Sunday, August 10, 2014

Time Travel in YA

I don’t remember how Outlander popped onto my radar two nights ago. I knew nothing about it except that there were kilts, which was enough for me to watch the first episode on Starz.com. And can I say WHOA? Outlander is much more than kilts—it’s about history, Scotland, war, love and time travel. And that’s just the first episode! After experiencing this beautiful, moving, multi-genre TV pilot (featuring a strong female lead!), it got me thinking: what does YA have to offer on the time travel front? Here’s what I found:



The Future of Us—Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
It’s 1996 and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. (Remember those? I barely do.) Emma and her best friend, Josh, power up and log on—and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. They’re about to find out their future through Facebook friends, photo albums and status updates.

My Goodreads rating: ★★★★

 

The Here and Now—Ann Brashares
Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love. These are the laws seventeen-year-old Prenna James lives by. She immigrated to New York when she was twelve, except she didn’t come from a different country. Prenna came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins. Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan, a boy who goes to her high school. 

My Goodreads rating: ★★★★

 

Ruby Red series—Kerstin Gier
In spite of Gwen’s ancestors' peculiar history, she’s lived a relatively normal life so far in London. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped Gwen. She hasn’t been introduced to “the mysteries” so it comes as an unwelcome surprise when she starts taking sudden leaps into the past. She’s totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention what comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He’s obnoxious, a know-it-all and possibly the best-looking guy she’s seen in any century...

Be sure to continue Gwen's story in the sequels, Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green!

My Goodreads rating: ★★★★

 

Time Between Us—Tamara Ireland Stone
Anna and Bennent were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett’s ability to travel through time and space brings him into Anna’s life and with him, a new world of adventure and possibility. As their relationship deepens, they face the reality that time might knock Bennett back where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe in to question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate and what consequences they can bear in order to stay together.
There's also a companion titled Time After Time, which is told from Bennett's POV. It's still on my to-read list!

My Goodreads rating: ★★★★

 

All Our Yesterdays—Cristin Terrill
Imprisoned in a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain. Only Em can complete the final instruction. She's tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present- imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

My Goodreads status: to-read

 

I also added Outlander to my to-read pile, and I’m excited to dive into the book and the rest of the first season! Now let’s go travel through time!

 

*Book descriptions adapted from BN.com.

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