Backtracked

June 1, 2009
Gr 6-9-Tommy Latrella, 15, attends Xaverian High School near his home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He is trying to carve out an identity distinct from his idolized older brother, James, a firefighter killed in the 9/11 attacks. Skipping school, endlessly riding the subway, tagging, being a slackereverything he does aggravates his dad but gives him some feeling of personal freedom and separates him from the mindless multitudes, the "sheep" he sees all around him. Having decided to chuck it all, he buys a bus ticket to Las Vegas, but can't resist playing one last prank, which has the unintended consequence of panicking people waiting at a subway stop. In the ensuing confusion, Tommy is knocked out and wakes up in 1918. A fish out of water, he teams up with a homeless boy, gets a job digging subway tunnels, and endures heartbreak when loved ones die during the flu epidemic. Subsequent leaps forward through time take him to a Depression-era Hooverville in Central Park and working for the Mob, then forward again to World War II army paratrooper training. At each stop, Tommy learns about the city's past as well as important lessons about hard work, personal responsibility, and freedom. While the premise is not original, the narrative is compelling. Tommy is an interesting, if not at first a particularly likable, guy. The pace is quick, the Big Apple landmarks will be familiar to many, and the history, while necessarily condensed, comes alive. A fun, exciting story."Joel Shoemaker, South East Junior High School, Iowa City, IA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2009
Grades 8-11 Fifteen-year-old Tommy Latrella is about to board his beloved New York City subway system as he runs away from home to escapethe shadow of his older brother, a fireman who perished in the attacks of 9/11. But when a prank goes horribly wrong, the subway jettisons himback to 1918, where Italian immigrants take him in and fix him up with a backbreaking job building subway tunnels. Tommy faces success and tragedy, and then is thrown by a subway crash into 1932, where Depression-era struggles compel him to work for the Mafia as a money collector. It takes a third round of time travel, this one to the middle of World War II, for Tommy to realize that he wont get to return home until he starts making up for his past mistakes. Its a dizzying premise that sometimes strains credibility, but de Alcantaras obvious love for New York is infectious, especially for history buffs, and his ability to fashion gritty realism within a fantastical plot sets this thriller apart.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)