Mom’s announcement that she’s finally going to enter his school’s cake competition is ruined for cake-loving, eleven-year-old James when she also reveals that she and James’ father are getting divorced. As James bounces between his dad’s house and his mom’s tiny apartment, both of his parents are determined to make new happy memories, but James just wants to return to his favorite memories of when his family was together. When he works up the nerve to tell Yan, an incredible inventor who is his new (and only) pal at school, that he wants to build a time machine and live permanently in one of those happy memories, she immediately sets to work building one. But as the two become closer and James’ parents attempt to connect with him in new ways, he has to decide if he’s willing to give up the difficult present for what he thinks he remembers about the past. James’ thoughtful interrogation of the fallibility of memory puts a refreshing spin on the time travel genre, especially as he starts to notice new things about his parents’ deeply imperfect relationship. Marr compellingly explores the various levels of belonging created by collision of cultures (through both James’ Chinese-Australian mother and Yan’s more traditional Chinese family) and of a child realizing their parents’ humanity—most movingly portrayed in James’ recognition of his mother’s newfound ability to shine outside of an unhappy marriage. Bullying is given a similarly nuanced examination, and there’s a hard-earned wisdom in James’ mother’s reminder that “no one considers themselves a bully when they’re the main character in their own story.” While the lack of clarity about whether James and Yan’s time machine actually works may frustrate literal-minded kiddos, anyone willing to suspend reality will revel in the chaotic cake-fight of an ending of this sweet story. CBR

– BCCB, 4/1/24

When his parents separate, 11-year-old James’s entire life turns upside down. He now has to swap between two homes and navigate shifting relationships with his parents, each of whom are trying to find themselves again after this major change. As his mother embraces mismatched color schemes and his father begins to rebuild a motorbike, James, now lonely at home as well as at school, meets Yan. The two budding scientists develop a friendship, and Yan agrees to use her time machine to send James back to one of his favorite memories. But James starts learning that memories aren’t always trustworthy, and that it may be best to leave them in the past. Centered around the Summerlake Primary School Cake Competition, a significant fundraiser for James’s school, this work explores different types of belonging, each linked by ideas of time and space. Six chapters interspaced between the main plot detail, the memories most important to James, offer readers a closer look at his complex family dynamic. The depths of emotion within the main characters, combined with a strong nostalgic feel, create a work that will stay with ­readers. VERDICT A moving story with a pleasing twist ending.–

– School Library Journal, 5/1/24

Channeling personal experiences of emigrating from China to Australia, Marr (All Four Quarters of the Moon) examines one 11-year-old’s desire to turn back time in this thoughtful read. James Greenaway is sent adrift when his parents announce that they’re getting a divorce. Within days, he’s splitting time between his white-cued father’s familiar house and his Chinese Australian mother’s dilapidated new apartment. Worse, his parents are having him decide which parent he wants to spend his weekends with. At school, James befriends Yan Chen, a Chinese immigrant classmate who reads obsolete 40-year-old computer programming manuals for fun. When Yan says she invented a time machine, James scoffs. As he increasingly takes solace in memories of perfect days with his parents, however, he starts to believe that living in the past would be preferable to the present. But to do that, he’ll need Yan’s help. A subplot surrounding a school baking competition that relies on classic Australian cake constructions leads to laugh-out-loud antics and touching insights. Discussions of time travel lean more toward wistful fantasy than hard science, and the tweens’ desire to bend time provides a framework through which James gains new perspectives on his own memories. Ages 8–12. Agent: Gemma Cooper, Bent Agency. (June)

– Publishers Weekly, 3/18/2024

*An Australian boy embarks on a time-traveling mission in an attempt to return to simpler times.

Eleven-year-old James Greenaway’s Chinese Australian mom and white dad are separating, and the news makes him feel like an untethered astronaut in space. He can’t help but fixate on happy memories from his past as he grapples with having two homes. One day, a change in James’ routine leads him to meet Yan, a Chinese girl whose love of retro computers and unique way of thinking open up the possibility of time travel. All he must do is decide on which of his six favorite memories he’d like to return to. But did things really happen the way he remembers? Could he have reasons to stay in the present? Marr’s captivating prose imbues the story with heart, humor, and hope for the present and the future. The author deftly weaves multiple themes of family, friendship, nostalgia, and growth into a richly layered and thought-provoking tale that will linger in readers’ minds long after it’s over. Cultural references (such as to an iconic Australian birthday cake cookbook), an original take on time travel, and perfectly imperfect characters just doing their best all create a vivid sense of place and will make this title resonate with children and adults alike.

An exceptionally lovely and uplifting exploration of change, memories, and relationships. (Fiction. 8-12)

– Kirkus Reviews, STARRED, 04/15/2024

Despite its premise as a “divorce book,” there are subtle observations about perception versus reality to be found both in and between the lines of this Australian import. Shocked by his parents’ split, 11-year-old James looks back on six moments when they seemed particularly close, ping-pongs between his introverted white dad and outgoing Chinese mom, and sees them, too, struggling to cope with new living arrangements. Meanwhile, he connects with a similarly solitary classmate and a time machine that can send him back to those precious moments. Revisiting each, he discovers repressed details that reveal those situations to have been less safe and happy than he recalled. In a subplot that takes on similar nuance, James sees events that suddenly cast a classmate and his mother in a very different light. The tale’s unhappy scenario is lightened by an ongoing cake-baking competition that climaxes in a massive, tension-releasing food fight while ably guiding James, and readers, toward the worthy closing insight: it’s better to live in, and enjoy, the moment than to fixate on the past.

– Booklist, 04/01/2024

Shirley Marr's latest novel, Countdown to Yesterday, takes young readers on a heartwarming journey through time, memories, and the complexities of family and friendship. This enchanting tale is a delightful blend of nostalgia, science fiction, and the enduring power of love. The story revolves around James, a young boy who longs to return to a simpler period when his parents were still together. This becomes possible when he encounters Yan, a girl with a unique perspective on the world; suddenly, James's entire world changes: he can time travel. Now he must decide if he would live forever in one of his six most cherished memories. As in another of her middle-grade novels, A Glasshouse of Stars (2021), Marr's storytelling here is nothing short of remarkable as she weaves a narrative that effortlessly highlights elements of retro Australian culture, including iconic references such as The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book. Marr's ability to capture the essence of her characters and the complexities of their experiences shines, and with a twist that delivers an emotional impact that lingers long after the final page, this novel explores the depths of human emotions in a touching and thought-provoking way. Countdown to Yesterday is a timeless addition to the world of middle-grade fiction and is bound to leave a lasting impression on readers aged 9 and older, and those who enjoyed Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

– Books+ Publishing