Yesterday Is History

December 1, 2020
Andre's liver transplant does more than save his life. After a liver transplant six months ago, things are returning to normal, until one night Andre wakes up on his front lawn--in 1969. Andre doesn't understand how he has been transported back in time, but he manages to stay calm thanks to Michael, then resident of his house. Michael--a free spirit and musician--is both inspiring and confusing to Andre, and the characters' dynamics oppose each other well. Andre returns to 2021, where he gets a call from the mother of Dave, his deceased donor, who reveals that they are a family of time travelers and that the gift was passed on to him. Dave's younger brother, Blake, is tasked with teaching Andre how to "jump" safely, and the more he time travels, the more he begins to question everything he thinks he knows about himself and his future. Strong pacing features Andre splitting his time between past and present-day Boston--and between Michael and Blake. All three boys are gay; Andre is Black, and Blake and Michael are White. In a novel with exciting representation of a gay Black teen where identity isn't the issue, readers will appreciate the realistic nuance of Andre's frankness when talking about the White privilege Blake and his family exhibit that makes them unable to see how different and potentially dangerous time traveling is for a 17-year-old Black boy. A skillful and engrossing time-travel adventure. (Fantasy. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 21, 2020
Six months after a liver transplant helps him beat cancer, 17-year-old Andre Cobb, who is Black, should be focused on graduating on time. But his new liver has given him the ability to time travel from 2021, which he discovers when he crawls into bed in his Boston home and ends up outside the same house in 1969, chatting with Michael, a handsome white 18-year-old who’s happy to flirt with him. Once Andre’s back in 2021, his deceased donor’s mother invites him over to explain their wealthy, powerful white family’s “genetic gift”—time jumping—and to introduce him to her other son, Blake, who can guide Andre in traveling time. Andre finds himself falling for Michael, though he can’t help noticing how handsome Blake is. In his YA debut, Jackson has a great gimmick as well as a likeable protagonist who faces sociocultural realities across time (“Boston hasn’t always been great for Black people”). If Andre’s internal development is sometimes lean, the book offers an interesting twist on the way that organ donation, like time travel, can represent a mix of opportunity and loss. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Feb.)■

April 16, 2021

Gr 8 Up-Andre Cobb is a Black teen from Boston who attends a private school and plans to become a doctor. He is also a cancer survivor. When he gets home from his life-saving liver transplant, he suddenly finds himself in 1969 where he meets Michael-a young, white gay man-before returning to the present. At first, Dre thinks he's hallucinating, but then he meets the McIntyres, the liver donor's family. They're not just a wealthy white family; they're also time travelers. Soon, Dre is learning more about his newfound power from Blake McIntyre, the donor's younger brother. He also continues to visit Michael in the past, and the attraction between them slowly develops into something more. Meanwhile, Blake continues to mourn his older brother and lash out at Andre before his attitude shifts, somewhat abruptly, and he asks him out. The heft of this story is Andre's internal journey and the love triangle between Michael and Blake. The narrative briefly touches on issues of privilege, race, and the history of the gay rights movement. Though the writing feels rushed in places, ultimately the ending is well done, and Andre's decision to live his life fully on his own terms is a hopeful message that will resonate with many teens. VERDICT Hand to fans of Zetta Elliott's A Wish After Midnight or David Levithan's Every Day.-Erica Ruscio, Ventress Memorial Lib., Marshfield, MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2021
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* After Andre Cobb receives a life-saving liver transplant, he passes out and wakes up in 1969 Boston. When he returns to present-day Boston, it is to learn that his experience wasn't as singular as he imagined. His donor's family explains that he now has the same ability as their late son: he can time travel. The family's grief-stricken, remaining son, Blake, is tasked with helping Andre learn and navigate his new abilities. Though Blake keeps Andre at arm's length, an undeniable connection forms between them. Meanwhile, during his travels to 1969, Andre also feels powerfully drawn to Michael, who teaches him to follow his passions. Ultimately Andre must decide where he belongs, whom he loves, and, most importantly, who he is meant to be. Jackson's charming debut is thought-provoking, romantic, and fun; furthermore, his characters are well drawn and fictional world is authentic. It is important to note that Jackson capably delivers both a swoon-worthy romance with a gay Black main character and a coming-of-age story rife with adventure, where racial trauma and pain aren't at the forefront of the narrative. A stellar novel that today's teens needed yesterday.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.