The Worlds We Leave Behind

Product Information

This book was a wonderful read on so many levels for both middle grade and older readers. It has an almost nostalgic quality that both left me confused about which decade this book is set in and respecting the timeless feel. The illustrations are beautiful and haunting and are a perfect reflection of the book's mood. It truly does evoke the atmosphere and the themes of Stranger Things and also reminds me of select Neil Gaiman's works. Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child...

He’d tried to say this, to explain the knots and confusions the questions tied him up in, but no one else seemed to feel the same trouble, or they simply didn’t understand. Thank you so much to Ecco Books and Rumaan Alam for my free review copy and to Netgalley for digital copy in exchange for an honest review. My inability to think of anything else to do. To make poems was the only thing that felt right. Every now and then one of them isn’t terrible. And now stories seem to happen as well.

Published

Tommo’s friend Hex is the first person to appear in this eerie illustrated tale. Hex is careless, impulsive, cognizant of the ways he often acts without thinking. On Monday, when a younger child tagging after the boys falls out of a tree and breaks an arm, her big sister blames them, especially Hex. She succumbs to the temptation for retribution offered her by an old woman whose cottage mysteriously appears in the ancient forest nearby. The result? Hex is removed from the world entirely. On Wednesday, Tommo leaves his house in the morning with the sense that someone he knew well is simply no longer; it’s as if he’d never existed. Finding his own way to the cottage, Tommo makes the horrific discovery of Hex’s spiderweb-wrapped form. An official looking woman informs him of an Unauthorized Temporal Reweave and arms him with a device to remove the old woman and her timeline interference from this corner of the world—but Tommo must find the courage to use it. Pinfold’s fine-lined, chiaroscuro drawings—stars against the night sky, characters’ elongated faces and hands—are perfectly in tune with Harrold’s reserved, unsettling narrative voice. This original work, unfolding over the course of five weekdays, is reminiscent of William Sleator’s speculative fiction and will appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. Characters read White. Holy hell this was good, good, good. And freaky. And intelligent - I used my dictionary quite a bit with this one but that's okay because I love learning new words. I will say the ending is abrupt and it looks like some readers aren't enjoying it but honestly I don't think that this author could have ended it in any other way. It's sometimes the not knowing that makes something truly scary. There are so many themes to discuss that this would make an excellent choice for book clubs. 5 *terrifying* stars! It was elegant and clever. It calmed me, even though the story gets progressively more frantic. My anxiety was rising. The fact that something was looming over the story like a dark cloud made me feel uneasy. The characters didn’t know what was happening and the reader is being immersed in their uncertainty. It was uncomfortable. but once a reader begins, even if you’re rolling your eyes like crazy.... ( not only about the disasters themselves in the plot...but for lots of nonsensical writing). ...

Enraged at how unfair life is, Hex runs into the woods and finds himself in a strange clearing-a clearing that can't possibly exist-where a strange old woman offers him a she'll rid the world of those who wronged him. All he has to do is accept and they'll be forgotten, forever. But what Hex doesn't know is that someone else has been offered the same deal. Content warnings: depiction of racism, vomit, loss of teeth, disease on unknown origin, alcohol abuse, spiders Get ready to watch this book’s adaptation on Netflix. Such an amazing team on the board: Homecoming and Mr. Robot’s director Sam Ismael and fabulous cast including Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts!!! I cannot wait !!! There are thought provoking issues in this story. About race, age, class - but all are touched on lightly and only with innuendo.

Reviews

Four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke is an actor, director, author, and father to Stranger Things star Maya Hawke. In his portrayal of Clay, Esmail saw “one of the more fascinating characters in this film.” Premise/plot: Twilight Zone times ten--that's how I'd describe A.F. Harrold's The Worlds We Leave Behind. It begins with two friends--Hex (short for Hector) and Tommo (short for Thomas) hanging out together. They had absolutely NO plans at all of hanging out with a "baby" (Sascha). But this neighbor-kid, Sascha, tags along despite the two trying their hardest to get rid of her. (Who wants to be responsible for a strange neighbor kid in the woods??? Certainly not these two.) Playing on a rope swing turns tragic--in more ways than one. She falls off the swing and breaks her arm--it is way more complicated than that...and the world (yes, the world) will never be the same. From acclaimed author and illustrator pair A.F. Harrold and Levi Pinfold comes another powerful and poignant story about friendship, betrayal, and redemption. An extraordinary story about friendship and betrayal. Of revenge and retribution but also redemption. Perfect for young listeners who enjoy Stranger Things.