Clockwise

Strauss, Elle. Clockwise. Create Space (2012). ISBN 9781466440968

Plot Summary

                Casey is a time traveler.  She goes back in time without any notice, and it can happen anytime, any day.  Luckily, no time passes in the present while she is gone, but she can be stuck in the past for weeks or even months before she goes back.  When she returns to the present, the only sign that she has gone are the dark circles under her eyes.  Time does continue on, however, when she is in her present, so when she goes back, people often ask her hard questions about what happened to her and where she has been.  When Casey goes back, she must try to fit in with the current culture.  She picks strategic spots to bury items that she can retrieve once she travels back in time. 

                Casey’s time travelling becomes even more of a problem when a very aggressive (and abusive) man in the past starts showing interest in her and wants to marry her.  It is all Casey can do to avoid him and try to survive until she is returned to her own time. 

Critical Evaluation

I've never read a time travelling novel quite like this one. The way Casey has to have actual skills to survive in the 1860s was a realistic aspect to the story that many lack. She uses her instincts and creates ways for her to be better prepared when she goes back in time. She is smart, not just bookish but street smart in her own way. While she has that boy obsession that every heroine in YA novels has, it's very real. Being married now for years, at first I was thinking "Man, Casey, what is so great about this one guy?" But then I started to think back to how I was in high school and the boys I crushed on. I was the exact same way!

When Casey goes to the 1960s, I wasn't really sure why that was necessary - but Strauss had a good reason for that. I also found it kind of coincidental that Nate goes on so many "trips" with her. But I can see why it was needed to forge a good bond between Casey and Nate and make their relationship be based on something other than "love at first sight." Everything wraps up very neat and tidy, maybe a little too tidy, but who doesn't love surprise coincidences and connections between seemingly random parts of a story? This was a relatively quick read and I'd recommend it!

Reader’s Annotation

Come discover how time travel is a lot harder than one might originally think and explore a world before only read about.

Author’s Information

Elle writes YA and children’s novels.  Her first book, a women’s novel, was published when she was living in Germany.  The only problem is that it was in German and she, and no one she knows, speaks German.  More about her and her books can be found here: http://ellestraussbooks.blogspot.com/.

Genre

Adventure / Historical Fiction

Book Talking Ideas

This is a story about what is would really be like to time travel.  Casey doesn’t magically become dressed in 19^th century clothes when she arrives, so she has to make her own way.   There is a love interest, for all those romantics, yet a lot of adventure and near-misses of danger. 

Reading Level/Interest

14/14

Challenge Issues

I don’t see really any reasons why this book would be challenged. 

Why Include This Title?

This is an interesting take on the time travel genre.  I liked that it combined both adventure and historical fiction.  It can probably be considered historical fiction as Casey does spend a lot of time in the past.