Time Between Us

September 10, 2012
The cute new boy at school, Bennett Cooper, keeps disappearing on steadfast Anna Greene in this warm, time-bending romance, set in 1995. High school junior Anna feels stuck in Evanston, Ill., growing up in her father’s childhood home and dreaming of travel and adventure. Anna stays smitten with Bennett as he alternately flirts with her and pushes her away. Debut author Stone takes a while to let Anna discover that Bennett is a time traveler from the year 2012; they fall for each other knowing they might be pulled apart by Bennett’s inability to stay in 1995. Some readers may get slightly tripped up by the logistics of time travel—Bennett is simultaneously a baby and a 17-year-old in 1995 while looking for his sister who got stuck in 1994. But the chemistry between Bennett and Anna—and the fun and brave things they do together—will have readers rooting for the couple that keeps daring fate. The secret Bennett keeps from Anna unravels into a dreamy, twisty ending. Ages 12–up. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

September 15, 2012
A slow-moving time-travel romance emphasizes romance over everything else. When Anna sees a strange boy who smiles warmly at her when she's out for her morning jog, she's puzzled. Puzzlement turns to bewilderment when that boy--Bennett--shows up as a new student at her tony private high school and reacts violently to her name but seems not to recognize her at all. She has always wanted to see the world, but she's hardly ever left her hometown of Evanston, Ill.; she explores the travel section of her father's bookstore instead. One night, Bennett uses his amazing time-travel ability to save her from a robbery at the store; he explains that he comes from 2012 and is in Anna's time, 1995, to find the sister he lost at a Pearl Jam concert. Love ensues. Stone doesn't bother to give Bennett's unique talent any kind of coherent framework, instead using it to fuel fabulous trips to exotic places and to provide an excuse for hand-wringing about unrequitable love. Anna forces him to go against his preternaturally developed sense of chrono-ethics when her two best friends are in a terrible car accident, but even the consequences of that are only limply explored. The rushed ending exposes the lost sister for the MacGuffin she is and knocks the feet out from under the novel's only emotionally honest moment, Anna's decision to live for herself. Time travel can be fascinating, but here it is not. (Fantasy. 12-16)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-Sixteen-year-old Anna Greene dreams of visiting exotic locations far removed from her safe, suburban life in 1995 Evanston, Illinois. When she meets newcomer Bennett Cooper, she's immediately drawn to him, but there's something curious about him-it's as if one moment he knows her and the next he treats her like a complete stranger. It's not until Anna is working at her family's bookstore and Bennett saves her from being robbed at knifepoint that she finally discovers his secret: he can travel through time. As they go to places Anna has never heard of, an unexpected tragedy forces them to question fate and the power Bennett has to change the future. When he is eventually sent back to his own time, Anna must make decisions that could doom or reunite them some day. Romantic and passionate, Stone's debut novel is swoon-worthy. Filling the story with excitement and destinations such as Thailand and Italy, she takes readers on a journey so that they, too, can experience the wonder that Anna feels. Although she's a dreamer, the teen is also quite practical and responsible, giving her character depth and believability. Because of Bennett's unpredictable comings and goings, Anna is the emotional glue that holds the story together. The connection between them is tangible and will resonate with readers who enjoy their romance mixed with adventure. Recommended for fans of Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife (MacAdam/Cage, 2003).-Audrey Sumser, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Mayfield, OH

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2012
Grades 7-12 Mystery and time travel blend with romance in this exciting debut novel. In suburban Chicago in 1995, 16-year-old Anna feels stuck at home, so she is excited to meet cute new student Bennett while running track. But what is he hiding? Is he a stalker? It turns out that he is from a time 17 years in the future, and he tells her about 2012 (including the wonder of cell phones). Bennett has the ability to disappear and reappear, and he can make others do the same. Even more astonishing is his power to do over anything that happens, and when Anna's best friend, Emma, is severely injured in a car accident, Anna makes Bennett go back and erase the tragedy. But then Emma gets close with gorgeous Justin, whom Anna has always wanted to date. Can she erase that, too? Told in Anna's authentic, first-person, present-tense voice, the story will hold readers with its twists and turns, present and future; its love, sadness, and anger; and especially, its surprising secrets.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)