The Time Fetch

zorba - This book is very interesting, but I love it! It starts by Edward finding and picking up what he thinks is a rock, but little does he know, it is a sleeping Time Fetch—and touching it will release its foragers too soon and change the entire fabric of time and space. It changes everything,buses race down streets, too far behind schedule to stop for passengers. Buildings and sidewalks begin to disappear as the whole fabric of the universe starts to unravel. Edward tries to stop them, but he must depend on the help of his classmates Feenix, Danton, and Brigit—whether he likes it or not. They all have touched the Fetch, and it has drawn them together in a strange and thrilling adventure. The boundaries between worlds and dimensions are blurred, and places and creatures on the other side are much like the ones they’ve always known—but slightly twisted, a little darker, and much more dangerous. I really LOVE this book, PLEASE READ IT!!!!!

June 17, 2013
Mythology collides with adventure in adult author Herrick’s children’s book debut, which has echoes of The Dark Is Rising and A Wrinkle in Time. When eighth-grader Edward picks up what he thinks is a rock for science class, he accidentally disturbs a Time Fetch, little knowing it’s full of time-eating foragers. Soon, he and three classmates—athletic Danton, painfully shy Brigit, and abrasive Feenix—are pulled into a quest to prevent the out-of-control foragers from destroying everything. The interference of a trio of witches and the presence of the sinister Unraveler make matters even more complicated while this unlikely quartet works together as time and space collapse all around them. Despite clever use of both metaphysics and folklore and an interesting mix of personalities among the main characters, the story never fully gels. Evocative imagery as the world ends only serves to cover up a storyline in which very little seems to happen. Herrick shows great potential, but this adventure is a bit like a dream: hard to remember once it’s over. Ages 10–up. Agent: Edite Kroll, Edite Kroll Literary Agency.

June 1, 2013
A hodgepodge quartet of Brooklyn teens joins forces to defend against the unraveling of time. Edward prefers invisibility to eighth-grade social echelons. Feenix is a gangly queen bee who dishes up acidic insults and trickery. Painfully shy Brigit has been rendered mute by a familial tragedy. Athletic Danton is the goodwill ambassador and friend to all. When they each touch a peculiar stone, they become the only ones capable of preventing the destruction of time. The stone is a Time Fetch, containing time foragers who, under the right command, gather bits of unused time. In the wrong hands, they spell a fast-forward destruction of the world. With four starkly different eighth-grade archetypes, readers are likely to find themselves somewhere in the mix. Each character is interesting enough (though Edward's pagan aunt is generally more intriguing than all four combined), and the book isn't without quirky moments: three gruesome sister witches, panthers stalking in Prospect Park, a shape-shifting villain with backward thumbs. Hope for a fluid narrative is stalled by theorizing and philosophizing about time, and occasional choppy phrasing is equally off-putting. Mostly fun for confirmed fantasy fans, and even their enthusiasm will be diluted by what feels less like narrative and more like lesson. (Fantasy. 12-14)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-This transcendent middle-grade debut could almost be subtitled "A Young Person's Guide to Existentialism." The opening scene presents Edward struggling to get out of bed with the knowledge that "it was all dancing atoms. Nothing was solid." It's not a depressing novel, though. The story is strange and beautiful, with profundity hiding in the mundane while science and magic come to a comfortable alliance. After convincing himself to leave his bed, Edward has to find a rock for a science project. The rock turns out to be a Fetch, a magical vessel for small glints of light called Foragers, who collect and feed off unmissed moments of time. But when the mean girl steals Edward's rock and is in turn kidnapped by three evil hags in the classic tradition, the Foragers are let loose and begin wreaking havoc on Brooklyn's temporality. It is up to Edward and three mismatched schoolmates (the popular guy, the nasty girl, and the silent newcomer) to return the Foragers to the Fetch and save the world. The narrative seems to follow a well-trodden path (Brooklyn, fairies, unexpected friendship) but the introduction of scientifically based ennui as well as a deep thread of pagan traditions provides an accessible, age-appropriate introduction to deeper themes of both the intellect and the spirit. But it's not heavy-the plot is suspenseful, moves at a rapid pace, and is heavily sprinkled with fascinating characters. Despite the well-wrapped-up ending, this book screams for a sequel.-Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2013
Grades 5-8 Eighth-grader Edward is a loner and a slacker and, you know, nearly causes time itself to vanish. Edward remembers he must bring in a rock for science class, but what he finds is no ordinary rock. It is a Fetch, and the purpose of the tiny organisms inside, called foragers, is to steal time, just a second here and there. Because the Fetch is opened prematurely, the foragers multiply rapidly and begin stealing time in a frenzy. They will destroy the world on the winter solstice unless Edward and the three others who touched the Fetch can stop them. Tension mounts on several fronts, but Edward, Feenix, Danton, and Brigit remain central to preventing the disaster as they follow the quirky, detailed instructions Edward's aunt gives them. Herrick weaves a fast-paced fantasy with great twists and turns that will grab readers from the start. In the final chapter at Aunt Kit's winter-solstice party, Herrick ties the characters together and brings closure to situations, leaving readers with a satisfied sense of coherency.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)