Operation Do-Over

Gr 4-7–Twelve-year-old Mason and his best friend, Ty, are obsessed with all of the same things: science, Star Trek, time travel, and—unfortunately—Ava, the new girl in their class. After breaking their “non-Ava treaty,” Mason finds himself without a best friend and has to forge his own path. Fast-forward to senior year of high school, where the rift between the two former friends leads to a disastrous incident that gets Mason expelled from school. Driving home, he gets into a car accident and wakes up in his 12-year-old body, just days before Ava arrives. Realizing that he has a chance to make amends and alter the future, he avoids Ava at all costs, joins the football team, and tries hard not to give away the fact that he knows the future. Eventually another head injury transports him back to his 17-year-old body, where he discovers which of his efforts have paid off. Right from the beginning, Korman’s storytelling engages readers, who will root for Mason as he tries to preserve his friendship with Ty, keep his parents married, and prevent his dog being hit by a car. While there’s not much new ground broken here, there are lots of laughs and chances to consider how people’s choices in the present affect their future. Main characters are cued white.