The Boy from Tomorrow
Josie and Alec both live at 444 Sparrow Street. They sleep in the same room, but they've never laid eyes on each other. They are twelve years old but a hundred years apart. The children meet through a handpainted spirit board—Josie in 1915, Alec in 2015—and form a friendship across the century that separates them. But a chain of events leaves Josie and her little sister Cass trapped in the house and afraid for their safety, and Alec must find out what’s going to happen to them. Can he help them change their future when it’s already past? The Boy from Tomorrow is a tribute to classic English fantasy novels like Tom’s Midnight Garden and A Traveller in Time. Through their impossible friendship, Alec and Josie learn that life can offer only what they ask of it. With wonderful illustrations by Agnieszka Grochalska.
Resources for Educators
Vintage postcards and photographs to use as story prompts (a Flickr album especially for Thalia Book Club campers!)
Vocabulary Worksheet #1 (nouns)
Vocabulary Worksheet #2 (adjectives)
The Boy From Tomorrow vintage playlist on Youtube
Confessions of a Clueless White-Lady Novelist (a Twitter thread)
The Boy From Tomorrow: Answering Reader Questions! (Youtube)
The Boy From Tomorrow: Reader Questions, part 2 (Youtube)
The Boy From Tomorrow: Reader Questions, part 3 — *SPOILER ALERT* (Youtube)
Racism in the Women's Suffrage Movement (Youtube)
Advance Praise for The Boy from Tomorrow
The delicious possibilities of time travel burst vividly in this beautifully crafted tale.
— Martha Brockenbrough, author of The Game of Love and Death and Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary
Clever, lovely, and absolutely thrilling. While this is a middle grade novel, I think adults and even teens will enjoy it, especially the end. I loved the way the characters felt like real kids, despite the generations they spanned and their different styles of communicating. I think Camille did a wonderful job of creating tension and darkness and sadness, without making the story feel heavy or inaccessible.
— Tildy Banker-Johnson, Belmont Books
Creepy and intriguing, DeAngelis’ middle grade novel will appeal to readers who enjoy chills as well as puzzles. The Alex Award–winning author of Bones & All (2015) has crafted a definite winner.
— Booklist
An immersive read oozing with cross-genre appeal for realistic, historical, mystery, and scary fiction readers.
— School Library Journal
You will fall in love with DeAngelis' characters and root for their impossible friendship across time. Perfect for fans of historical fiction, this spine-tingling paranormal novel is riveting.
— Marika McCoola, New York Times-bestselling author of Baba Yaga's Assistant
In The Boy From Tomorrow Camille DeAngelis creates an atmosphere of comforting nostalgia without falling into old-fashioned cliches. It’s a carefully paced and lovingly crafted book that will draw readers for many years to come, and I enjoyed it ever so much.
— Mackenzi Lee, New York Times-bestselling author of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
A tale of friendship and loyalty that crosses the boundaries of time, The Boy from Tomorrow engages from the first page. Seances, psychics and ouija boards create a setting both mystical and dangerous. I loved exploring the possibilities of communicating across time with Josie and Alec and their indestructible friendship.
— Laura DeLaney, Rediscovered Books
Probably a good idea, Camille. By the way, The Boy from Tomorrow is one of my favorite books of all time. :)
— Jenny Miller (@JennyKMiller) September 7, 2017
It's been over a week and I am still mourning the end of #TheBoyFromTomorrow. I keep trying to get into other stories but I think I just need to miss it for a while before I can move on! pic.twitter.com/V9HJ0AXPyf
— PhiliBReading (@mystorynotes) April 30, 2018
Just finished THE BOY FROM TOMORROW by @cometparty. So lovely. Richly emotional without ever veering into melodrama, populated with lively, sparkling characters. It's the kind of book I would have loved at 11 & then wept uncontrollably at when I picked it up again at 18 ❤️❤️
— Maxine Kaplan (@MaxineGKaplan) May 25, 2018
I fell in love this week, with a book. It is called #TheBoyFromTomorrow and I hope everyone has a chance to fall into its spell. @cometparty - thanks for this one. Read my review here: https://t.co/oOJKJcDS0Apic.twitter.com/7CELMnwUBK
— Patricia (@bookishgeek) March 21, 2018
Get Excited!
Samantha Clark's Book Birthday Bash
Author Spotlight on Megan Write Now
Ouija Boards, Oracle Monkeys, and Vegan Delights with Henry Lien, author of Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword
The Boy From Tomorrow "Cinderella story" (a Twitter thread)