Westfallen (Westfallen #1)

Twelve-year-olds from Millerton, N.J., communicate across time in this high-stakes series launch from siblings Ann (The Whole Thing Together) and Ben Brashares (The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection). In 2023, former best friends Henry, Frances, and Lukas are burying their deceased shared gerbil when they unearth a rusting radio. Henry moves it to his family’s tool shed, where it inexplicably powers up and starts transmitting on its own. Meanwhile, in 1944, Alice relocates her older brother’s amateur radio from the trash to the gardening shed. Alice, her neighbor Artie, and her best friend Lawrence are examining the device when it turns on, connecting both tween trios. It’s not long before they realize they’re broadcasting from the same location, decades apart. When Henry and company provide information that helps Alice and her pals prevent a fire, they feel like superheroes until they discover their good deed’s unforeseen consequences. The Brashares vividly illustrate the perils of forgetting lessons of the past in this historical science-fiction thriller, narrated in alternating sections by Henry and Alice. The racially and ethnically diverse cast’s crackling chemistry brings humor and heart to the pulse-pounding plot, which utilizes a timeworn premise to devastating effect. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (Sept.)