The Boy from Tomorrow by Camille DeAngelis

The Boy from Tomorrow by Camille DeAngelis
Expected Release: May 8th 2018
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Source: NetGalley

The Boy From Tomorrow Synopsis:

Josie and Alec both live at 444 Sparrow Street. They sleep in the same room, but they’ve never laid eyes on each other. They are twelve years old but a hundred years apart. The children meet through a handpainted spirit board—Josie in 1915, Alec in 2015—and form a friendship across the century that separates them. But a chain of events leave Josie and her little sister Cass trapped in the house and afraid for their safety, and Alec must find out what’s going to happen to them. Can he help them change their future when it’s already past? The Boy from Tomorrow is a tribute to classic English fantasy novels like Tom’s Midnight Garden and A Traveller in Time. Through their impossible friendship, Alec and Josie learn that life can offer only what they ask of it.

Review:

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for providing me an advanced electronic 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 time spans. Another aspect I enjoyed was all the book references of classic literature that the author seeps in the story line. 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.