I read Margaret Peterson Haddix's book Running out of Time when I was in fourth grade. It was exciting to see a sequel to this novel in Falling Out of Time. Haddix like when I was in fourth grade, truly swept me into the world that these characters are living in. As it is now in 2023 we have tons of information at our fingertips. Never have I thought about what more could be in store when the year is 2193. It was interesting to get to revisit characters we met in Running Out of Time while also being introduced to new characters. Furthermore, I enjoyed the descriptiveness that Haddix puts throughout the novel, I could actually visualize what the characters were seeing, thinking, and feeling. I love when books allow me to actually feel as if I am part of the story, like I am there.

First sentence: Zola's entire room began to glow--the sign that it was ready.

Premise/plot: Zola Keyser lives a picture-perfect life, albeit a lonely life. True almost ALL of the problems facing the world have been solved, which is fantastic, but her mom [Hannah Keyser] is the only human she has any actual contact with. But can she miss what she's never known? Maybe. Maybe not. This is just how the world works--all connections are made through VR goggles. But when Zola discovers a note written on paper [tattered old paper] in her Insta-Closet with a cryptic (or cryptic-ish) message*, her world begins to unravel. Soon one question becomes a dozen becomes a hundred becomes a thousand. Is anything in her wonderful life actually true?

Puck does NOT live a picture-perfect life. In fact, his life is as un-perfect as it can get. It almost feels scripted to depict the absolute worst case scenario. If it wasn't for the kindness of strangers--acting in complete secrecy--he may not even be alive. But Puck can't help yearning for a better life. If only he could get more help, better help....

Falling Out of Time is a companion book [or sequel] to Running Out of Time. Jessie Keyser's story does enter into this one. Zola reads Jessie's story in an actual physical book-book. [This is her first time to read an actual paper book.] The two books connect in a believable way, in my opinion. While Running Out of Time has people [a community] idealizing the past and the past's ideals, this one features a community idealizing or romanticizing the future.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved the first book. Until reading this one, however, I really never connected the dots that it could parallel an escaping a cult story. In retrospect, it makes sense. Especially in terms of WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, what happens once you've "seen the light" and "made your escape." How do your rebuild your life? restructure your worldview? How do you make peace with the past and move forward?

This book asks some good questions. What would it have been like for Jessie's family in the following years [decades]? Would they miss the old life? Would they fit in with the modern world? Would they always feel out of place?

But Zola's story is HER own story. It isn't just a re-do. I enjoyed meeting Puck, her first, non-related human contact. I loved how this story unfolded.

*If you want to see things as they really are, come find me. And HELP us!

I really enjoyed this book. There are many ways this could be used in the classroom. I would recommend reading the first book before reading this one. Otherwise some of the parts won’t make sense. I LOVED the name of the AI assistant Sirilexagoogle. Haha Very clever!

The 1995 released Running Out of Time has been my favorite Haddix book since reading it not long after publication and like so many others, I created my own life after Clifton Village for Jessie but wondered what the creator would do. 27 years later, I am deeply satisfied and as ever, am impressed with the creativity and talent of the author.

Summaries abound and I will not repeat that information here nor will I spoil anything for others, but will comment on how well Ms Haddix integrates what happened to Jessie since exposing Sewell’s dastardly plot against the villagers into a new story arc with her family. Zola, her niece, is a 12 year old who rolls her eyes at her mom, struggles to figure out interpersonal relationships at school, and is trying to develop her own style of dress and these typical pre-teen behaviors make her relatable to readers. But with a setting of year 2193 and a host of technological leaps, readers will also wonder if these sci-fi possibilities will come to fruition or if they even want them to become reality. Great choice for use as class or small group novel study with its ample material for deep discussion about how the past and present impact our future and what we want that to look like.

Text is free of profanity, violence and sexual content. Representation: Zola and her mom present as Caucasian; key supporting characters are Black and Latinx; women are shown to be artists and scientists.

Even though I have never read the prequel to this book, I was able to understand everything and it made me want to go read the prequel. I love that it is a science fiction that I could see totally happening in real life. I think it appeals to 4th-8th graders.

A long awaited sequel to an enduring classic.

Zola is 12 years old and lives in an almost perfect world. No fear, no pollution, no crime, no suffering. A fact that she is reminded of every day, whether it is by her mom over breakfast that a simple voice command causes to appear in their high tech oven, or by her teachers during VR school.

As a reader, it’s obvious that something isn’t quite right. The question remains though, is the truth of Zola’s world just quirky, or is something nefariousness going on?

What follows is a captivating and twisty adventure, that manages to also subtly acknowledge how complicated doing the ‘right’ thing can be for individuals and society as a whole. I also liked that it presents the fact that sometimes parents make the ‘wrong’ decisions when trying to protect their children, yet that doesn’t make them stupid or a bad parent, just human.

While it’s not completely necessary to have read the first book, I highly recommend doing so (I think it adds a depth to this story that would be otherwise lacking).

Zola lives in 2193 when the world is perfect. There is no fear, hungry, injustice, war, etc. Can this be reality? Readers may enjoy finding out. Not the best book around, but for intermediate grade readers it must fit the bill as an adventure set in the future with social and environment commentary. It may spark some debate and discussion of today's impact on tomorrow's world.

I am old enough to have read Running Out of Time when it was a relatively new book. I was intrigued to see this sequel appear, 20-odd years later. I remember loving Running Out of Time, but this one did not grab me at all. Zola's inner monologue seemed overly didactic, but upon looking back at Running Out of Time, Jessie had a really similar inner monologue that did not bother me at the time. I was disappointed as an adult reader in this sequel, but I suspect my middle grade readers will not have my issues with it and will enjoy the fast paced story.

A huge thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I have literally been waiting over 20 years for this sequel. I have read Running out of Time to countless students over the years and have fallen in love with various other novels of Margaret Peterson Haddix. When I heard she was finally writing a sequel, I was so curious as to its plot. This book was a great follow-up to it's predecessor. I loved how Haddix ties the main character to the main character of Running Out of Time, Jesse. This book could be read as a stand-alone but it is so much better if you read Running Out of Time first. Instead of a village taking place in the past, like Clifton Village did, the setting of this book is in the future, or is it? I can't wait to purchase a copy of this book to add to my classroom library so that students can enjoy it for years and years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book!

WHAT A BLAST FROM THE PAST…or future?? Running Out of Time was one of my FAVORITE books in elementary school—so much so that I still remembered specific parts of it today as a 30-something adult. I never realized that this was Margaret Peterson Haddix’s first novel, and I feel like it may have been the spark for me for my love of time-travel novels (real and imaginary).

This book has so much heart of the original. It follows Zola, a pre-teen girl who believes she is living in 2193 when the world’s problems have been solved. Global warming has been conquered and most people interact with high-tech VR goggles or using the aide of AI. However, Zola discovers that it isn’t really 2193…it’s 2023, and her world is only one version of what the future could be.

I loved the connections from this book to the first, and I felt like a lot of questions from the first were answered or updated in this one. I loved getting to see so many characters from the first book again (even if they’re older!). I did feel that the pacing was a tiny bit slow because there is a lot of world-building for both versions of the future, but I enjoyed reconnecting with this universe!!

This is a fabulous book. I had trouble putting it down. The premise of the book is gripping and the characters are interesting. It made me consider a lot of things about our current world through its fictional setting. A must read for both young and older.

Falling out of Time is a great follow up to Running out of time, One of its main strengths lies in the believable and honestly amazing world building that occurs. Overall I think that it is a must read for fans of Haddix

Fellow millennials, cast your minds back to the mid to late 90's: do you remember reading a book called Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix? With its very exciting premise and plot twist that the cover may or may not have spoiled? I may not remember details, but I certainly remember that plot, and I remember also being intrigued when a blockbuster movie in the early 2000's had a suspiciously similar twist.

Anyway, fast-forward to now, nearly 30 years later, and there is, at last, a sequel coming out. The original adventures of Jessie Keyser in her 1840's Indiana village find some interesting parallels in the story of Zola, a 12-year-old living in a futuristic society where everyone has a perfect life and some truly immersive tech. Or do they?

Adult readers have to suspend a hefty amount of disbelief for some of the shenanigans, but it's quite a page-turner, especially early on. Do you have to have read the first book? Not necessarily, although it probably works better if you do.

Thank you Margaret Peterson Haddix for writing this well written sequel to Running Out of Time. I remember it’s huge popularity when I was teaching third grade. Wow, was that was 28 years ago?

I remembered the 1995 book ending on a cliffhanger, so when I saw this on Netgally, I couldn’t believe it. Thank you Netgally for granting my request as I completely devoured Falling Out of Time,

Haddix has done a really super job with the utopia/dystopia genre. I enjoyed reading the afterward concerning her research and who she consulted for information. I get all my updated TikTok, VR, modern day insight from my 10 year old grandson. I think this book will have great appeal to middle grade readers of the 21st century.

When the book started I wasn't quite sure where Haddix was going with the storyline. It was set so far in the future I couldn't quite figure out how it would tie in with Jessie and Clifton Village. The author summoned her masterful talent and did a great job of making the connection happen. And yes, Jessie does make an appearance in this book as well. How, you ask, if the setting is the year 2193? You will find out.

Maybe it’s my age but I didn’t think this Futureville world was as plausible compared to the setting she created in Running Out of Time. This new scenario with Zola and Puck is quite thought provoking as we ourselves have witnessed such dramatic changes in technology in the past decades. For example, I never knew I’d be able to fit a whole computer in the back pocket of my jeans. So who’s to say this 23rd century scenario is not so far off base. The novel 1984, published in 1949 wasn’t

Zola is a fun main character, with a perfect name for a futuristic kid. I loved her passion for the truth even though it was sometimes at odds with what she's always believed. Zola discovers she''s related to Jessie Keyser, the brave teen we got to know in the first book. Zola begins to understand her seemingly perfect utopian world is actually a cover for a dark reality. Twelve-year-old Zola has been led to believe she has the perfect life. She thinks everyone does, now that it’s 2193, and humanity has solved all its problems. No hunger, pain, homelessness or lack for anything one desires. Insta-Closets deliver new clothes every morning, Insta-Ovens deliver gourmet meals on demand, and virtual reality goggles let kids have any adventure they might demand. School is tailored to each learner so your friends are from all over the world.

One day Zola finds a handwritten note in her Insta-Closet: it’s on a very rare medium, paper. “If you want to see things as they really are, come find me.” What if Zola''s wrong about everything--even the year? As she struggles to figure out who wrote the note, she discovers a lot of things about her existence that are in no way what she perceives.

Great read for sure!

The minute I saw the description of this book I knew it was an ARC I had to get my hands on. Running Out of Time was one of my absolute favorite books as a child and I never thought that there would be a sequel all these years later. I admit that I had a little bit of fear of whether this book would be even close to the original. While the original is still my favorite by far, this sequel kept me reading and invested in what was going to happen next.

When the book started I wasn't quite sure where the author was going with the storyline. It was set so far in the future I couldn't quite figure out how it was going to tie in with the original book. While I won't spoil that for you, I do think that the author did a great job of making the connection happen. And yes, Jessie does make an appearance in this book as well.

Once again, Margaret Peterson Haddix's creativity in storytelling shines through, sharing a world that we may wish existed until we learn that maybe it isn't all we want or hoped. Zola is a fun main character, whose thirst for the truth is sometimes at odds with what she's always believed. The pace of the story did feel a little.sloeer than in the original and I never quite worried about these characters coming out of everything okay like I did for Jessie. That being said, this was a really fun read for a fan of Running Out of Time (and one I never anticipated getting!).

I received an advanced copy of "Falling Out of Time" via NetGalley. I really enjoyed "Running Out of Time", and had high hopes for its sequel. While I didn't hate it, I feel like it dragged. There wasn't as much action, danger, or a rush to save the residents from some impending doom. There is mention of Zola, Jessie, and others being in danger, but it felt like an after thought in the plot, not a driving force for survival.

Overall, this novel lacked for me and I wouldn't use it for a book club selection like I did its predecessor.

4.5 stars

I read Running Out of Time the summer before my freshman year of high school. I was on a kick binging Haddix’s books and near the end of summer, I realized I still hadn’t read her debut. So I found it at the library and read it all during a family crisis.

And I really liked it.

However, I never considered the possibility of a sequel. I knew it ended on a cliffhanger, I was gaining a sense of appreciation for cliffhanger endings at the time, so I didn’t mind too much.

Fast forward to a few months ago, as a now-college freshman, and I see that…Running Out of Time is getting a sequel???

The concept IMMEDIATELY sucked me in—I’m such a sucker for false-utopia-something’s-not-quite-right-here stories. (Probably why her Children of Exile series is my favorite.) The second the ARC became available for request, I hit the button and hoped and prayed that they would accept it. How could I possibly wait until MAY???

And oh my good god it was SO good. My only issue with something’s-not-quite-right-here stories is that they’re so hard to review. There’s so much I want to say that I can’t because it’s just so much better to go into it mainly blind. (Not COMPLETELY blind, because if you’ve read Running Out of Time, you know what the main thing is, but there’s so much more.)

Just know that Margaret Peterson Haddix still has it with the plot twists.

Perfect for fans of Running Out of Time and The Truman Show.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital advanced copy. This is a sequel to the book Running Out of Time from over 20 years ago. I read Running Out of Time as a kid, and last year reread some of my favorite Margaret Peterson Haddix books including that one. I am very excited to have read this sequel. The characters are wonderful and connected to the first book. In the first book, Jessie is living in the 1800s, but it is really the 1990s and she must save the people in her community from an outbreak that the orchestrators of the historical experiment are not willing to save the children from. In this sequel, Zola is a twelve-year-old girl living in 2193 as far as she knows. Virtual reality is a part of almost everything she does, and clothes and food are almost instantly delivered at her and her mother's every whim. When she starts to learn that not everything is as perfect as it seems in this future experiment, she has to risk everything and leave the perfect world she has always known to start to experience real life and protect the safety of others. This was a delightful read and well worth the wait. It is rare to see a book and author from your childhood hold up us an avid adult reader, but Margaret Peterson Haddix will continue to be a favorite author of mine.