Strange Days

November 15, 2018
As an impending alien invasion threatens Earth's future, 17-year-old Latinx Alex Mata grapples with self-doubt, loss, and love in Singer's assured debut.Curious times await Alex: Terrifying rumors of alien encounters abound, and dissonant guitars and a teasing voice invade his mind. After an alien murders his parents, he's wanted for questioning. Fleeing from Los Angeles to Seattle, Alex joins an underground group set on stopping the incoming extraterrestrial menace. Led by enigmatic tech whiz Jeffrey Sabazios, the group of teens must travel through time witnessing--exploring future scenarios and locking them into place--to ensure humanity's survival. The U.S. government denies all suggestions of alien activity; the president's daughter, meanwhile, encouraged by a time/mind-traveling Alex, learns the truth and plans on alerting the public. Things eventually, and predictably, take a sinister turn, ending in grim revelations amid an apocalyptic backdrop. The author succeeds more in his development of Alex, a young man learning to deal with his self-worth and feelings for others, including Paul, his white, gay roommate, and a black teen named Corina, his love interest. More intriguing thriller than hardcore science fiction, the novel mixes doses of political intrigue with extraterrestrial dread. Portions of the story are stretched out at unnecessary length, but sweet moments between characters keep things heartfelt.Entirely human in its affections and an occasional page-turner. (Science-fiction thriller. 12-18)

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December 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up{amp}ndash;Alex Mata is interested in playing guitar, hanging out with his friends, and getting his hands on the latest technology. He isn't too concerned about rumors that aliens might be real and might be kidnapping people. That is, until he comes home to find his parents murdered{amp}mdash;by aliens. Shocked and confused, Alex is recruited to be a Witness by Jeffrey Sabazios, who claims that his technology can protect Earth from the alien incursions. As a Witness, Alex travels through time to observe future events and lock them into place. In Sabazios's compound, Alex finds his purpose and begins to grow closer to some of the other Witnesses. Alex's ability to move through time, however, is greater than that of his friends, and because of this, he uncovers secrets that he and the other Witnesses are not supposed to know. Faced with the truth, Alex has to make tough decisions about whom to trust as he tries, once again, to save the world. Alex narrates in a unique voice that will appeal to eager and reluctant readers alike. Featuring a diverse cast, this sci-fi novel is grounded in the real world: Alex tackles questions of identity and his own interactions with others all while trying to deal with the alien incursions. Fast-paced and intense, this is a compelling choice for readers looking for science fiction set closer to home. VERDICT Purchase where there are fans of Scott Reintgen's "Nyxia" books.{amp}mdash;Zo{amp}euml; McLaughlin, Michigan State University

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Alex Mata is a skateboarder, tagger, and guitarist, haunted by the death of his beloved elder brother, Pete, and the disturbing, perhaps untrue news stories of aliens who are systematically targeting and killing humans. But when he comes home to find his parents dead on the kitchen floor and a huge, creepy bug hovering over them covered in blood, he decides to take a mysteriously proffered bus ticket and leaves Los Angeles for Seattle. Once there, he's taken into a mysterious compound with other teens who, like him, have the ability to glide through time and change events by witnessing possible futures. The group of X-Men-like teens is deliberately multicultural, of many different ethnicities and sexual orientations, but all share the belief that they are doing good.Then Alex discovers all is not as it has been presented, and he must decide how to save himself?and the world. Singer plays clever tricks with time travel and the ways in which it can affect past and future knowledge, and he leaves readers hanging and eager for the sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)