I wasn’t sure about this book. I thought it would be like every other time travel book but I was quite wrong. I’m so glad I read it

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

I loved this novel! Josephine and Cassandra are sisters living in Edwardstown, New York State, in 1915. Their mother is a medium who may or may not be genuine, but she is also a cruel and vengeful schemer who thinks nothing of forcing her younger daughter, Cassie, to eat a whole pudding that she naughtily sampled, even if it makes her sick. She thinks nothing of confining the rebellious Cassie to a cupboard for an entire day for speaking back to her, not even lettign ehr out for a bathroom visit. The two daughters are kept cut-off from society and are essentially prisoners.

A century away from this drama, Alec, who happens to be pretty much the same age as Josie, together with his divorced mother, moves into that same address, and through an antique Ouija board which Alec discovers in the house, he somehow miraculously makes contact with Josie, and they become friends. Unfortunately, Josie's mother learns of her Ouija board assignations and seeks to tap Alec's future information for her own ends, holding Josie hostage to force him to meet her demands.

The story is told in third person (thank you, Camille DeAngelis, you are a goddess amongst YA and middle-grade authors!), and it alternates from Alec's perspective to Josie's, and back again with each chapter and without losing moment or engagement. Despite its length, it makes for a fast and easy read, brings the reader in from the start, and holds them captive rather like poor Cassie and Josie are captive, but by a lot more pleasant means! I really enjoyed this book it was original entertaining, and a breath of fresh air. I highly recommend it.

This was a really excellent story. It started a little slower than I wanted, but picked up fairly quickly and I'm so glad I stuck with it, because it was lovely! What lonely little kid hasn't imagined they might one day stumble upon a friend, someone who would understand them and help make them feel more at home in their own skin? Now imagine if you could *actually* make such a friend - not an imaginary one, but one who is altogether real, albeit separated from you indefinitely by time and space?

Such is the magic of The Boy From Tomorrow.

Camille DeAngelis has crafted a beautiful, sweet, painful-to-read tale about the unique friendship that develops between Josie, a lonely twelve year old girl, and Alec, a slightly-less-lonely-but-still-searching-for-something twelve year old boy. Sounds fairly standard - until you add in the beautiful twist: for Josie, it is 1915, for Alec it is 2015. The beauty in the story arises as the differences between the children fade away, and the magic is wholly captured by the lovely prose in which DeAngelis lays out the burgeoning relationship between the two - a relationship that starts with a Ouija Board.

Josie (and her little sister Cass) live with a brutal, selfish, horrid "mother" who is a leading Spiritualist/Medium in early twentieth century New York City. The use of a self-proclaimed medium as antagonist was deliciously ironic, considering the magical twists and turns that the tale takes as true communication with "spirits" develops between the two kids. The story that unfolds is lyrical and moving, full of tidbits of history and family drama on both sides of the time divide (Alec's parents have just divorced). The story is, at times (especially in the beginning and whenever Cass's doll, Mrs. Gubbins, enter scene), eerie - until Josie and Alec figure out what is going on, there is a lot of confusion and fear, as one would expect if one was suddenly "communicating" with an actual Ouija Board. But the story unfolded at a solid pace, with just enough teasers about what was going on to keep me thoroughly engaged and curious to see what would come next. The supporting cast (particularly Danny, Alec's new real-time friend, and Emily, the girls' savior) was well-developed and provided a nice counterpoint to the main characters. And of course, the thoroughly distasteful Lavinia (Josie and Cass's mother) provided an excellent foil - she was horrid, but at just the right points to drive the story in a positive direction (if that makes any sense).

This was a really well-crafted tale about family - the ones we are born with and the ones we make for ourselves - and the importance of believing, no matter how odd things may seem, that magic really is possible...

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book in the middle grade genre and I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it. This story shifts from past to the future, between a girl, Josie who lives in 1915 and a boy, Alec, in 2015 – how they form a friendship which changes both their lives.

Josie and her six-year-old sister, Cassie are stuck living with a mother who’s a medium. She’s also a cold, heartless woman who has no time or love for her two sweet children. If not for their tutor Emily, Josie and Cassie would have no love in their lives. In comparison, Alec’s mother was awesome.

Josie, Cassie and Alec all had their own troubles to deal with. I liked all the three main characters. Cassie was so cute—a sweet, impish little girl with an infectious wit.

This story was wonderfully well-written. I liked the author’s writing style very much and the characters were interesting. The descriptions were elaborate and painted quite a picture. The story-line gripped my attention and kept it. Who wouldn’t find the idea of communication from the past to the future wicked cool? I did and if not for the ending, I would have given this book a solid 5 stars.

The ending was disappointing. A lot of issues were left unfinished without the proper conclusions and explanations. Except for the unsatisfactory ending, this was a pretty good book.

Lots of potential, but just too slow moving to keep me interested.

One hundred years apart, living in the same house, Alec meets Josie and her sister Cass through a talking (Ouija) board. What develops is a friendship spanning a century, and beyond a lifetime.

Josie and her little sister Cass live in 1915 with their mother, a famed medium. Josie has her doubts about her mother's powers. If she can truly speak to the dead, why has she never been able to speak to the her father? Despite her doubts, Josie is drawn to her mother's forbidden reading room. While playing with her mother's talking board, an elegant gift from the medium's best client, Josie, Cass, and their tutor Emily, make contact with Alec. After convincing the girls he is not a spirit but a boy from the future, a fast friendship develops. However, the more Alec learns about Josie and Cass, and their mother, the more concerned he becomes for their safety. From a century away, Alec works to help Josie and Cass. He faces the difficult decision of just how much of the future to share with them, and conflict with himself about whether he really wants to find out the truth of what fate may have befallen Josie and Cass.

The characters are so realistic and well-developed, and the contrast between the time periods vividly portrayed. The addition of Mrs. Gubbins, Cass's doll who only talks to her, was unsettling even to me as an adult (in a good scary-movie kind of way). She's very interesting - I really wanted to know more about who or what Mrs. Gubbins actually was... but she's really left quite the mystery. Cass often relays information to those around her as "Mrs. Gubbins says...." and Mrs. Gubbins says some vague but strange things about witches and bad men and predictions about the future - things no seven year old would know. And Cass often has to apologize for relaying information Mrs. Gubbins says she shouldn't have shared. She definitely adds a shivers-up-your-spine factor, but I liked her.

The book is appropriately targeted to middle grade audiences. I think it might be a little scary for younger kids, especially because of some of the cruelty of the girls' mother - nothing graphic, just unsettling. The book does talk about the medium having spirit guides from ages past, and them speaking through her. The only thing the talking board is used for is speaking to Alec, and for kids today who are not familiar with the idea of a Ouija board, parents may want to explain what a Ouija board really is. The author actually puts a rather stern warning at the end that speaking to living people across time is not the purpose of a typical "talking board" and more or less that one should be extremely cautious of the real deal. So, ultimately, some parental guidance suggested, but no major red flags.

As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and recommend it to any lovers of historical fiction and any adult who enjoys young adult books. For young adults, I think this is engrossing historical fiction in a time when historical fiction is less and less interesting to kids.

Historical sci-fi seems to be a thing now, and this book is one of the better versions! Alec and his mom move into a lovely old Victorian after his parents' divorce. Feeling lonely, Alec tries out a 'spirit board', contacting Josie and Cass, who also live in his house, but in 1915. Alec and Josie become fast friends through this strange communication across time, and Alec comes to realise that although the girls may live in the past, his actions may be needed to save them from becoming spirits too soon.
I definitely cried a few times reading this, but it was worth it.

The magic of possibilities, the mystery of an old home with stories to tell. A young girl who was twelve years old in 1915 and a twelve year old boy in 2015 share their stories through time and form a friendship that will forever change them both.

Josie and Alec were born a century apart, but the house at 444 Sparrow Street would help them transcend time to form a bond that would teach them both about life, grasping at what you want and taking a chance on believing in the unbelievable. It all started with a magic spirit board, found by Alec in the old house he had just moved into. That board would connect him to Josie and the opportunity to change her life for the better, even at the risk of them never connecting again.

THE BOY FROM TOMORROW by Camille DeAngelis is a beautiful opportunity for young readers to feel the magic that words create as they are transported to another time and place. Simple and warm, this tale gives young readers a chance to exercise their limitless imaginations as they witness a budding friendship between two children who should never have met.

What a marvelous opportunity to fall in love with books and reading! Camille DeAngelis’s tale is one that is ageless as we witness the helplessness of children caught up in abuse who are aided by a boy determined to help them, even if their future is his past. In a world of technology, it is refreshing to watch a young boy use old-fashioned detective work and the resources of a library to uncover the fate of the girls he met through time and possibly the magic of a child’s favorite doll.

With an ending that is almost bittersweet, we see the chance for a new beginning for both Josie and Alec, even a century apart in time! Can we ever give our children enough magic to feed their imaginations or enough opportunities to witness and trust in innocent kindnesses?

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Amberjack Publishing!

Publisher: Amberjack Publishing (May 6, 2018)
Publication Date: May 6, 2018
Genre: Middlegrade/YA Fantasy
Print Length: 268 Pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Not for me, I didn’t take to the first few chapters’ plot or characters. Maybe at another time but I could feel I wasn’t going to get on with it at the moment.

Did not finish.

The story is easy and fun to read, definitely recommend to children.
Worth a 3 star in my point of view. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine making a new friend who lives in the same house as you, but is a hundred years away from you. This is the plot of this book.

In 2015, Alec Frost, 12 years old, moves into a old house, and while exploring it, discovers a ouija board. He starts using it and who answers him? Josie Clifford, also 12, with her sister Cass, who live in the exact same house, but in 1915.

I absolutely love friendship stories, and this one had a twist I knew I would love it very much. It was so beautiful and at the same time so painful to read about Josie, Cass and Alec becoming friends, even though they are not alive at the same time. Knowing the only thing they could offer the other were words. But it was so well done. They help each other with their problems and I think it was really the right time for them to “meet”.

I didn’t want the book to end, for their story to end, I had tears running down my face with all these feelings I was having, but I am so glad I read it. I loved watching them learning more from the past/future from the other. It was really precious.

Three children live in the same house, their bedroom is the same room, and they are 100 years apart. Josie, Cassie and Alec are the children who live at 444 Sparrow Street. However, Josie and Cassie live in 1915 while Alec lives in 2015. Yet somehow, they are able to communicate through a Ouiji board in real time. What unravels is a story not so much about spirits or time travel, but rather about children who reach across the span of time to help each other when they need it the most.

This story is about love; love between sisters, love between a mother and her child, love between children and their governess, and love between friends who have never met. It is also a story about a mother who is not equipped to love her children, no matter how good they are and the fallout that can ensue when they are forced to live with each other.

This is a great story for young adults because it tells about a friendship that can cross time itself and how siblings can save each other when they need it. It is a magical story with dolls that can talk and boards that work like telephones. It also shows the love that adults can have for children, even if they are not their own, and what can happen when that love is so powerful it can protect when danger presents itself.

This story is a great read and hard to put down once you start. There are some disturbing details in the story (mild physical abuse), but that is necessary to fully understand what the girls go through and why Alec has such a profound effect on their lives.

I loved The Boy from Tomorrow! I was easily able to suspend my disbelief and become engrossed in the likeable characters and their problems. The "evil" character was not one dimensional. I loved the way the story ended. Not all questions were answered but the reader is given clues to the answers as the story ends. I couold not put this book down. If I taught middle grades ELA, this is definitely a book I would add to my classroom library. I think it could be a great read aloud in 3rd or 4th grade. Just a wonderful story!

I LOVED this story! It's a heartwarming story of two 22 year olds from two different time periods whomshare the same room in a home. I love the time travel experience and I thinkmkids will love the transition as they read!

Camille DeAngelis’ The Boy from Tomorrow is a tale of two children living at 444 Sparrow Street in the fictional town of Edwardstown in the Adirondacks exactly one century apart. Twelve-year-old Alec Frost’s fragile mother is still reeling from her husband’s leaving her for a young blonde, and he has no friends after leaving New York City. Josie Clifford, only slightly younger and tutored at home with her mischievous 6-year-old sister Cassie, is very rarely allowed to venture from home in 1915 by her cold, selfish mother, Lavinia Clifford, a well-known spiritualist medium of the day; consequently, Josie’s tutor, kindly Emily Jasper, is the girl’s only friend. Josie and Alec encounter each other thanks to a splendid, one-of-kind Ouija board (then known as “spirit boards” or “talking boards”), one of the tools of Lavinia’s trade. Both commiserate over their difficult families and delight in discovering the day-to-day life of 1915 and 2015.

DeAngelis weaves a pretty good narrative, alternating between Josie’s timeline and Alec’s, with plenty of suspense and unforeseen twists. The very last chapter was a bit weak, although not enough to ruin the pleasure of this middle-grade marvel with a wonderful message. Adults will, of course, understand DeAngelis’ novel at a different level than will children, but both will be glad they read The Boy from Tomorrow.

Lastly, the pen-and-ink drawings by Agnieska Grochalska perfectly complement both ends of the narrative.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

My many thanks to Camille DeAngelis and Amberjack Publishing for providing me ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a house, a space of some hundred years, a boy, two girls, the uncertainty and mystery that is time.

Five lovely stars for this one.

I didn't know what to expect when I begin, but the moment I read the words 'time travel' I downloaded it without even reading the blurb completely. It was my first middle-grade book after HP series and I loved every bit of it. The book is as mysterious as it is endearing. Your heart is gripped by the constant flow of emotions that keeps oscillating from joy to sadness and then to child like wonder and back again.. I believe the book successively transcends the target audience and you will find yourself engaged as soon as you begin reading.

The author did a splendid work of making the characters memorable, little Cassie was too cute to put into words, little Josie and Alec were adorable and Mrs. Clifford was a thing of nightmare.

The book is still available on Net Galley for FREE, I strongly urge you to download it and have the pleasure of reading a really good book!

[Spoilers Ahead]


I was so afraid that the grave would be of Cassie and I have no doubt in my mind if they did not have the connection to the future it could have been.

I ship Alec and Josie - I wanted them to meet and have a chance. The ending made me cry. I don't hate the ending but...but..

Oh well, Mrs.Grubbins NEED a book of her own. I need to need who she was/is and where she is and whether she found a listening ear like Cassie.

Such a sweet middle grade novel, with two timelines, and an adorable friendship. I think this book will appeal to many age ranges, but I would caution my more sensitive students because there is some child abuse in this novel. Overall, I would definitely add this to my classroom library- very unique story which is refreshing in the world of middle grade.

The Boy From Tomorrow is an intriguing story of friendship. It starts as ABan innocent friendship across state and time, then we encounter a plot twist that adds a new sense of urgency and mystery for Josie and Alec. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy mysteriesand fantasies.

The Boy from Tomorrow is a well-told, solid story and the true strength here lies in the characters. In the past, Josie and her little sister Cassie were simply charming, I wanted Emily to be my tutor, and the girls' mother is a powerful force. In the present, Alec was the star and his friend Danny was very likeable, too. The interactions between all of the children were very believable and there was a powerful sense of connection between them all. Once this story got rolling, I was truly enchanted by these children.

It took me a bit longer than I expected to get used to the writing style in this book, but once I found the rhythm, I was really pleased that the language wasn't dumbed-down at all. I also appreciated that DeAngelis didn't shy away from putting the children into situations that were truly unnerving. This made me care more about the characters and added a decent amount of tension to the plot. I can imagine the delicious sense of foreboding I would have felt if I'd read this as a preteen.

I'm always a sucker for books with alternating chapters that are handled well, and the author did not let me down there -- it was always very clear immediately which time we were in as a chapter began. Unfortunately, though, even with those alternating chapters, the story wasn't quite balanced enough for me, and that drops this book from being a 5-star, all-time favourite into the 3.5 to 4-star range.

The past is filled with a more detailed setting, in part because all of the action takes place in one location, while Alec roams around to different places in the present. But the past also features more fully-developed supporting characters than the present. The only contact we're shown with Alec's father decidedly did not go well, but then was never mentioned again, and we hear about his mother as more of a background character instead of playing a strong contrasting role to the girls' mother.

In addition, the startling tribulations the girls were facing in their time could have been better complemented by showing Alec's problems more starkly. His parent's divorce and fallout is glossed over somewhat. While we're *told* Alec is upset, and we see a brief scene with a counsellor, we're not really shown the true extent of his emotional distress. In fact, when his mother finally realizes that the girls from the past are real, she actually almost dismisses the idea that he had any emotional problems at all. This aspect of the story is begging for more depth, and could have been a wonderful portrayal of dealing with mental illness (anxiety/social anxiety) in the modern world.

A lot of the time it seemed like Alec from the future was teaching the naive girls from the past, when it would have been really interesting to see those lessons more obviously going both ways. One example is a falling out Alec has with a friend of a friend. The unease he felt about the interaction was very realistic, but Alec later comes to a very mature realization about that kid all on his own; it might have been interesting to show a stronger link to a lesson learned from his conversations with Josie.

On a final note, as an adult, I loved the ending, but I wonder whether its charm would hit the mark with a younger reader.

Overall, this was definitely an enjoyable read that I would recommend to the younger readers in my life. I just wish the depth of the present story had been enough that I'd want to shout about this book from the rooftops.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free electronic ARC of this novel, received in exchange for an honest review.

Take a mother who could give "Mommy Dearest" a run for her money, two daughters trying to survive and find happiness, and a boy from the future. Lavinia Clifford is a spiritualist, using her spirit guides to provide clients with solace and information from beyond the grave. Her children are a bothersome fact of life, punished for every infraction by being locked in the linen cupboard all day, or worse. But when the girls sneak out their mother's spirit board, they are amazed to connect with a boy living in their own house 100 hundred years in the future from them. Alec is dealing with his parents' divorce and the move to a new home and new school. Making friends, visiting with the counselor his mother wants him to see, and worrying about his mother's unhappiness are all hard to bear. So the conversations with the sisters from the past are as much a pleasure for him as they are for the girls. Can these friends separated by a century actually help each other?

The blend of historical fiction for the Clifford sisters with the current setting of Alec makes some fascinating contrasts. Wax cylinders for phonographs as compared to iPods, or black and white moving pictures compared to today's brilliantly colored films with lavish soundtracks make the difference between the two time periods very obvious. The details about seances, research into the spiritual realm, and the various tools used are also relics from that time and will seem very odd to modern readers.

The bittersweet (almost) certainty that they will never meet haunts us as we read about their growing friendship. How will it all turn out? Can there be a happy ending for all of them? You will have to find out for yourself.