THIS AGAIN? by Adam Borba, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, April 16, 2024, Hardcover, $16.99 (Ages 8-12)
A middle-schooler goes to extraordinary lengths to achieve perfection in This Again, a novel by Adam Borba.
Noah Nicholson has plenty to be grateful for. He has solid grades and great friends, he’s finally becoming closer with Lucy Martinez—his crush since second grade—and he just might have a chance to be elected class president next week. But despite all that, Noah fixates on the should’ve-beens and could’ve-beens and the belief that he can make his life perfect. Then Noah comes upon an opportunity to do just that.
At the local bowling alley, Noah runs into someone most unexpected: himself. The look-alike is him from nine days in the future, and he insists that if Noah does every ridiculous thing he says—from quacking like a duck in science class to painting himself green—they can achieve their dream of perfection. However, fate may have other plans, and Future Noah may not be entirely honest about what he’s doing there.… —Synopsis provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Who hasn’t asked, “What if?”
That’s the premise of This Again? What if Noah did something different? What if Noah acted a certain way? What if Noah tried a little harder? Present Noah isn’t above asking those questions. After all, he has a certain outcome in his sights. But those questions eventually lead Noah to the realization that nothing is perfect.
Readers will immediately relate to the humor/humiliation that Noah faces. They’ll understand why things may be funny to those on the outside and not to those in the middle. They’ll understand the desire to go back and change things. They’ll relate to almost everything.
Author Adam Borba deftly explores middle-school dynamics with wit and heart. And he hits a home run with the topic of personal and external expectations. Borba’s writing is smooth and inviting, and This Again? reads faster than its 250 pages.
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