Right Back At You
| Modern Age |
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 Right Back At You
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American History > Modern Age > Jewish History
From the award-winning, bestselling author of Not If I Can Help It, a story about reaching across time to find the support you need against bullies, bad friends, and antisemitism. Mason lives in 2023. His parents have just split up, and there's a guy at school who won't get off his case. As part of an assignment, he writes a letter to Albert Einstein and it ends up getting a little too personal. He throws the letter into his closet...
...and the next day he gets a letter back from a girl named Talia, who lives in 1987. She has problems of her own, including classmates who make jokes because she's Jewish. She thought her friends would have her back. But it ends up the only person she really has to talk to is... a random boy from the future?
In the tradition of such beloved novels as When You Reach Me and Save Me a Seat, Carolyn Mackler has written a funny, all-too-relatable story about finding the friend you need... even if that friends happens to live in another year.
Emily's Review
I flew through this book. I love stories that play with time!
Talia lives in Pennsylvania in 1987 and Mason lives in NYC in 2023, but they have a connection through a wormhole in their closets. They accidentally become pen-pals when Mason's therapist convinces him to write a letter to get his feelings out and Talia receives it.
They bond over baseball and the bullies in their lives and help each other overcome issues with friendship, antisemitism, and parent troubles. Because the story is told through letters, it can feel a bit stilted at times, and there were moments where I wanted a bit more but overall, I really enjoyed this story!
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