School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Gregor, Zoe, Jake, Whitney, and Mia meet on the first day of high school during freshman orientation. The five students decide to write letters to their future selves and hide them in the school to be opened on graduation day. The four long years looming ahead of them seem infinite. But an edgy prologue hints at the delights and disasters to come, drawing listeners into the complicated lives of the students as they hurtle toward graduation. As they change and grow, the classmates proceed with laser focus toward that one day four years in the future when they will be suddenly turned loose to begin the rest of their lives. But the teens learn that ultimately, it is that "infinite in between" that is to be truly savored. With sensitivity and clarity, Mackler captures the insecurity, pain, and joy of the five teens as their paths cross and merge. Narrator Erin Yuen competently handles the large cast of characters. Her subtle characterizations will help listeners keep track of the story as the perspective shifts among the five characters. VERDICT Students who enjoy edgy coming-of-age novels will snap this up. ["A wonderfully written peek into adolescence gushing with relatability": SLJ 9/15 starred review of the HarperTeen book.]-Lisa Hubler, Charles F. Brush High School, Lyndhurst, OH © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
During high school orientation, five ninth graders write letters to their future selves, promising to reunite on graduation day and read them together. Each student starts school with hopes and fears, and over time faces trials related to friends, family, unrequited love, body image, school, and extracurricular interests. In eighth grade, Jake came out to his best friend, who promptly dropped him; knowing that word has spread, Jake avoids sports teams and hides in the art room, trying to find his niche. Popular Whitney repeatedly chooses friends who prove not to be friends, leaving her with no confidence when her parents' divorce shatters her world. While the five rarely interact at first, they become increasingly supportive of each other, fostering courage: while family chaos has long threatened Zoe's happiness, "she realized that, somehow, she was going to muddle through." The story unfolds by year and month; each month contains short chapters from one or more teen's perspectives. Mackler (The Future of Us) keeps all five story lines clear, absorbing, and integral to the larger story of friendship, perseverance, and hope. Ages 13-up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
