The Boy Who Reversed Himself - Softcover

William Sleator (1945–2011) was the author of numerous science fiction books for children and young adults, including Interstellar Pig, House of Stairs, and Blackbriar.

Grade 7 Up How can the mathematical uncertainties and complexities of the fourth dimension translate into a successful novel? Sleator begins by creating fully realized, sympathetic, three -dimensional characters whom readers are eager to follow into an alternative "terra" so "incognita" as to boggle the mind and inspire an almost Lovecraftian horror. Omar, a "weird" new kid, and teenage Laura are the travelers into the fourth dimension here, and those adults who may question their motivation have forgotten the overwhelming urgency of the adolescent need for love and acceptance. The alternative world that they find is a spectacularly successful speculative achievement, thanks in part to its remarkable verisimilitude and in part to Sleator's success in creating wonderfully alien creatures who are, nevertheless, emotionally and intellectually comprehensible. The mathematics of their milieu has also been made intellectually comprehensible (no small achievement) by Sleator's skillful introduction of theoretical considerations into his plot and his consistent application of them. In fact his two worldsours and its fourth-dimensional neighbormay be seen as representing two sides of an equation, just as his two sets of charactersLaura and Omar, Gigigi and Ramoomare oddly identical. The sum of all these disparate parts is a novel that is viscerally exciting, mentally stimulating, and deeply satisfying. Michael Cart, Beverly Hills Public Library
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