Gr 8 Up--Esso Adenon, 16, is a high school student in South London. He is just trying to stay out of a rival gang war, avoid the threat of expulsion, figure out how to confess his feelings to his friend, Nadia, and make sense of the journal belonging to his late father. After Esso is involved in a car accident, he is able to see a place his father referred to as "the Upper World," a place where Esso witnesses fragments of the past and future. Meanwhile, 15-year-old footballer Rhia is a foster child searching for answers about her birth mother and her place in the world. When her mysterious new physics tutor, Dr. Esso, arrives carrying a photograph of Rhia's mother, Rhia may have found the answers she's been looking for, and Esso may have discovered the key to a deadly incident involving Rhia's mother years ago. Fadugba's debut effortlessly intersects two time lines--the past and present--with enriched dialogue and intriguing characters. This fast-paced novel interweaves themes of loss, family, violence, and time travel in a thought-provoking portrayal of life in South London. Theories will resonate strongly with math and physics enthusiasts. The majority of the characters are Black, including Esso and Rhia. VERDICT Fans of Jason Reynolds and Neal Shusterman won't be able to put down this electrifying debut.--Amanda Harding

Esso Adenon, 16, is just trying to survive high school in South London, stay out of the Peckham and Brixton gang war, keep his Bénin-born mother stress-free, and find the courage to confess his feelings to his crush, Nadia. But life becomes more complicated when he's involved in a car accident and time subsequently stops, allowing him to see what Socrates called the Upper World--a place where moments of the past and future collide. When Esso makes it back to the present, the scenes he witnessed begin occurring, and he works desperately to prevent one involving Nadia. Fifteen years in the future, Rhia Black is a high school footie player living in foster care who dreams of playing pro. But on the first day of her lesson with physics tutor Dr. Esso Adenon, Rhia, who is also Black, comes across a photo that connects him to her deceased mother. Exploring themes including fate, gang violence, and the ethics of time travel, debut author Fadugba uses physics theories to create an absorbing dual narrative with engaging voices. Ages 13--up. Agent: Claire Wilson, Rogers, Coleridge and White. (Dec.)

Hardcore math-and-physics-based time-travel theories intersect with gang violence in South London's Peckham neighborhood in this intense debut novel. Esso struggles to stay distant from the gangs that plague his high school. When he's hit by a car, he's briefly transported to a dark wasteland where he accesses visions of his past and future. Esso recognizes this as a place his father called the Upper World. Alternating chapters follow Rhia, a teenage soccer player in foster care living 15 years in the future, whose new tutor is Esso. Adult Esso is convinced that Rhia can help him get back to the Upper World and return to a crucial moment in his past when nearly everyone he cared about died in a hail of bullets. He also has a mysterious connection to Rhia's mother. The language in this book is heavily laced with slang and British phrasings but is comprehensible in context. The science is complex, but the central, emotional stakes are universal: Can we change the past? Dare we hope for a better future?

Dual timelines explore physics, choices, and time travel. Sixteen-year-old Esso Adenon is trying to survive school in South London, but he keeps getting into trouble. Most recently, he was in the wrong place at the worst time, when a classmate's brother who goes by the name Bloodshed was attacked by some of Esso's gang member friends. In keeping with his nickname, Bloodshed now seeks violent revenge against them, Esso included. After a near-death experience, Esso finds himself caught in the Upper World, a metaphysical realm where he can catch glimpses of the future. Fifteen years later, a young soccer player named Rhia needs help with math and physics--and along comes a grown Dr. Esso to be her tutor; he is also someone who may know the truth about Rhia's biological mother. These timelines intersect as Esso and Rhia together try to stop a tragedy. Fadugba's debut dazzles, particularly when it comes to dialogue--the London slang flows with ease, adding to the sense of place. Themes of code-switching, found families, and loss resonate strongly as well. The novel includes diagrams and scientific explanations for the physics that drives the story. Much of the cast is Black, including Esso, whose family is from Benin, and Rhia, who is living in foster care. A riveting thriller that creatively incorporates scientific elements. (math and physics information) (Thriller. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.