Cold Summer - Softcover

Gwen Cole grew up in upstate New York and then moved to Virginia, where she did not graduate college. Instead she played bass guitar in a hardcore band and later married the lead guitarist. She enjoys large jigsaw puzzles, playing Xbox, and watching movies. Her newest novel, Ride On, releases in May, 2018. Gwen now lives in Richmond with her husband, daughter, and very large dog, but she longs to live in the country again.

Gr 8 Up—Since he was seven, Kale Jackson has been intermittently yanked into the past. Convulsive and uncontrollable time-hops have taken him around the world, but after a decade of concealing his ability, he has dropped out of school and become alienated from his family. Worse, since his parents' divorce, he's been warping to a World War II battlefield. Enter Harper, Kale's ex-neighbor. The two share halcyon memories: playful dips in the nearby river, summertime adventures in the bucolic forest, and a childhood friendship that was really an inchoate romance. Their renewed and newly steamy relationship gives the traumatized Kale an emotional purchase on the present. It's a connection that may even prove strong enough to keep him from skidding back into World War II. Readers seeking the usual fruits of the time-hopping genre (such as historical commentary or insights into the perspectives of people in the past) will be disappointed. If not for the wintry weather, the narrative bursts of 1945 might just as well have been Waterloo or Antietam. Kale's ability could have been explored more creatively, and its explanation seems desultory. However, those looking for a believable romance will be gratified by well-executed chapters that alternate between Kale's and Harper's perspectives. VERDICT Thanks to solidly developed characters and a plot propelled by romance and supernatural powers, this will fit comfortably in most YA collections. Though lacking the philosophical flair or historiographical vigor that flavors the best time-travel books, it's recommended as a strong secondary purchase.—Blake Holman, Whitefish Bay Public Library, WI