23 Minutes

Vivian Vande Velde

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time travel

teenage protagonist

suspenseful narrative

bank robbery

character development

consequences of actions

self discovery

fast paced adventure

narrative complexity

humorous writing style

snap judgments

introspective moments

relatable protagonist

'23 Minutes' by Vivian Vande Velde follows the story of Zoe, a teenager who can rewind time for 23 minutes. When she witnesses a bank robbery gone wrong, she uses her ability to try and prevent a tragedy, but with each rewind, the situation becomes more complicated and dangerous. The book explores themes of time travel, snap judgments, and the consequences of altering events, all wrapped in a fast-paced and suspenseful narrative.

Zoe's character development and the unique premise of the story are highlighted by readers as major strengths of the book. The writing style is engaging, with a good balance of action, suspense, and introspection. The author effectively creates a compelling and relatable protagonist in Zoe, making the story both entertaining and thought-provoking for readers of various ages.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, particularly Zoe, who evolves from self-doubt to self-discovery while navigating her unique abilities.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is engaging and humorous, capturing the voice of a smart, scornful teenage girl while maintaining suspense throughout.

Plot/Storyline:

The story centers on a young girl who can rewind time for 23 minutes to prevent fatalities during a bank robbery, but each attempt initially leads to worse outcomes, highlighting her struggle and growth.

Setting:

The setting revolves around a bank and Zoe's personal circumstances, contributing to the overall tension in the story.

Pacing:

While the book begins slowly, it quickly escalates into a fast-paced adventure that maintains reader engagement.

Maybe, exactly, the story starts when Zoe walks into the bank—except she doesn’t recognize it as a story yet. She just knows the sky has opened up in a late-autumn downpour so that she feels as though...

Notes:

The main character Zoe can rewind time for only 23 minutes.

Zoe witnesses a bank robbery that kills an innocent person.

She gets ten attempts to change the outcome of the robbery.

Each time she rewinds, things initially get worse before they get better.

Zoe teams up with a cute older bank customer who doesn’t remember her each time.

The book explores themes of self-discovery and quick judgments.

It's a fast-paced young adult story with suspenseful twists.

Zoe lives in a group home due to issues with her biological parents.

The author blends action with humor throughout the plot.

Readers appreciated the character development and relatable struggles of Zoe.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

There are medium content warnings related to violence, particularly surrounding the bank robbery and its consequences.

From The Publisher:

A teen girl races against the clock to prevent a terrible tragedy in this time travel suspense thriller that will keep middle grade and young adult readers on the edges of their seats

By both society's measure and her own, fifteen-year-old Zoe Mahar is pretty much a loser. Then one day she ducks into Spencerport Savings and Loan simply to get out of the rain-and witnesses a bank robbery gone horrifyingly wrong.

The good news is that Zoe has a unique ability: she can play back time and repeat events. But it's not an unlimited deal-she can only jump 23 minutes, and her first playback creates an even more disastrous outcome. Zoe has only ten tries to get it right before this particular 23 minutes becomes irreversible. But in the process of trying to become the heroine she doesn't believe she can be, Zoe will learn about herself-and realize that there is more to who she is than she thought.

Reader Stats (4):

Want To Read (3)
Not Interested (1)

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About the Author:

Vivian Vande Velde is the author of numerous fantasy and speculative-fiction novels for children and teenagers, many of which were ALA Best Books for Young Adults. She won the Edgar Award for Never Trust a Dead Man, which was also named a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She lives in Rochester, New York. Visit vivianvandevelde.com.

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