This is a book set in a small town in Missouri in the 1980s where a brother and a sister, Chris and Gail, decide they want to travel back in time to 1955 when their parents met. They use a photograph of their parents when they began dating on Christmas Eve and through wishing and deep concentration, travel back to 1955 a few days before that meeting took place. However, Chris and Gail soon realize that their parents are total opposites-their dad is a jock and their mom is a prude. This only makes matters worse when Gail interrupts her parents first encounter in the department store, changing how her parents met and history itself. Chris and Gail have to find a way to get their parents to meet and truly know each other so they can start dating and continue with their lives as planned. If they don't, Chris and Gail fear that their own lives will be altered drastically, if they are even born at all.
This is an awesome book that is a great science fiction book for those who love history and stories that revolve around chance meetings. Chris and Gail are siblings who work together to bring their parents together, so there is a strong sense of the importance of family. This book is unique in that they travel through time with a photograph. It's creative, yet the reader still can connect with the characters and before one knows it, they are caught up in the suspense of whether or not Chris and Gail can get their parents to meet and fall in love.
This would make a great mentor teacher book because the book focuses on family dynamics, time travelling-which is always interesting, and history and the importance of not changing major events. This book can be used for teaching history, perhaps allowing students to write their own narratives about their family or creating a story where they alter an event and how that could change real historical events. ( )