Loop

Debut author Akins introduces the intricate world of Shifters—people born with the ability to travel through time—who are then trained (and monitored closely) by the government. Bree Bennis, a Shifter in training from the 23rd century, has traveled back two centuries to retrieve an item she left behind on a previous trip when the unthinkable happens. She somehow brings someone from the 21st century back to the future—a teenager named Finn, who insists that he has been ordered to protect her and now won’t leave her side. What follows is a complicated story that will test readers’ notions of time and how it might be manipulated. Bree’s and Finn’s relationship is enjoyably tense yet playful, their undeniable attraction to each other bridging the centuries they each call home. Akins opts for a light, humorous take on the time-travel novel (“blark” is mishap-prone Bree’s expletive of choice), but readers will still need to pay close attention, since the explanations about the mechanics of time travel can be tricky to follow. Ages 13–up. Agent: Victoria Marini, Gelfman Schneider. (Oct.)