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A Year Without Autumn

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 460 ratings · 126 reviews

The author of the best-selling Emily Windsnap series spins a gripping tale about a girl who stumbles into the future--and must change its course to save a friendship.
Jenni Green's family vacation has finally arrived! Even though she has to deal with her annoying little brother, her slightly overbearing dad, and her very pregnant mom, she gets to spend a week with her best...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published April 1st 2011 by Orion Children's Books

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Feb 13, 2013 Ciaran Mcnamee rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Jenni and Autumn are twelve years old and best friends. Jenni, the narrator of the story, is somewhat in awe of Autumn: Autumn is the more outgoing of the two girls and comes from a slightly more affluent and bohemian family.

While the two families are on holiday together Jenni finds herself transported to a year into the future. She discovers that in the year that has passed a terrible tragedy has occurred with consequences for both families and the girls’ friendship.

This was a truly bizarre b...more Jenni and Autumn are twelve years old and best friends. Jenni, the narrator of the story, is somewhat in awe of Autumn: Autumn is the more outgoing of the two girls and comes from a slightly more affluent and bohemian family.

While the two families are on holiday together Jenni finds herself transported to a year into the future. She discovers that in the year that has passed a terrible tragedy has occurred with consequences for both families and the girls’ friendship.

This was a truly bizarre book. The story is both a time-travel adventure and a coming-of-age story and while it is quite good fun I’m not really convinced that either aspect of the story really worked.

Throughout the course of the novel Jenni finds herself up to three years in her future. I’m prepared to accept the author’s explanation that Jenni looks older when she travels into the future. It is harder to believe that the three years of emotional maturity that Jenni has missed would not pose some sort of a barrier to her friendship with the older Autumn, but this is not addressed at all in the story.

Even more ridiculous is the character of Mrs Smith, another time-traveller that Jenni meets. She is a 50 year-old woman who as a young girl imagined herself running the resort as an older woman. She and her then boyfriend broke up and lost touch some 35 years ago but she has returned to the resort in the hope that he will remember her dream and they will rekindle their romance.

If this was a braver novel it might have explored the idea that sometimes childhood friendships decline because the children simply grow apart. David Almond conveys Michael’s alienation from his childhood friends beautifully in Skellig. There was certainly scope to do this in A Year Without Autumn: I found Autumn more interesting and likeable as a grief-stricken 13 year-old than an excitable twelve year-old. Instead, the story fell back into clichés about friendship lasting forever and love being about meeting the one and seizing the moment.

It’s pretty obvious from the moment that Jenni arrives in the future that the lift is a time machine. However, no explanation is given as to why there is a time machine posing as a lift. No one has built it; it’s just there. Fortunately, despite being in the middle of a time-share resort, it has not led to the widespread displacement of holidaymakers.

More worryingly, from the perspective of the story’s internal logic and Mrs Smith’s love life, Jenni manages to change history by taking an object from an alternative future back to the present day, thus ensuring that the alternative future never happens. Back to the Future II and the 1972 Dr Who story The Day of the Daleks both explore the impossibility of changing the past by means obtained from the future. Here the contradiction is breezily ignored, resulting in an unsatisfying conclusion to the story arc.

A Year Without Autumn is a teenage melodrama. I think some upper Key Stage 2 girls would enjoy it for independent reading but it does not have sufficient depth to be used as a class novel. All of the central characters are girls and so I do not think it is aimed at or would particularly appeal to boys. (less)

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Sep 19, 2012 Helen Mc rated it 2 of 5 stars

A Year Without Autumn – Liz Kessler
A Year Without Autumn tells of the story of a 12 year old girl (Jenni) who discovers what true friendship is all about. Autumn is Jenni’s best friend. The two girls do everything together and have great love and respect for one another.
One day Jenni suddenly finds herself exactly one year ahead, in the future. As the story unfolds, we learn of a tragedy that threatens to destroy their close friendship. As a result. Jenni has to figure out what events have take...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler follows Autumn and Jenny who are headed to the timeshare that their families have vacationed at for years. While on the way to Autumn's house Jenni takes an elevator and finds another woman in Jenni's apartment. She soon learns that the elevator has taken her one year into the future, a future where Jenni and Autumn's life has fallen apart because of a horrible accident. Jenni must deal with everything and figure out how she keeps ending up in the future.

This...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

I won a copy of this on 'Girls <3 Books' blog ages ago but put it to one side as I had a mountain of other books to read. Every year at the library we do a 'Book of the Year' event where we have to read 6 books then vote for the best, this year this book is on the list. They are all Children's/Middle Grade books.
I thought I had better start reading the nominated books and as I had my own copy of this I thought it would be a good place to start.
Jenni and her family always go to the same place...more I won a copy of this on 'Girls <3 Books' blog ages ago but put it to one side as I had a mountain of other books to read. Every year at the library we do a 'Book of the Year' event where we have to read 6 books then vote for the best, this year this book is on the list. They are all Children's/Middle Grade books.
I thought I had better start reading the nominated books and as I had my own copy of this I thought it would be a good place to start.
Jenni and her family always go to the same place on holiday, organized little condo's where activities are planned and there is nice places to go walking, and best of all she gets to see her best friend Autumn. In the main building complex there are two lifts, one that everyone uses and one that has been broken for years, but one day Jenni is waiting for the lift and the old one whirs into life, so she takes it, but when she steps out 1 floor up she discovers she has gone 1 year into the future and life has changed drastically. She needs to figure out how to get back and change everything that's gone wrong.
I thought this book sounded quite exciting, different and intriguing and I was looking forward to reading it. I started it this morning and finished it at about four this afternoon, it's only 245 pages and easy to read font.
I liked Jenni as a character and the air of mystery in the book was good, I liked how the girls relationship changes as the events influence them, but there were also moments where I was disappointed something happened, or one of them said something that caused more problems.
There were bits of this book I found myself really getting into and rather enjoying but there were also bits where I started to skim read a little bit, waiting for something to happen again. I liked the conclusion of the book and was glad with the outcome, but there was also a continuation question that arised which i can't say here because it would ruin the storyline and conclusion - major spoiler, but it just didn't make total sense to me.
I'm not trying to be negative and it was a sweet little book, as I say there were quite a few parts that I really did enjoy and I liked the narrative style, it just didn't wow me. (less)

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Apr 16, 2011 YA Reader rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've not read a story from Liz Kessler for a while. The last one I read was The Tail of Emily Windsnap years ago when I was tiny. I remember really enjoying it but I never got round to reading the sequels. When I was told that she was publishing a YA novel, therefore, I was very intrigued. The cover on its own would have been enough to convince me but remembering her first story I knew it would be a great read. I wasn't let down.

A Year Without Autumn is about two best friends Autumn and Jenni. B...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Megan Mann added it

Shelves: eng-412

It's the last Saturday of August, the day Jenni and her family settle into their condo for the last week of summer. It's the same thing every year. Jenni's family has always been organized and punctual. Neither quality applies to Jenni's best friend's family. No, Autumn's family is a group of artists that are so full of life that Jenni feels lucky enough just to be in their presence. On the first night, Autumn tells Jenni that they're going horseback riding the next day. All through the next mor...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Karen Yingling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kessler, Liz. A Year Without Autumn.
Jenni and Autumn's families have traveled to the same condos every year at the same time. Things are a little more difficult because Jenni's mother is prgenant, but both families are happy. When Autumn takes an unused elevator up to Autumn's condo one day, she finds a strange woman there and realizes that she has traveled a year into the future, and Autumn's brother Mike has been injured in an accident on a horse. This has a disastrous effect on both families,...more

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Apr 23, 2011 Raquel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-for-work

A very charming story from the author of the Emily Windsnap series. This book is a departure from Emily Windsnap and her fantastical world of mermaids but it bases itself on the same thing. A young girl, put in unusual and magical circumstances and trying to make sense of things on her own. Jenni is in many ways a normal 11 year old. A pair of doting parents, an annoying little brother, a baby sister on the way and a best friend. Said bff, Autumn, is the polar opposite of Jenni. Autumn is vivaci...more

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Apr 18, 2011 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you are looking for an awesome time travel novel, then this is the book for you. Liz Kessler introduced time travel so smoothly into the story that I never doubted its credibility once. The author has managed to breathe reality into science fiction.

I know book reviews are not meant to be personal, but I cannot help but love a book that instantly catapults me back to my past and that first paragraph had me travelling in the back of the car with my parents on numerous long journeys to Devon. No...more If you are looking for an awesome time travel novel, then this is the book for you. Liz Kessler introduced time travel so smoothly into the story that I never doubted its credibility once. The author has managed to breathe reality into science fiction.

I know book reviews are not meant to be personal, but I cannot help but love a book that instantly catapults me back to my past and that first paragraph had me travelling in the back of the car with my parents on numerous long journeys to Devon. Not the best traveller and long before travel sickness pills came into fashion, I was Craig!

The book is written is present tense which I normally whinge about as it is one of my pet hates, but I cannot say it affected my enjoyment of the story at all. In fact, I didn't notice it after the first page, which is amazing for me. The story is extremely well written and highly polished allowing the story to just flow off the page.

This book may only be 246 pages, but it has a lot packed into it. I was completely captivated from the first page and ended up reading it in one sitting. I was desperate to discover how Jenni would deal with her unusual situation. There is no sign of predictability within this book and I found myself constantly surprised by the route the story took.

I loved all the characters within the book and instantly felt their anguish when their personal situations changed. Jenni was my favourite character and I loved how her desperation changed her character for the better and made her so much stronger. She dealt with the time travel situation thrust upon her with maturity and grace.

One of the main themes dealt with in this book is friendship; the author explores how a cross word can turn friendship to hate. The story provides a strong reminder of how we should treat the people close to us. Liz Kessler also focuses on the possibility of small random acts changing your future forever. The theme reminded me of a short story I read during secondary school which was called The Butterfly Effect, where one minor choice can have major effects on the future. The whole theory is quite mind boggling. This book will definitely make you look closer at the choices and actions you make in life and how little things can escalate into bigger issues.

This is the first book I have read by Liz Kessler and I can say with absolute certainty that it won't be the last. I love her descriptive style of writing. The way she conjured up nostalgic memories of my own childhood caught me by surprise. This book may be aimed at 9 to 12 year olds, but I found it to be ageless. I know without a doubt that readers in my age bracket will love it.

When you read this book, expect the unexpected and freeze reality for a while in order to believe in the unbelievable!
(less)

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Jul 09, 2011 Karen Arendt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: family, friendship, middle-grade, magic

Advance galley copy from Netgalley. A Year Without Autumn is a suspenseful, sad, emotional journey of twelve year old Jenni and her best friend, Autumn during their week's vacation at Riverside Hotel. The story starts out somewhat slow to show the friendship and history of Jenni and Autumn. After Jenni, in too much of a hurry to wait for the elevator, uses an old elevator that has her travel foward a year in time. Tragic events have occurred, and Jenni does not understand what happened. When she...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book reminded me a little bit of some of the old Twilight Zone shows that I used to watch when I was a kid.
A vacation resort.
A broken old elevator that gets fixed.
And when 12 year old Jenni rides up a floor on the elevator, she goes a year into the future.
In this future, her best friend Autumn is very different. Autumn's brother is in a coma and her family is devastated. Jenni finds that she can go back to the present but the accident that put Autumn's brother into a coma has happened any...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, arc-or-review, sci-fi, young-adult, fantasy, read-in-2012, title-appeal

I liked the premise of this book, but I was also quite weary about it when I first heard about it. I thought the idea behind it was interesting, but I'm always a little apprehensive of time-travel novels (I can find them very confusing) and I think that this book is aimed more towards middle grade children rather than young adults. However, I found it surprisingly enjoyable!

I admit that, at the start, I didn't think that I was going to enjoy this book as much as I did. Our protagonist, Jenni, is...more I liked the premise of this book, but I was also quite weary about it when I first heard about it. I thought the idea behind it was interesting, but I'm always a little apprehensive of time-travel novels (I can find them very confusing) and I think that this book is aimed more towards middle grade children rather than young adults. However, I found it surprisingly enjoyable!

I admit that, at the start, I didn't think that I was going to enjoy this book as much as I did. Our protagonist, Jenni, is 12 years old and so talks quite immaturely, but this should be expected. She is quite excitable and the overuse of exclamation marks did start to bug me a little. However, as things start to change in Jenni's life, when she finds a lift which can transport her through time, her attitude, outlook and emotions quickly begin to mature, which I was thankful for. I'm glad that she didn't completely mature though - it was definitely as though it was a young teenager communicating with us.

I'd say that this is probably aimed more towards 9-12 year olds, but as the book progressed, I think some of the issues discussed and the story in general could appeal to young adults. I actually liked the simple style that it was written in. The time travel idea wasn't made to be complex, and as it was straight forward, it was really easy to follow. It is, despite some serious subjects, a light and easy read that a lot of people may enjoy.

Jenni tries to visit her friend Autumn one day, and finds that she has travelled a year into the future, where we learn that something disastrous has happened which has destroyed Autumn's life and that also threatens their friendship. I found the way that Jenni handled herself and the situation to be both believable and interesting. I didn't really find the sub plot, where Jenni meets a woman who has also travelled into the future, to be particularly interesting but it was a good attempt of adding something extra to the story and I can see why people would enjoy it.

The story flowed well and it was certainly a page turner at points. I found myself to get quite absorbed into Jenni and Autumn's story, wishing I could help. As I was so enthralled, it didn't take me very long at all to finish this one. The story unravelled at a good pace and it wasn't very predictable, especially towards the end, which I really enjoyed. Everything was summed up by the end, and so there was a satisfying ending. If you find reading about changing and developing friendships, you'd probably enjoy this. Don't be put off by the sci-fi idea, even if you're not usually a fan - this is a simple, quick and enjoyable read.(less)

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Jan 15, 2012 Deborah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Jenni wishes that she could get a sneak peak at the year ahead to make sure that she and her best friend Autumn will still be as close as they are now. When her wish comes true, she sees that Autumn's family has suffered a terrible crisis, and that her family is also in trouble, and she has to figure out how she can right the wrongs that lead to these events.

I really liked this one, and will recommend it to kids in my library, but I wish that the book had focused a little less on the mechanics...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Susan P rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: j-fiction

Jenni and her best friend Autumn both spend a week each summer with their families at a timeshare condo. Jenni and Autumn have been best friends forever - Autumn is outgoing and fun, and the much more quiet Jenni has always been a bit in her shadow. The second day of their visit, Jenni takes the old creaky elevator, that hasn't been working up until now, up to Autumn's second floor condo. But when she knocks on Autumn's door, a stranger answers it. The old elevator has somehow sent Jenny forward...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-release, middle-grade, arc, vine

I saw this at B&N awhile back and kept passing by it. So I was pretty excited when it came up on Vine.

Jenni lives a pretty normal life. Well normal compared to her friend Autumn who's parents are artists and a tad bit out there. But Jenni has always been quiet and safe, while Autumn was the opposite. When Jenni takes an elevator that has never worked til today, her whole world is flipped upside down and she has no idea what's going on. It takes her awhile to figure it out, and once she does,...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Cathe Olson rated it 4 of 5 stars

My daughters (and students) are big fans of Kessler's Emily Windsnap series so I was excited to check out her newest offering . . . I must admit that at first I was not exactly enamored of the story or the characters. 12 year old Jenni came off as wimpy and annoying; her best friend Autumn bossy and even a little mean. But then I got to the time travel part and things started getting good. By the last chapter, I was on the edge of my seat, heart pounding, to find out what was going to happen. I'...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Jemima Pett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jenni and Autumn are best friends. They are more than best friends, they are the best friends that could ever be. Two hours apart and there are a million and a half things that have to be said to each other. And here on their holidays they can spend as much time as they like together. And even though Jenni doesn't really want to go horse riding, she says yes, because she goes everywhere with Autumn. So why aren't Autumn and her parents there when she goes to meet them?

This is an enthralling tale...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Elen Caldecott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s, young-adult-s

I loved so much about this story. The main character, Jenni, manages to grow up so much over the course of it, despite the fact (small spoiler!) she's only three days older (I think. Time travel maths...). The families are really interesting. And there's a lovely sub-plot with an adult character whose life is as confused as Jenni's.
I read this right through. In fact, I read it in the bath and was so into it that, despite the water going cold, I couldn't bear to stop reading.
It's a very clever bo...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Alice rated it 5 of 5 stars

It was a very emotional story. all about friendship and time traveling. Jenni comes to a condo where her family always stays during the break. Her friend, Autumn, also comes with her own family to stay. They plan to go horseback riding, but one day Jenni discovers a secret. The old elevator in the building does time traveling. When you go up a floor, you travel 1 year into the future! But Jenni also has an unpleasent surprise. Something has gone wrong. Now she has to fix up what she had done wro...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Kyle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a favorite of one of my 5th graders. Consequently, she insisted that I read it also. I admit that I didn't take to it at first. I was bugged by the way everyone was described in terms of their material possessions and the story was being was being driven by too much telling rather than showing. However, I must admit I started to get more hooked once the story started to involve time-travel. My student recommended it because "it was realistic fiction about friendships set in a scien...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Dana rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed the Emily Windsnap series so I was expecting to like this new novel by Liz Kessler, but was very disappointed. The story was so frustrating and I forced myself to read it until the end to see if the resolution was worth all the irritation the book caused me. The ending was alright, but this book just put me in a bad mood from all the anxiety and frustration of the two main characters. I also have no idea who I would want to recommend this to, and especially not any children. Thi...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade, reviewed-books

4 stars.
A Year Without Autumn is a very deep and mysterious middle-grade novel.

Jenni Green and her family have always gone to Riverside Village in the holidays along with her friend, Autumn, and her family. They are the best of friends, nothing will tear them apart. But when Jenni is suddenly transported one year forward in time, a tragic event has occurred.

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. It wasn't a book I chose for myself; Mum picked it up from the 'new books' shelf at the libr...more 4 stars.
A Year Without Autumn is a very deep and mysterious middle-grade novel.

Jenni Green and her family have always gone to Riverside Village in the holidays along with her friend, Autumn, and her family. They are the best of friends, nothing will tear them apart. But when Jenni is suddenly transported one year forward in time, a tragic event has occurred.

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. It wasn't a book I chose for myself; Mum picked it up from the 'new books' shelf at the library when she was picking up my reservations. I didn't expect to find a beautiful, deep story about time travel, and trying to change the future.

Jenni was a great character. She was logical, reasonable and predictable. I could really relate to her. There was one point in the story where I just wanted her to figure it out already. It was obvious but she didn't get it until a few pages later.

Autumn reminds me of somebody I know. She's the opposite of Jenni: unpredictable, loud, crazy, bold, and adventurous. But I've always felt that there's more to people like that. That there's more they're hiding behind their colourful facades. Over the course of the story, you get to see another side of Autumn, one ridden with tragedy and loss.

I really liked Mrs. Smith. She had such a heartbreaking story and I'm so glad it had a happy ending.

This book has depth. It has all these layers, like an onion. The first layer you see is the typical middle grade fiction story, the happy-go-lucky stuff. Then you keep peeling and it gets deeper, pulling in tragedy, elements of mystery, and some science fiction. Unlike some extremely shallow YA novels, this explores an interesting story and teaches great lessons.

Kessler's writing isn't really anything special. It's not particularly lyrical or funny but it doesn't drag on either, it gets straight to the point. The story speaks more.

Most importantly, it has great morals about friendship and fate. What happens is inevitable and the past is the past. All you can do is be there for your best friend when she needs it. Also, it puts a whole new perspective on life itself. What if you were transported a year ahead? What would your friends be like? What would have occurred in that time?

This novel will appeal to both the middle-grade and the young adult audience in my opinion. A solid 4 star rating. In one hypenated word thought-provoking.(less)

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Sep 04, 2012 Lena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Inhalt
Jenny und Juli sind seit Jahren unzertrennlich, sie sind die besten Freundinnen, die man sich nur vorstellen kann. Gerade stehen die Sommerferien bevor und damit auch der Familienurlaub. Ein Horror für die beiden Freundinnen, so lange voneinander getrennt zu sein. Doch Gott sei Dank ist es schon lange Tradition, dass die beiden Familien von Jenny und Juli ihren Urlaub gemeinsam in einer Ferienanlage verbringen.
Als Jenny ihre beste Freundin eines Tages in ihrem Hotelappartment besuchen will...more Inhalt
Jenny und Juli sind seit Jahren unzertrennlich, sie sind die besten Freundinnen, die man sich nur vorstellen kann. Gerade stehen die Sommerferien bevor und damit auch der Familienurlaub. Ein Horror für die beiden Freundinnen, so lange voneinander getrennt zu sein. Doch Gott sei Dank ist es schon lange Tradition, dass die beiden Familien von Jenny und Juli ihren Urlaub gemeinsam in einer Ferienanlage verbringen.
Als Jenny ihre beste Freundin eines Tages in ihrem Hotelappartment besuchen will entdeckt sie, dass der alte, sonst defekte Fahrstuhl plötzlich wieder in Betrieb ist. So beschließt sie, ausnahmsweise nicht die Treppe zu nehmen. Angekommen vor Julis Tür muss Jenny allerdings feststellen, dass sie sich in der Tür geirrt hat. Denn vor ihr steht eine alte Dame, die so gar nicht nach ihrer besten Freundin aussieht. Doch wie kann das sein? Jenny ist sich hundertprozentig sicher, dass sie vor der richtigen Tür steht.
Ist Jenny anfangs noch verwirrt, so glaubt sie schon bald immer mehr daran, in der Zeit gereist zu sein.

Meine Meinung
‘Ein Jahr ohne Juli’ ist mir zum ersten Mal aufgefallen, als ich im letzten Jahr im Internet nach Büchern gestöbert habe. Das Cover der englischen Ausgabe hat mich sofort neugierig gemacht und der Inhalt klang ebenfalls sehr interessant. Als ich dann entdeckt habe, dass das Buch ins Deutsche übersetzt wurde und das ohnehin schon wunderschöne Cover auch noch auf so fabelhafte Weise verändert wurde, war mir klar, dass ich dieses Buch unbedingt lesen möchte. Hinter dieser wunderbaren Aufmachung entpuppte sich dann tatsächlich eine Geschichte, die mich umgehauen hat.

Die Autorin Liz Kessler schreibt Romane, die sich hauptsächlich an Kinder und junge Jugendliche richtet. Auch ‘Ein Jahr ohne Juli’ ist da keine Ausnahme. Sowohl die innere Aufmachung des Buchs, die sehr große Schrift und der angenehm leichte und flüssige Schreibstil ermöglicht ein schnelles Leseerlebnis. Für mich war das ein klarer Pluspunkt, weil ich aufgrund der spannenden, emotionalen und wendungsreichen Geschichte gar nicht schnell genug lesen konnte. Die Seiten flogen nur so dahin, das Buch war innerhalb weniger Stunden ausgelesen.

Doch was hat mich an ‘Ein Jahr ohne Juli’ so fasziniert? Auf mich haben Zeitreisegeschichten ohnehin eine sehr anziehende Wirkung. Nicht anders war es beim neusten Buch von Liz Kessler. Durch das Einbringen des Fahrstuhls, der in dieser Geschichte als Zeitreisemöglichkeit diente, erhielt die Handlung für mich das gewisse Etwas. Ein so unscheinbares Fortbewegungsmittel in ein so unheimlich spannendes Element zu verhandeln, hat mich wirklich überrascht. In ‘Ein Jahr ohne Juli’ ist die Möglichkeit des Zeitreisens allerdings begrenzt und nimmt vom Zeitunterschied her nicht die Ausmaße an, wie beispielsweise Kerstin Gier sie in der Edelsteintrilogie genutzt hat. Nicht ohne Grund trägt das Buch den Ausspruch ‘ein Jahr’ in seinem Titel. Doch obwohl Jenny nur zeitlich begrenzt in die Zukunft oder Vergangenheit reisen kann, verliert die Handlung an sich an keiner Stelle an Spannung. Jenny erlebt auf ihren Reisen genug Dinge, die sowohl für Spaß als auch nachdenkliche Momente sorgen.
Die Protagonistin Jenny wird in der Geschichte mit einem traumatischen Erlebnis konfrontiert. Innerhalb von knapp 340 Seiten können wir Leser das junge Mädchen auf ihrer anschließenden Abenteuerreise begleiten und hautnah miterleben, wie sie verzweifelt versucht, ihr eigenes Schicksal zu verändern und die Zukunft zu beeinflussen.

Neben der fantastischen Zeitreisegeschichte sind es aber weiterhin die Figuren des Buchs, die mich atemlos die Geschichte haben verfolgen lassen. Klar im Mittelpunkt steht in ‘Ein Jahr ohne Juli’ die Freundschaft zwischen den beiden jungen Mädchen. Jenny und Juli, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten und beide auf ihre eigene Art und Weise das Herz des Lesers berühren. Durch das Zeitreiseelement kann der Leser außerdem miterleben, wie besondere Geschehnisse im Leben der Figuren für unterschiedlichste Charakterentwicklungen verantwortlich sein können. Auch, wenn die Seitenzahl überschaubar bleibt und die Geschichte so viele verschiedene Elemente miteinander vereint, kann man gerade die Protagonistin Jenny bis ins kleinste Detail kennenlernen.

Fazit
‘Ein Jahr ohne Juli’ ist eine zauberhafte Geschichte voller Freundschaft, Liebe, Familie und Emotionen, die ohne Zweifel alle Altersgruppen begeistern kann.(less)

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Jan 31, 2012 Laura Brennan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: elementary

There was a whole lot of back and forth in this, for not a lot of payoff. Yes, in the end Jenni saves two families from disaster, but with all the telling and not a lot of "showing" by the end, I didn't really care that much! I gave this 3 stars because I do believe it will have an audience with 3rd or 4th graders. I didn't like the writing or the story as much as I believe an elementary school girl will.

There are parts about what it means to be a real friend, and those are dealt with very hones...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: post-uni

Jenni is looking forward to spending the end of her summer vacation with her family at their timeshare apartment. While it’s great to get away, she also gets to spend the last weeks of summer with her best friend Autumn and her family. Autumn is the best friend Jenni could wish for: she’s exciting while Jenni is cautious. After Jenni takes a ride in the rickety old elevator in their building, she knocks on Autumn’s apartment door only to find someone else living there. Although it might seem imp...more Jenni is looking forward to spending the end of her summer vacation with her family at their timeshare apartment. While it’s great to get away, she also gets to spend the last weeks of summer with her best friend Autumn and her family. Autumn is the best friend Jenni could wish for: she’s exciting while Jenni is cautious. After Jenni takes a ride in the rickety old elevator in their building, she knocks on Autumn’s apartment door only to find someone else living there. Although it might seem impossible, Jenni seems to have travelled a year in the future. It seems unimaginable to Jenni, but something has happened in the last year that has put a wedge in Jenni and Autumn’s friendship. As Jenni keeps travelling further into the future, she sees everything she knows unravel each year. While her friendship with Autumn once seemed indestructible, a tragic event has distanced them and Jenni actually went a year without talking to Autumn. Was it really worth it for Jenni to see the future and is it set in stone?

I love time travel and was looking forward to A Year Without Autumn, but once I started reading this book and realized that the main character was twelve, I wasn’t so sure anymore. As the story started to unfold, I was sure I knew what was going to happen. Autumn’s bossy ways and Jenni’s belief that she didn’t deserve her best friend would push them apart. As it turns out, things were much more complicated than this. As Jenni tries to piece together what happened to ruin her friendship with Autumn, she finds out that a tragic event occurred on the very day she travelled to the future. As she travels into the future a year at a time, she finds that this event didn’t just affect her friendship with Autumn but her whole family as well. This aspect of the plot was touching and made me emotionally invested in the story. The characters also proved to be less superficial than they first appeared. As I said, I love time travel. Some of the particulars of the time travel made my head spin and I think there were a few things that didn’t make sense. However, the overall affect worked well. Another thing I didn’t like was the character of Mrs. Smith: that plotline felt a bit forced to me. Of course, a few flaws doesn’t stop me from liking a book. I easily found myself wrapped up in the story and sitting on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. A Year Without Autumn is not only about time travel and fantasy, but also about friendship and family. It’s a great read for younger readers looking for a story about friendship and growing up with a twist.

3.5/5(less)

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Nov 06, 2011 Fiona 11-12 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy

I liked:
The different reasons for suspense and the descriptions.

I didn't like:
The there was an obvious solution to EVERY SINGLE problem but Jenni just wouldn't use her brain!!!!

I didn't like:
The twist put on the characters throughout the book.

I would recommend it for preteen girls (sorry boys, I just know how exited you were!) because it was all about best friends and girly stuff. They talk for like a whole page about mascara, (Spencer:.....WHAT IN THE WORLD
IS MASCARA???) It was good overall.

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Sep 14, 2011 Marika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and hand books to my nine year-old self. From the first chapter of A Year Without Autumn I wished I could do this. It seems that there are relatively few books these days that start with loving, supportive families. Jenni's parents are in-love and expecting their third child, and while her little brother can be annoying, Jenni loves him nevertheless. They are looking forward to being a family of five and enjoying their yearly one-week family vacation. Lik...more Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and hand books to my nine year-old self. From the first chapter of A Year Without Autumn I wished I could do this. It seems that there are relatively few books these days that start with loving, supportive families. Jenni's parents are in-love and expecting their third child, and while her little brother can be annoying, Jenni loves him nevertheless. They are looking forward to being a family of five and enjoying their yearly one-week family vacation. Like every year, Jenni's best friend Autumn will be having vacation the same week, in the same time-share community as Jenni. As is often the case with best friends, Jenni and Autumn are very different. Autumn is out-going, adventurous,and daring- the daughter of artists. Jenni is sensible, intelligent, and cautious...a trait few young protagonists are applauded for.

The first day of vacation, Jenni goes to meet Autumn, taking the old elevator up to her condo when the new one doesn't arrive. But Autumn isn't in her condo, someone else is. Autumn's parents' car is gone, and things look slightly different. When Jenni returns to her parents' condo, she's met with a messy living room, a baby sister, and an overly anxious mother. These are only the beginning of the changes, the biggest of which is that Autumn's little brother is in a coma, thrown from a horse one year ago. This pivotal event has completely altered both families, and wrecked Jenni and Autumn's relationship.

Liz Kessler carefully handles the issues faced by both Jenni and Autumn in their possible future. As Jenni doesn't get mentally older when she time travels, the snippets she sees, though difficult, are entirely age appropriate. In presenting only snippets of Autumn & Jenni's future, Kessler has allowed readers to view the situations through their personal experience, meaning the extent of difficultly will reflect what they are ready to handle.

Emotionally wrenching, slightingly magical, and with a happy ending that fits perfectly, A Year Without Autumn impossible to put down. If my nine year-old self had been handed this, I would have hidden under the covers until I finished reading (despite school in the morning) and then immediately passed the book on to a friend.

A Year Without Autumn is a coming of age story that acknowledges the difficult realities and unexpected joys of growing up and assures readers that despite how things seem, they can always change.

Ages 9-12 (less)

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Nov 27, 2011 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, middle-grade

Although it took me a few chapters to really be pulled into this novel, I found it to be quite a fun, sweet read overall. It's summer and 12-year-old Jenni is going on the annual family vacation with her family; her best friend Autumn's family has a condo nearby as well, so the two girls get to spend the whole week together. One day, heading to Autumn's place, Jenni uses this old elevator that she thought was broken and it takes her forward in the future, where she sees how awful things have bec...more Although it took me a few chapters to really be pulled into this novel, I found it to be quite a fun, sweet read overall. It's summer and 12-year-old Jenni is going on the annual family vacation with her family; her best friend Autumn's family has a condo nearby as well, so the two girls get to spend the whole week together. One day, heading to Autumn's place, Jenni uses this old elevator that she thought was broken and it takes her forward in the future, where she sees how awful things have become: her baby sister's been born and her parents are fighting all the time, Autumn's little brother has been seriously hurt, and no one seems happy. The more Jenni looks into the future and tries to figure out what went wrong, the more she realizes that she has to change things somehow, only she doesn't know how.

Jenni and Autumn didn't feel like fully developed characters at the beginning of the book, but they really grew on me as the pages went on. At first, Jenni was too passive and Autumn was almost bossy, so I didn't get a good feel on why they were friends or why I should care, but when the time travel began, they suddenly came to life and developed real emotions. I feel like the target age group for this book would love these characters, since they're normal girls who rely on each other for support through tough times. The magic of the elevator played a big role in the book's plot, obviously, since it revolves around time travel, but there were no other magical elements in the book, making it seem very contemporary despite this science fiction-y catalyst.

Jenni is a very smart main character, trying to figure out what's going on and how she can stop it, and I liked seeing the ways in which she tried to observe the future without giving herself away. Her appearance ages, so no one notices anything different about her, but she has no knowledge of the past year, nor has she mentally aged. Still, she came off as an extremely smart and endearing 12 year old, determined to make things right despite everything seeming so far out of her reach.

I didn't know how this book would end, as I couldn't think of an easy way to wrap things up, but the author did a good job finding a smart and believable way to end it. I closed the book feeling satisfied and feel confident that many others will too.(less)

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Dec 16, 2012 Anya rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very good book about a girl discovering what her friendship with Autumn means to her. I think Liz Kessler's other books were for a much younger audience so people who liked them might not enjoy this as much, though I am not sure because I haven't read the other books.

A year without autumn was an excellent book, and very cleverly twisted into a novel, although at times the main character frustrated me.

Overall this was a very good book and I think anyone aged 10/11-14 should give it a g...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

An engrossing read for an 11+ aged audience.
Will appeal to a reader who likes a bit of mystery in their reading and characters to whom you can relate.
While there is a "scifi" aspect to the tale, it is not overt, and should not be a reason for those who are not fans of that genre-style to avoid the story.
It touches on the importance of family, the pain of friendships lost, and the far-reaching impacts of a single tragic event.
Worth a look.

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About Liz Kessler

Liz Kessler is the author of three novels about Philippa Fisher as well as the NEW YORK TIMES best-selling Emily Windsnap series. She lives in Manchester, England.

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Books by Liz Kessler

The Tail of Emily Windsnap (Emily Windsnap, #1)

Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep (Emily Windsnap, #2)

Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist (Emily Windsnap, #3)

Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret (Emily Windsnap, #4)

Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister (Philippa Fisher, #1)

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Quotes from A Year Without Autumn

“I try to imagine keeping something like that a secret for my whole life. It would be like always wearing a mask over your face, which everyone believed was the real you. You would be the only person who knew it wasn't--and who knew that you could never take it off.” — 6 people liked it

“Maybe superficial is exactly what I want right now. If you don't talk about anything that matters, no one can say anything that'll hurt you--and you don't have to talk about the things that are eating away at you from the inside.” — 2 people liked it

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