Out Of Time
John Marsden
Pan
139p pbk
ISBN: 0-330-27236-5
Although this book has no clear storyline it generally follows the life of a young boy called James. The story is interrupted by various shorter stories, which have no real relation to James and his life, and mostly don't conclude. The book would be extremely realistic if it wasn't for the fact that James has a time machine, which he took from the lab of a dead physicist friend. The book also tells of memorable conversations with his young sister and it is often hard to believe the James with the Time Machine and the James with his sister are the same person.
The short stories interrupting the book do so regularly, and vary from the daily life of two twins who have been separated to the tragic story of a London girl when a building collapses on her. The interruptions come between sections of James life, but appear in no particular order.
I warn this is an extremely challenging book and is not for reluctant readers, It should not be read in a rush, but chapter by chapter, and deeply thought about so that connections can be found between the stories. Even though the book seems to jump randomly from one point to another and shouldn't really be classified as a story, this is one of the better books that I have read, and I strongly recommend it to strong and confident readers
Cameron, aged 13, Canberra, ACT
