A Time Traveler's Theory of Relativity

About the Author Nicole Valentine writes books about the crossroads in our world where science and magic meet. She writes for middle grade and young adult readers and reads absolutely everything. You are as likely to find her curled up on the sofa reading a biography about Richard Feynman or Carl Sagan, as reading a book by Alice Hoffman or Kate DiCamillo. Nicole earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. In her prior timeline as a technologist, she managed web development at CNN.com and went on to launch Space.com as well as various other start-ups. She was the Chief Technology Officer of Figment.com, a website for teens interested in reading and writing young adult fiction, which was sold to Random House in 2013. Outside of fictional world-building, you can find her walking around with a hawk on her arm or wrangling two giant dogs named Merlin and Arthur. She resides outside of Philadelphia with her family. Product Description He believes in science, but only magic can help his mom. Twelve-year-old Finn is used to people in his family disappearing. His twin sister, Faith, drowned when they were three years old. A few months ago, his mom abandoned him and his dad with no explanation. Finn clings to the concrete facts in his physics books―and to his best friend, Gabi―to ward off his sadness. But then his grandmother tells him a secret: the women in their family are Travelers, able to move back and forth in time. Finn's mom is trapped somewhere in the timeline, and she's left Finn a portal to find her. But to succeed, he'll have to put his trust in something bigger than logic."This is an incredible book, no matter which time universe you're in. I couldn't put it down. One of my favorite debut novels of the year."―Erin Entrada Kelly, New York Times bestselling author and 2018 Newbery Medal winner Review "Finn's life has felt incomplete since the death of his twin sister, Faith, when they were three, and now that his mom has disappeared ten years later, it threatens to fall apart. A trip to Gran's does little to help. She warns him not to trust anyone, and dies in her bed the night he arrives. But most disconcerting is the Gran who arrives from five years ago, telling him that theirs is a family of time travelers, that his mother is one, and that his dead sister (snatched out of time) has become not only the most powerful but the most evil of the Travelers. His mother has moved backward and taken Faith with her to try to keep the little girl from growing into the terror revealed by forward travel through all the time lines―in each one of which, she kills Finn. Since only women in the family have the ability to Travel, there's not much Finn can do―until his mother reveals that there's a time-travel portal made specifically for him, and a task that only he can perform. Time travel tends to be a sci-fi construct, but this is definitely a fantasy story, as there's no real explanation of the time traveling beyond 'magic.' But Finn is an engaging character who has a plucky friend, Gabi, and Faith is a plausible evildoer. Most unusually, the adults believe the kids are capable of saving them all. VERDICT Any young reader who wants to believe that magic can change the harsh realities of life will find much to enjoy here. Recommended for all middle grade fantasy sections."―School Library Journal"Finn's upcoming thirteenth birthday is the painful, annual reminder of his twin sister's death. This year, his mother is gone, too. 'She just needs some time,' says Finn's father, but it doesn't help Finn feel any better. Left with his gran for the weekend, science-minded Finn discovers the fantastical truth: the women in his family are time travelers, and his mother has disappeared into another time line to save his sister. She needs Finn's help and, since he lacks the power to travel himself, she's left him a portal. With the help of his best friend Gabi, Finn embark