A review by amyreadsbooks917
Falling Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix

3.0

This was a solid sequel to the 1995 book Running Out of Time. The story is set in the future and the main character, Zola, is related to Jessie Keyser. Zola lives in 2193 in a perfect society with Insta-Closets, Insta-Ovens, and Insta-Fridges. Anything she wants or needs to know, she can ask Sirilexagoogle for. (Yes... Sirilexagoogle... Sirilex for short.) However, when she finds a panicked note in her Insta-Closet asking for help, she realizes her world may not be all that she realized it is. For the sake of not spoiling either book, I will say the storyline of this book is very similar to the first book but with a few new twists.

I enjoyed this one and it would make a great read aloud as every chapter ends on a perilous cliffhanger. I think knowing the plot twist of the first book somewhat spoiled the mystery of this book for me. At times the plot was far-fetched and a little melodramatic, too. The explanations for the first book made sense in a sinister way. The explanations for this book didn't seem convincing. There were some plot holes and gaps in reasoning. I think younger middle grade readers will love it, though!

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy!