The Door at the Crossroads

Gr 8 Up—This highly anticipated sequel is likely to be a hit among fans who enjoyed Elliott's A Wish After Midnight. This volume uses time travel, romance, and historical elements to tackle tough topics, such as slavery, racism, and war. The story picks up right where the previous book left off. Genna and Judah find themselves separated by distance within two different time periods and right in the middle of war and tragedy on American shores. While Judah remains in Weeksville, NY, during the 1860s and grapples with what happened to Genna, he decides to fight against slavery in the American South during the Civil War. Genna, however, awakens in Brooklyn on September 11, 2001, just as the Twin Towers have been hit, and is trying to deal with her separation from Judah. She desperately seeks the help of friends and family to find her way back to her boyfriend, but when she finally does, their separation has changed him. Judah seems more concerned about the fight for justice and is hurt by Genna's absence, which he believes was intentional. Elliott spends most of the work developing the main characters. The alternating chapters and parallel yet intertwining story lines have the makings of an exciting journey, but the plot is sometimes hard to follow because of these elements. However, getting to the last line of the novel will leave teens wanting more.