Falling Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Middle Grade. 352 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
Return to the world of the bestselling Running Out of Time with this middle grade thriller from Margaret Peterson Haddix, where Zola discovers she’s related to Jessie Keyser and her seemingly perfect utopian world is covering up a dark reality. Twelve-year-old Zola thinks she has the perfect life. She thinks everyone does, now that it’s 2193, and humanity has solved all its problems. Insta-Closets deliver new clothes every morning, Insta-Ovens deliver gourmet meals on demand, and virtual reality goggles let her have any adventure she wants, with friends from all over the world. Then one day Zola finds a handwritten note in her 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 printed book in her Insta-Closet called The Jessie Keyser How One Girl Escaped from Clifton Village . Zola Who is Jessie Keyser, and why does she look like her . . . and what else do they have in common? In this sequel to the classic novel Running Out of Time , Margaret Peterson Haddix has crafted a riveting page-turner that captures the terrors of a world where nothing seems real—but finding out who really loves you still matters.
My Review:
I devoured Haddix books when I was a kid, couldn’t get enough of them. With almost 30 years between Running Out of Time and this new companion novel, I was intrigued, but I’m also always a little hesitant with “sequels” that come out after long periods of time from the original. They can be a hit or miss. But I’m proud to report, this one was pretty good!
In a few ways, Falling Out of Time felt a bit like a remake or retelling of Jessie Keyser’s story. There were some threads that felt a little repetitive from the original, but there were a few callbacks that were delightful little nods to the original. Though some of the “twists and turns” seemed inevitable since I am familiar with the original, it was still wonderful to discover exactly what Haddix had planned to carry those out. And there were still a few new surprises along the way to be had.
The futuristic world was super intriguing, and as always, Haddix is a master of the page-turning suspense! It was so hard to put this book down. And though I’m not a fan of the new cover of Running Out of Time, the cover for Falling Out of Time is really cool when you understand the story. I loved the twist on AI, virtual reality, and the goggles. The whole premise, while it held similar threads and structure to the original, was fascinating.
This story is ripe with so many themes, and presents several angles to open up great discussion. Haddix’s explores themes of true community, fellowship, isolation, the human need for touch, relationships, and truth. The story makes you think about instant gratification, unlimited access to knowledge, resourcefulness, family, and courage. I worried the story might turn into a harp on environmentalism – and there were nods to it – but it seemed more like a necessary plot point for the premise to work and in the end, it felt like it wasn’t overdone, so I appreciated that.
The characters were a lot of fun. I think my favorite character was Puck, and I loved how his story ended! Zola’s relationship with her mother was hard and interesting. I appreciate how Haddix can deal with difficult situations in a poignant way and still bring hope. The callbacks to old characters were also really cool.
Content: MG book, no romance, no language, and not really any graphic violence. There’s some tension between Zola and her mom that could lead to discussions about authority figures, respect, honesty, and trust. I’d recommend for middle school ages.
More
Book 1 in the Out of Time series is Running Out of Time (4 Stars)
Book 2 is Falling Out of Time (4 Stars)
Falling Out of Time is a companion novel, but it should be read after Running Out of Time. Check out the links for more info on Goodreads, and stay tuned to see my thoughts on the companion novel soon!
On GraceBought
If you liked this story, you may also like these books by Haddix: