The Boy Who Reversed Himself

In the spirit of "I loved [b:Interstellar Pig|24899|Interstellar Pig (Interstellar Pig, #1)|William Sleator|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562634272l/24899._SY75_.jpg|25676]," I decided to give another of Sleator's teenage protagonists a chance. Unfortunately, he chose to use a female point of view, and wow, was it awful. First person point of view, it's a teenage girl who is 'friends' (in the loosest, junior high school meaning of the word' with an outcast boy. He has a crush on her and she notices a few unusual things as he tries to help her turn in homework, pass tests, etc. She is aware of this and welcomes the assistance, although maintains reservations about his weirdness. She blatantly uses show more his affection towards her as a tactic to learn more about his mysteries, then (presumably) violates that trust and gets into trouble with her real boyfriend. I have rarely read such an outright emotionally manipulative character ('if you like me, you would tell me') and it did not sit well with me. I peeked at the ending which is one of those fast-forward-adult-life endings and, well, whatever. I'm sure there's personal transformation, but the process of getting there was too painful to read. show less

This book has stuck with me into adulthood. I read it at some point in middle school and I eventually think about it since it explores dimensions beyond 3d. Definitely is a great book for a middleschooler to read.

Well, the title and cover are somewhat misleading, as the main character is a girl. There are two boys though so I guess it's ok - we need to appeal to those male reluctant readers after all. You do need to be willing to read SF to enjoy this, because, though the characterizations are indeed quite wonderful, the bulk of the action takes place in '4-space.' You *don't* need to fully understand how the different dimensions work, or the details of all the action there. Just ride it out, the way the boy on the cover is doing, and you'll be fine. Thrills, chills, and giggles for ages 12 up.

There’s a new kid at Laura’s school. But he’s not just weird; he’s downright creepy. When things start appearing in her locker when no one knows the combination, and some are written backwards in “mirror writing”, she sets out to discover the truth about Omar, and herself, and finds herself in a terrifying world from which she may never escape.

This was an unusual premise and I really liked the sciency bits, and the visual explanations of tricky concepts. The plot was a little forced and the characters – no pun intended – one-dimensional. I couldn’t really sympathize with Laura, the narrator.