Elle Strauss

Recommended by Ethel

High school sophomore Casey Donovan has a secret: she time-travels, involuntarily, back to the year 1860. This has been going on for years, so now she knows what to do - but when she accidentally brings her handsome crush Nate Mackenzie back with her, everything gets a lot more complicated. She explains Nate away as her brother to the Watson family, with whom she stays and works while she's back in time; eldest daughter Sara runs the family while Mrs. Watson prepares to have a tenth child, and Mr. Watson is doing business in London. Together, Casey (Cassandra) and Nate (Nathaniel) help rescue Samuel Jones, who has been captured on account of the Fugitive Act, and Casey rejects an offer of marriage from a man whose family made its money off Southern plantations and Northern factories.

*Spoiler alert*

But there's even more: Casey accidentally time-travels out of 1861 and into 1961 with Samuel Jones, and witnesses his sister giving birth to Casey's father, who was given up for adoption and never knew his birth parents. In the end, when Casey and her family are celebrating Mother's Day in her present, Sam appears and asks Casey's father to visit Rosa before she dies.

By the end, Nate has broken up with mean girl Jessica and he and Casey are dating. Casey's best friend Lucinda has gotten over her brief bout of jealousy that Casey and Nate are having adventures without her; and in the sequel, Casey and Nate bring Casey's younger brother Tim back to 1861 with them just as the Civil War breaks out.

See also: Kindred by Octavia Butler, Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer

Quotes

I felt like I'd just walked away from a bad car wreck, physically sound but emotionally traumatized. (87)

"I kind of view it like someone living with epilepsy. You can't help the seizures, but you can't let them rule your life." (114)

For so many years I'd thought I was the only one. Now I wondered how many of us there were out there. (206)… (mehr)

This is a follow up companion short story to "Playing With Matches". In the first story Emil the main character falls in love with Johann's sister. Before being shipped off to war he asks her to marry him and she accepts. He has nothing to give her as a promise so she tears a loose thread from her coat and he ties it around her finger as an engagement ring. This book is the diary she keeps during the time they were together. There is nothing new in this book about her feelings toward Emil. However, we do get clarification on questions that may be brought up in the first book.… (mehr)