Marsden, John. Out of time.

MARSDEN, John. Out of time. Tor. 127p. c1990. 10-0-765-31412-6. $16.95. JS

This is an unusual SF story for YAs, by the author of The Tomorrow Series and other excellent YA novels first published in Australia. It requires readers with curious minds who like puzzles and mysteries--even those that are perhaps not resolved in a story. James is a quiet boy, withdrawn, who others see as weird; the story of his life slowly emerges, but the reader has to be patient, picking up clues here and there. James has a friendship with an elderly physicist, and when the old man dies, James retrieves a box that the man had invented that holds the secret of time travel. Other vignettes of children are offered up: a girl lying alone in a hospital bed, wounded in a bomb blast; a mute orphan in Mexico who suddenly says in perfect English: "Fasten your safety belts. Put your head between your knees." Could this boy be a survivor of a plane crash? There is no way to describe this plot except to say it is intriguing and mysterious, with many questions throughout. For intelligent readers who will appreciate the story's originality. Claire Rosser, KLIATT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.