COUNTDOWN TO YESTERDAY BY SHIRLEY MARR, PUBLISHED BY PUFFIN BOOKS

James Greenaway’s world is turned sideways when his mum and dad tell him they’re getting a divorce. He hadn’t seen it coming and now he must live between two houses; shuttled back and forth during the week. The uncertainty and the constant change of plans as they all settle into a new life, is really, really hard to handle. He longs for the past when everything was great. He remembers a hiking trip, and a birthday party – times when they were all together having fun.

When he meets Yan, a girl who reads long out-of-date computer manuals, he believes he may have at last found a friend. Roscoe, his bullying nemesis, is giving him strife and his parents seemed to have lost the plot. Even the fun times he spends with the school secretary arranging the school baking competition, are tainted by a number of parents fighting over which cake they want to bake. Yan is calm, enigmatic and she has an interesting theory about time travel. James wants to go back, and Yan proposes an experiment.

The characters in this cleverly interwoven story all have parts of their lives that aren’t going well, and their inability to change themselves leaves them stuck. Marr casts a light on social integration, self-confidence and nostalgia with the themes of family, friendship and living in the moment all coming together to create yet another captivating Middle Grade novel.

For Ages: 8 - 12 years

Number of Pages: 288

Published: January 2024 Puffin Books

Themes: Family, friendship and acceptance

Purchase here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/countdown-to-yesterday-shirley-marr/book/9781761340598.html