates of Cass and Josie would be. I've always loved stories that take place in two different time periods, so this would have been a must read for me as a child. It was really fun to watch these friendships develop and see what the children would come up with to stay in touch and help each other.

I would absolutely recommend this to young readers.

I LOVED this book! The friendship made over an impossible “time” distance. I love Alec and his determination to help Josie get out of a horrible family situation! A mixture of historical fiction and time travel (in a sense) made this book so hard to put down!

I loved this book! I'm a big fan of middle grade mystery/adventure/sci fi stories and this one checked all my boxes. It is well written, and once the reader accepts the premise, it is all very believable. The characters are true to life, the dialogue flows and the events are realistic. I was rooting for the characters all the way, and the writing evoked the needed emotion at the critical parts of the story. And it was a nice bonus that Alec's family was vegan :) .

Loved it! The Boy from Tomorrow is a smooth read. Perfect blend of spiritual elements without being frightening. Camille did a fantastic job of combining the past and present and makes it easy to understand for children ages 8 and up. Would definitely recommend for children and adults!

A fabulous take on spiritualism, in a non-scary form for kids. Alex and Josie live in the same house, but separated by 100 years. They initially communicate with a spirit board, and later a phonograph. Then, Alec uses the library archives (rather than just the internet) to learn about his new friend. I loved the way they were able to influence each other's lives and relationships across the century. Can't wait for it to come out so that I can put a copy in my daughter's hands.

A charming time travel narrative that draws two lonely children together across the decades. Camille DeAngelus has written an engaging and enthralling take on the gothic genre which updates the typical conventions to make them relevant to a contemporary reader. The central motif is the value of true friendship.

A girl from 1915 and a boy from 2015 are able to communicate through a talking board, and what they say changes each child's life. It's both exciting and heart-wrenching to watch as Alec uses his resources--the library and the internet--to help Josie and her sister escape from their abusive mother.

At the beginning, this book seems like it's going to be spooky and mystical. Both Alec and Josie initially think they're communicating with spirits through the talking board. But when it becomes clear that the two kids are communicating across time, the story becomes much more interesting. 

This book isn't for everyone. I think younger kids are likely to be frightened by the spooky events, or by the abuse Josie and Cass suffer. But for older kids, this book has a fun twist on the typical ghost story.

This is not so much a time-travel book, thought it is, and it isn't so much historical fiction, though it is. It is a different take on the usual way of doing time travel or historical fiction.

Alec corresponds with a girl who lived in his house a hundred years ago, first through a ouija or spirit board.

It sounds odd, but it works. Alec is going through problems, and so is Josie, and they both give each other mutual support.

The thing about time travel, is the pieces all have to fit together, and these do. This is not the <em>Blink</em>, from Doctor Who, but it has those elements, of notes passed through the years by being hidden in places where Alec will find them.

And, although I think adults should never be involved in this sort of magic, in this case, it worked. It was the teather to the real world, so to speak.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

(This review is scheduled to be posted to my blog on May 1, 2018, according to Amberjack Publishing's Approval Preferences that reviews not be published until the week before the on sale date.)


The Boy from Tomorrow would have easily been one of my favorite books when I was in the "middle grade" age category. In my tweens, I was reeeeally into ghosts and death and supernatural occurrences and spiritualism. (I'm not sure I knew the term "spiritualism" then, but I knew of Ouija boards and spirit photography and all that awesome morbid Victorian stuff.) I'm still pretty into that stuff now as a 30-something (oh god when did I become an adult how did this happen), so I'm about to rave about this book.

Summary: Alec in the present (-ish, 2015) discovers that he can communicate through a "talking board" (aka: a Ouija board) with "spirits" in his house. Meanwhile, in 1915, Josie and her little sister Cass are communicating with a "spirit" through a talking board in their house too. When they discover that nobody is a ghost and they are actually somehow communicating across time, they chat through the board every chance they get, and Alec and Josie become good friends. But Josie's cruel mother is a spirit medium, someone who supposedly can talk to the dead, and she wants to use Alec's knowledge of the future for her own purposes. They find another way to communicate with each other, and while they love hearing about technology and books and songs from the future, Alec has some other information he's not sure he should share... like the fact that there's a child-sized headstone in the local cemetery with their last name on it. While Alec is trying to decide if he should tell what he knows, Josie is trying to decide if she wants to know ahead of time what will happen to her and her family.

What I liked: This was a great book in so many ways. The story is strong and deals with a lot of complicated time-travel-like issues without dumbing them down. For example, Alec starts finding letters and objects that have been left for him in the house... so Josie must have left them... but when he tells her about it, she hasn't done it yet... so now Josie knows she will leave them, but how, and when, and where...? It had my head spinning (in a really good way) at a lot of points, trying to figure out the mysteries of reaching across time with them. And poor Josie, trying to decide if she wants to know whose headstone is in the graveyard, and what will happen to her in the future, and the dates when people she knows will die... All of this information is at Alec's fingertips through Google, but should he share, and does Josie want to know? Ugh. Such a tough situation for both of them. I really felt for them, which I think shows that this book handled that really well.

Another thing I liked? ALL THE SPIRITUALISM GOODNESS. This is the first middle grade book I've read that deals with spiritualism but now I'm on the hunt for moooore. Talking boards? Automatic writing? Postmortem photography?? The age of spiritualism was weird and awesome.

There's also some tough situations that were handled quite well, I thought. Alec's parents are recently divorced, and he and his mom are both still struggling with a lot of the emotions that go along with that. Josie and Cass's mother is cruel to the point of being abusive towards them - both physically and emotionally - especially towards Cass. Some of those scenes were hard for me to read, but again, I think that shows that the author did a good job with them. Josie begins to realize that it's her responsibility to keep herself and her sister safe, which means she has to make some very adult decisions toward the end of the book.

What I didn't: The only thing I'm wondering is if the very end of the book is a little bit much for middle grade readers? If I was my tween self reading this, would I have wanted to read about the characters in their 20s and 30s and beyond, seeing what happens to them as adults? I don't know. I can't decide. As an adult now, it was interesting to see where they all ended up, but I felt like maaaybe the peek that far into the future wasn't really needed. We are told earlier in the book what will happen to both Josie and Cass, and I think I would have been satisfied with that. (SPOILER - Alec finds out that Josie is going to be a reporter, and Cass is going to be a famous actress. So we know they don't die young, and they seem to end up with careers that suit them. Yay!) Did I need to know in detail what will happen to them at a few different stages of their adult lives, reading about it scene by scene? Mmm, *shrug*, I feel like I could have done without it. I did really like seeing a peek into Alec's future though. (SPOILER - Where he follows the letter to another house and meets Cass's great-granddaughter?? And it's implied that he maybe likes Josie and hasn't met the right girl in his own time that can compare with Josie yet, but suddenly here's this girl in the present who's related to Josie that he seems to really hit it off with?? *sigh*... Maybe it's a little over the top, but it worked for me. Got me right in the feels.)

Another very small nitpick of mine is that some of the transitions from one scene to another were a bit abrupt and awkward, so I had to read back and little to figure out what had just happened. Like, one minute we're walking down the street with Alec and his friend Danny, and then all of a sudden Alec is talking to Josie. Oh, ok, I guess Alec and Danny made it back to their houses and Alec went up to his room and is talking to Josie... gotcha. Obviously that's not a big deal, and I don't expect the author to spell all that out for readers step-by-step in detail (cuz that's boring as heck and I don't want to read all that anyway). But I could have used a transitional something, like those little symbols in between paragraphs like * * * that show things have jumped ahead, or even one-liner like "Later when Alec got home," or something. Also it's worth noting that I read an ARC so this could be completely resolved in the final version.

TL;DR: As a tween, this would have been on my birthday wishlist SO FAST. As an adult, I still loved it! It's a really well done story of friends communicating across a century, sharing their everyday lives and some really tough things too, with a lot of interesting spiritualism info included.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Boy From Tomorrow by Camille DeAngelis is a children's adventure book aimed at ages 8-11 years. I am considerably older and I really enjoyed the tale.
The story unites two children one hundred years apart, who live in the same house. Their bond, formed through curiosity and loneliness is beautiful to witness.
There were some very different parenting ideas at the beginning of the twentieth century. The modern reader consequently finds some of the passages of child cruelty difficult to read.
A sisterly bond is beautifully portrayed. The reader can 'feel' the love and desire to protect.
The novel has single parent families. Both uniquely drawn and elicit two very different feelings from the reader.
The Boy From Tomorrow is both absorbing and entertaining. I loved it. I was also impressed that the author warns against talking boards in real life, saying to leave them for stories.
A compulsive read that I read in just one sitting.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

One-Line Summary:

Two people find a connection that transcends time, and it’s exactly what they both need to shape their individual futures.

Summary:

When Alec moves into 444 Sparrow Street, it’s old and rundown and is a promise of a new beginning with his parents recently divorced. Like all old buildings, he expects it to have its secrets, and he finds one hiding in a drawer: a handmade talking board with angels in each corner. At first, it seems like a fun game to play during a sleepover—until he realizes the entities they’re speaking to aren’t ghosts but people.

A hundred years ago, in the same house, Josie is no stranger to talking to spirits. In fact, her mother makes a living doing just that. What she hasn’t heard of, however, is speaking to a person who’s very much alive but in a different time.

For Josie, the future is a scary prospect. Her mother keeps her locked up tight in the house, and the future means freedom, as well as uncertainty. Worse than that, it feels so far away. For Alec, the past is terrifying, because he knows, logically, that his new friend is already dead in his timeline. But the way he always wants to remember her is the way she appears in their shared house: vibrant, uncertain, and very much alive.

The Positives:

- I forgot this book was even middle grade. Now, I don’t read a ton of mid-grade, because usually I get constant reminders that it’s too young for me, and mostly, I don’t feel like I get much out of it. Why would I? I’m not the target audience. That was not the case with this book. I was thoroughly engaged, invested in the characters, and I got some powerful takeaways from it. The fantastic thing about this book was that it transcended audiences.

- Alec and Josie are probably the cutest things ever, in their own ways. Alec is devoted to his new friend and helping her however he can. Being separated by a hundred years makes it a bit more difficult, but being in the future has its advantages, too. Josie’s troubles are more visceral and gut-wrenching. Trapped within the confines of a house with no friends and an abusive mother, the future seems bleak—except when she speaks to Alec, of course. He makes the future sound wonderful. If only she can survive her current situation. There’s such a tone of hope, and the friendship between them builds naturally and is just so sweet. It’s the sort of beautiful, pure connection that only two 12-year-olds can have, of course, which makes it all the more special.

- The time travel spin was unique and interesting. I confess, when I see time travel, I balk. I’m not a huge sci-fi fan at its best, and time travel in particular often leaves me doubtful. However, this isn’t true time travel in the sense that persons are sent hurtling through time. The way it’s approached in this book is much more circumstantial and believable, which I liked. It didn’t require a huge suspension of disbelief.

- WHERE DID THESE FEELS COME FROM AND WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? I’m not a big fan of *hiss* emotions. Or feeling them. It’s a hassle. That being said, I felt all the emotions with this book. It was funny, sad, heartwarming, angering, hopeful, dreadful. I snapped between them so quickly that I was afraid I might get emotional whiplash. In the end, the gamut was well worth it, and how the book closes is fantastic and fulfilling.

The Negatives:

- What’s up with Mrs. Gubbins? This isn’t a huge negative, and maybe it doesn’t require explaining in a middle grade. But Mrs. Gubbins obviously isn’t just a doll or just a figment of Cass’s imagination. I kept finding myself wanting to know how she was tied to the girls, though, and what happens to her. Maybe I’m just nosy and that’s why, but I really wanted some follow-up about her.

- Where the heck is karma when you need it? Mrs. Clifford is awful. AWFUL. She’s meant to be, because there are awful people in the world, but gosh darn it, karma is supposed to get those people. Where the heck was fire and brimstone and fury? I know, I know, you’re not supposed to wish bad things on people, but I kept hoping she’d get her comeuppance. Unfortunately, I think part of that is just a facet of mid-grade works, but you know what? I’m just going to imagine it, and that’ll make me feel the world is still in balance.

- TRIGGER WARNING FOR CHILD ABUSE. I don’t believe this is mentioned anywhere else, and I think it should be said, considering it took me off guard. I don’t mind it, personally, but I know several people who if they had started this book, it would have triggered them. So make sure you know what you’re getting into going in. It isn’t graphic or gratuitous, but it could definitely be triggering, so be forewarned.

Overall:

I knew I had to read this as soon as I read the description, because it reminded me of Lake House, and I was hoping for the same warm, tingly feelings I got from watching that. I wasn’t disappointed. Unlike the movie, however, The Boy from Tomorrow has some dark moments, moments that I think are made even darker by being an adult (and for me, being a parent). However, every moment of it felt real and true to life, and the overall feeling was optimism and hope for the future, and I definitely came out the other end with the warm tinglies and having enjoyed the book. More than just for kids, I would recommend this to any age who wants a light, easy read that will stir up some emotions and leaving you feeling warm inside.

Disclaimer: I received a free ARC copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alec and Josie have tons in common: they're both twelve, have unhappy family lives, and live in the same house. On the other hand, they are 100 years apart. Josie's mother, a celebrated medium but a lousy human being, has a hand-painted Ouija board that lets them talk to each other across the decades. They soon form a close bond despite the differences between their eras, but what help can Alec offer from the future when Josie's life takes a turn for the worse? A clever premise and an engaging pair of protagonists.

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for providing me an advanced electonic copy of “The Boy from Tomorrow” by Camille DeAngelis.

I loved reading this book and wished it had continued! The story is so unique and fresh and unlike anything I have read till now. The idea of two people connecting with one another from different eras is told in such a wonderful way! Right from the get go, we see how Josie and Alec start building a friendship through the talking board. Both of them are going through family problems and lack the love the wish from their parents. The story progresses on how they help each other even though they live in different timespans. Another aspect I enjoyed was all the book references of classic literature that the author seeps in the storyline. She gives us an interesting snippet of a few, which are now added to my reading list.

There were a few parts of the story that I didn’t quite understand. For example, I didn’t get how Alec and Josie were able to communicate via the phonograph suddenly. Was it supposed to be a magical phonograph? Also, it’s a big coincidence that Alec was able to receive letters from Josie at the right time and place. There might be some other loopholes pertaining to the time element, but I didn’t give much through into it. It is, at the end of the day, a children’s fiction novel that should be read for entertainment value.

The characters are beautifully written with their own distinctive personalities. I was completely absorbed in the friendship between Josie and Alec, and the way they help each other. It was fun to read how one reacted to a phrase, music, books, or lingos they shared with each other. Emily, Cass and Danny also brought a spark of entertainment to the story. Mrs. Clifford is one of those characters you just love to hate. I pictured she would look and act just like Lady Tremaine (the evil stepmother from Cinderella), only more witch-like. There were some characters like Merritt and Mrs. Gubbins that I found fascinating and wished we had more details of.

Camille DeAngelis writes in a charming manner, and her strength is in how she writes her characters. I am interested in picking up her novel “Bones & All” as I have heard good reviews of that as well. Agnieszka Grochalska, the illustrator has also provided delightful illustrations for each chapter that adds a pleasant touch to the story.

In conclusion, “The Boy from Tomorrow” is a nice time travel book that I would definitely recommend to read. I give 4.5 out of 5 rating for this book.