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The Leap Cycle #1
The Infinite
Leaplings, children born on the 29th of February, are very rare. Rarer still are Leaplings with The Gift - the ability to leap through time. Elle Bibi-Imbele Ifie has The Gift, but she's never used it. Until now. On her twelfth birthday, Elle and her best friend Big Ben travel to the Time Squad Centre in 2048. Elle has received a mysterious warning from the future. Other Leaplings are disappearing in time - and not everyone at the centre can be trusted. Soon Elle's adventure becomes more than a race through time. It's a race against time. She must fight to save the world as she knows it - before it ceases to exist...
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2020
22 people are currently reading
924 people want to read
About the author
Patience Agbabi
20 books42 followersPatience Agbabi (born 1965) is a British poet, author and performer. In 2017 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Patience Agbabi was born in London to Nigerian parents, and from a young age was privately fostered by a white English family, who when she was 12 years old moved from Sussex to North Wales, where Agbabi was raised in Colwyn Bay. She studied English language and literature at Pembroke College, Oxford.
She earned an MA in Creative Writing, the Arts and Education from the University of Sussex in 2002, and in September that year was appointed Associate Creative Writing Lecturer at the University of Wales, Cardiff.
Agbabi was Canterbury Festival's Laureate in 2010. In 2018 she was Writer In Residence at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.
Patience Agbabi was born in London to Nigerian parents, and from a young age was privately fostered by a white English family, who when she was 12 years old moved from Sussex to North Wales, where Agbabi was raised in Colwyn Bay. She studied English language and literature at Pembroke College, Oxford.
She earned an MA in Creative Writing, the Arts and Education from the University of Sussex in 2002, and in September that year was appointed Associate Creative Writing Lecturer at the University of Wales, Cardiff.
Agbabi was Canterbury Festival's Laureate in 2010. In 2018 she was Writer In Residence at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 22, 2020
Elle Bibi-Imbelé Ifiè has The Gift. The ability to leap across time be it in the past or the future. How did she inherit this special gift? She’s a Leapling. Anyone born on the 29th of February has this potential and Elle’s skill in it come in bucket-loads. She’s not alone though. Attending Intercalary International alongside other Leaplings, such as her good friend Big Ben, she finds herself invited into the future in order celebrate her skills and future with the Time Squad Centre: a secret group whose job it is to stop crimes being committed through history. When there though, she discovers a plot to lay waste not only to the school but also the planet itself.
Having been a published poet, this is Agbabi’s first foray into writing novels for children. Encouraged and inspired by the literature her two sons were reading and writing, Agbabi decided to add her passion for sprinting, numbers and pepper soup into the mix ( I especially enjoyed the implicit and explicit references to Nigerian culture and food). What she presents is a richly imagined (and I REALLY do mean ‘richly’) time-leaping mystery with a host of characters from across times.
The story is meticulously planned and I am staggered by the interwoven links and themes between the pages. Each character matters and plays a part in the telling whilst each place or device is well-considered and invites leaps of imagination from the reader – whether it is visualising the Chronophone or picturing the green Ferrari Forever. Patience celebrates a host of neuro-diverse characters, including Elle herself but is quick to show the reader that this too is a gift and not a hindrance. Elle is in a place where her skills and ways are welcomed and encouraged – there is no need to hide who you are here.
Whilst juggling all these different elements, Agbabi still manages to keep the implicit ecocritical messages threaded throughout. The crime itself invites the reader to consider the state of the planet at large and how, whether the reader believes it or not at this point, each of us can make a difference to all our futures – even if it is with the smallest act of kindness.
Having been a published poet, this is Agbabi’s first foray into writing novels for children. Encouraged and inspired by the literature her two sons were reading and writing, Agbabi decided to add her passion for sprinting, numbers and pepper soup into the mix ( I especially enjoyed the implicit and explicit references to Nigerian culture and food). What she presents is a richly imagined (and I REALLY do mean ‘richly’) time-leaping mystery with a host of characters from across times.
The story is meticulously planned and I am staggered by the interwoven links and themes between the pages. Each character matters and plays a part in the telling whilst each place or device is well-considered and invites leaps of imagination from the reader – whether it is visualising the Chronophone or picturing the green Ferrari Forever. Patience celebrates a host of neuro-diverse characters, including Elle herself but is quick to show the reader that this too is a gift and not a hindrance. Elle is in a place where her skills and ways are welcomed and encouraged – there is no need to hide who you are here.
Whilst juggling all these different elements, Agbabi still manages to keep the implicit ecocritical messages threaded throughout. The crime itself invites the reader to consider the state of the planet at large and how, whether the reader believes it or not at this point, each of us can make a difference to all our futures – even if it is with the smallest act of kindness.
July 30, 2020
I really wanted to like this book. The main character is autistic and it’s important for children to see characters like them in books but I just found the plot confusing and implausible and it didn’t help me to understand autistic children any better.
Elle attends a special school for leaplings, those born in 29th February who have a special gift of being able to leap through time. However, only a few of the children in the school are leaplings, so why would they create a special school for so few pupils then fill it with others.
Elle’s best friend is Big Ben. He’s a leapling who also went to the same primary school as Elle, which would suggest that leaplings are quite common.
When they go on a school trip to the future they meet other, quite frankly, weird characters. Eventually they have a mystery to solve but that isn’t revealed until at least half way through the book.
I hate not finishing a book but I wanted to give up after the first few chapters. It was a hard slog. I don’t generally enjoy fantasy books so I know I’m not the intended audience. Others might think it’s great but this one is definitely not for me.
Elle attends a special school for leaplings, those born in 29th February who have a special gift of being able to leap through time. However, only a few of the children in the school are leaplings, so why would they create a special school for so few pupils then fill it with others.
Elle’s best friend is Big Ben. He’s a leapling who also went to the same primary school as Elle, which would suggest that leaplings are quite common.
When they go on a school trip to the future they meet other, quite frankly, weird characters. Eventually they have a mystery to solve but that isn’t revealed until at least half way through the book.
I hate not finishing a book but I wanted to give up after the first few chapters. It was a hard slog. I don’t generally enjoy fantasy books so I know I’m not the intended audience. Others might think it’s great but this one is definitely not for me.
July 22, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I can only imagine how long it took Agbabi to think of all the details regarding time and all the character names - very well thought out. However, I couldn't give this book more than 3 stars because of 2 reasons
1) I don't like books that are rammed with issues. Climate change, veganism, special needs, race. It was a lot. I know a lot of books are doing this these days and it's not a trend I enjoy.
2) Kind of linked to the above point, but I adored Elle's character and her autistic side was spot on, best I've seen in fiction. I just wish this had been the main focus of the book and not overtaken by everything else.
The overall story was great though, I could see this as a netflix series (which would also help with the characters. There were so many that I got confused but you wouldn't with a visual series).
1) I don't like books that are rammed with issues. Climate change, veganism, special needs, race. It was a lot. I know a lot of books are doing this these days and it's not a trend I enjoy.
2) Kind of linked to the above point, but I adored Elle's character and her autistic side was spot on, best I've seen in fiction. I just wish this had been the main focus of the book and not overtaken by everything else.
The overall story was great though, I could see this as a netflix series (which would also help with the characters. There were so many that I got confused but you wouldn't with a visual series).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2024
This is the longest book Patience Agbabi has ever written and it shows. While she has a great concept, it is clear that she is unfamiliar with how to best maintain one cohesive narrative for so long. There are not enough events, the characters are severely underdeveloped, and many inconsistencies or details that just do not make sense.
Most of the book takes place at a facility in the future that Elle goes to as part of a special field trip. The facility is supposed to be the hub for the Time Squad, a group that is in charge of regulating time travel. Only a few leaplings from a selected grouping of school years (example Elle is part of the leaplings from the year 2020 but there is a girl from the year 1924) are allowed to come tour the space and given lessons on various topics.
A lot of the problems stem from how ill-conceived the universe is. I had so many unanswered questions about how this world operates and very little of what was actually included adds up.
Within the first twenty pages there is already a major issue: Elle is stated to go to a school for Leaplings, yet they allow a kid who is not a Leapling to attend the school. And it’s not like he has family that are Leaplings so that, at the very least, he could still be in the know. He is completely unaware and everyone at the school has to actively keep him in the dark. Why would this child be allowed to attend in the first place? Why place this kind of pressure on the student populace? Why risk the potential destruction of your society if he were to spread some secret around? Everyone would think it quite silly if a random kid with no magical affiliation whatsoever attended Camp Half-Blood.
Pete LMS can’t take the special history class because, obviously, he doesn’t know about the powers. Yet, if he’s the only kid at this school who doesn’t know then isn’t it a kind of giveaway that something odd is occurring if he’s the only one in an entire class? Even if I missed it and there are a few others, that doesn’t fix the issue because 1, it’s bad enough if only one kid is attending the school when they don’t have the gift but infinitely worse if there are multiple running around, and 2, are there really enough kids in general at the school that are non-Leaplings that are also in the same grade to fill up the class either way?
.
All of the worldbuilding is similarly poorly constructed.
There is an oath that the Leaplings and their families must take. It is never specified what this oath constitutes or what the consequences are for violating it. It largely seems to center around keeping the Gift a secret from non-Leaplings yet it is mentioned that one of the characters has one non-Leapling parent and one Leapling parent. So under what parameters are you allowed to inform someone? You find out you are a Leapling at twelve years old which is way before anyone would be able to tell a potential romantic partner. Is it purely up to each individual to make a decision? If so, then once again, what are the punishments for breaking the rules?
This extends to the entire concept of the Time Squad. They are a time travel police yet I have no idea what kind of regulatory control they actually have.
How do you practically go about governing anachronisms throughout thousands of years of time? How do you monitor what people are doing or what is being changed? What are the laws exactly? Who got to decide these laws? Did everybody vote on them? How do you get appointed to the Time Squad? Is there some kind of election? Can you be found remiss in your duties? There are only 4 people - how do they even begin to cover all of Leapling society with so few officers?
I was so annoyed, I even bothered to do the math. There currently are approximately 5 million people who were born on February 29th. Just 1% of that 5 million is 50,000 people and that's not including their annuals families who also would require regulation of some kind. It is simply not possible to have such a small squadron running everything.
At the beginning of the book, Elle is terrified that she will get in trouble for leaping through time before she is of age to do so. But, no one ever finds out she did it which completely removes any sort of real weight or tension to the Time Squad, their apparent control over Leapling society and the supposed all-important oath. She has absolutely violated it yet they have no kind of alert system to catch her so what does it matter? It seems to rely entirely on happenstance and the honor system.
I can get behind a criminal slipping through the cracks as that is the entire conceit of the book and presumably they have found a way around the constructs of their society. But, in this case despite telling me that there are measures in place, there are no constructs actually demonstrated in the text to get around. The universe simply is not developed enough for it.
If this Time Squad is so concerned with anachronisms why do they allow field trips where Leaplings from the past are exposed entirely to technology outside their comprehension? Regardless of whether or not this person physically brings something from the future to the past, by virtue of them being aware it exists they will be changed in a way that warps the timeline. Take the 16 year old from 1924 - to be exposed to the breadth of womens’ rights so far in the future would completely change a persons’ perception of their life or capabilities. The very act of her learning there is more to life can have massive, unexpected effects on society.
What if this girl finds something out and invents something 'too early’? Is that a crime? How do you even argue that she's not allowed to do that if she used her own intelligence and/or resources based on what she learned in the future to do so? For example, if she invested in Walt Disney Corporation because she saw Disney was huge in the future; is that a crime? Would that be some form of insider trading? Answers to questions like these are the most basic of story construction when you have a story where there are supposed to be heavy consequences for breaking a rule.
The resolution to the final conflict is based on the idea that timelines are fluid so, in theory, it can be argued that the impact of the 16 year old is negligible since it is possible that time will ebb and flow around her in such a way that any change she might make will not matter. However, because The Infinite lacks so much by way of logical internal consistency and rules that the world must adhere to, this explanation makes the whole book feel like a waste. What does any of it matter if apparently you can always go back and manipulate the timeline in such a way that things change in your favor? There already was no suspense, but this revelation kills all momentum moving forward for the series as a whole.
Elle and her best friend Big Ben are autistic and both have very little support for their needs which results in often rude, out of place behavior. It is realistic because they do not have caretakers that are actively seeking services that would be helpful nor are they given resources to potentially determine coping skills on their own or navigate the complex social dynamics of most everyday situations. And even with all the support in the world, that does not mean that they will ever reach the neurotypical expectation of base ‘normality’ nor should they have to strive for it. Like many things, being autistic changes a person’s experience in the world and how they react or handle life is naturally going to be different. It doesn’t have to be a bad, weird, or wrong difference, just a difference.
However, that does not mean that autistic people - or anyone - has free license to act any kind of way purely because of that difference. There can be understanding without excusing the behavior and the only way for any person to learn is if they are corrected.
Big Ben wants Elle to be his girlfriend. He asks her at the beginning of every conversation they have if he’s her boyfriend. Elle specifically states at the beginning of the book she does not want him to think he’s her boyfriend and always tells him no when he asks. Later on in the book, Elle befriends another boy MCSquared. Big Ben automatically gets jealous, gives Elle the silent treatment as punishment for hanging out with another guy, and eventually punches MCSquared in the face yelling about how MCSquared must be her boyfriend.
There are zero consequences for his actions. No one bothers to explain why this was not okay. McSquared is a young man, but he’s in a position of authority as part of the Time Squad. He doesn’t even threaten Big Ben with a demerit or anything.
Big Ben stays friends with Elle without giving her an apology. He still wants to be her boyfriend and ends the book still asking if he is her boyfriend. Elle seems to just accept this as part of their friendship even though the book makes it clear it bothers her. The fact that he’s developed an uncomfortable entitlement to her that literally has led him to be physically violent is completely ignored.
I do not care who the person is or what they are dealing with: there is no excuse for acting possessive over another human being, in general, let alone one who has made their intentions abundantly clear. It might take Big Ben longer to understand or the lesson might need to be communicated in a manner that seems foreign to a person who isn’t autistic, but that does not mean that he can’t be taught that it’s not okay how he acts toward Elle or that no one should try.
Elle inquires about GMT’s sexuality like two seconds after their first meeting.
Her exact words are 'Are you a bisexual bissextile?’.
One, they just met, so that is not an appropriate question.
Two, it doesn’t even make sense because GMT was discussing gender identity at the time (Elle could not tell if GMT was a boy or girl), not sexual orientation. I think it’s important not to conflate the two to the intended demographic since they are most likely still learning about the distinctions. It was so obvious the author just thought it was a clever tongue twister and forced it in.
I don’t mind that Big Ben and Elle do these things in and of itself; they’re kids and they’re learning. I do mind that they do not grow from either of these incidents.
It should be made clear in no uncertain terms that Big Ben does not have any kind of control over Elle. Elle could use a call-in about what is acceptable to ask someone when you don’t yet know them well particularly since she asks several different characters if they are autistic out of nowhere after only brief initial interactions which establishes it's a pattern with her. Learning to do better is a normal part of growing up.
The mystery is terrible. There are no leads, no clues, and no puzzles. There are no interesting places to explore because the whole book takes place in the previously mentioned one location. The Time Squad center only seems to consist of a couple non-descript classrooms and a cafeteria.
Nothing of what they learn across the field trip is relevant to leaping or to figuring out what is going on. MCSquared knows everything basically from the get go, but he’s incapable of talking in anything except riddles so he can’t have a straightforward conversation to simply tell the characters what he knows. He has to drag it out until the end, forcing Elle and her friends to piece it together themselves. There is no reason for him to do this other than the author thinking this is an interesting quirk for him to have; there is no narrative obstacle - like say a legal restriction on his leaping or fear of retribution from the villain - to him just being straight up.
If I wasn’t in a class that required me to read at the time I read this then I would have absolutely entered into a reading slump. It was a total slog to get through. I could not recommend it less if I tried.
Most of the book takes place at a facility in the future that Elle goes to as part of a special field trip. The facility is supposed to be the hub for the Time Squad, a group that is in charge of regulating time travel. Only a few leaplings from a selected grouping of school years (example Elle is part of the leaplings from the year 2020 but there is a girl from the year 1924) are allowed to come tour the space and given lessons on various topics.
A lot of the problems stem from how ill-conceived the universe is. I had so many unanswered questions about how this world operates and very little of what was actually included adds up.
Within the first twenty pages there is already a major issue: Elle is stated to go to a school for Leaplings, yet they allow a kid who is not a Leapling to attend the school. And it’s not like he has family that are Leaplings so that, at the very least, he could still be in the know. He is completely unaware and everyone at the school has to actively keep him in the dark. Why would this child be allowed to attend in the first place? Why place this kind of pressure on the student populace? Why risk the potential destruction of your society if he were to spread some secret around? Everyone would think it quite silly if a random kid with no magical affiliation whatsoever attended Camp Half-Blood.
Pete LMS can’t take the special history class because, obviously, he doesn’t know about the powers. Yet, if he’s the only kid at this school who doesn’t know then isn’t it a kind of giveaway that something odd is occurring if he’s the only one in an entire class? Even if I missed it and there are a few others, that doesn’t fix the issue because 1, it’s bad enough if only one kid is attending the school when they don’t have the gift but infinitely worse if there are multiple running around, and 2, are there really enough kids in general at the school that are non-Leaplings that are also in the same grade to fill up the class either way?
.
All of the worldbuilding is similarly poorly constructed.
There is an oath that the Leaplings and their families must take. It is never specified what this oath constitutes or what the consequences are for violating it. It largely seems to center around keeping the Gift a secret from non-Leaplings yet it is mentioned that one of the characters has one non-Leapling parent and one Leapling parent. So under what parameters are you allowed to inform someone? You find out you are a Leapling at twelve years old which is way before anyone would be able to tell a potential romantic partner. Is it purely up to each individual to make a decision? If so, then once again, what are the punishments for breaking the rules?
This extends to the entire concept of the Time Squad. They are a time travel police yet I have no idea what kind of regulatory control they actually have.
How do you practically go about governing anachronisms throughout thousands of years of time? How do you monitor what people are doing or what is being changed? What are the laws exactly? Who got to decide these laws? Did everybody vote on them? How do you get appointed to the Time Squad? Is there some kind of election? Can you be found remiss in your duties? There are only 4 people - how do they even begin to cover all of Leapling society with so few officers?
I was so annoyed, I even bothered to do the math. There currently are approximately 5 million people who were born on February 29th. Just 1% of that 5 million is 50,000 people and that's not including their annuals families who also would require regulation of some kind. It is simply not possible to have such a small squadron running everything.
At the beginning of the book, Elle is terrified that she will get in trouble for leaping through time before she is of age to do so. But, no one ever finds out she did it which completely removes any sort of real weight or tension to the Time Squad, their apparent control over Leapling society and the supposed all-important oath. She has absolutely violated it yet they have no kind of alert system to catch her so what does it matter? It seems to rely entirely on happenstance and the honor system.
I can get behind a criminal slipping through the cracks as that is the entire conceit of the book and presumably they have found a way around the constructs of their society. But, in this case despite telling me that there are measures in place, there are no constructs actually demonstrated in the text to get around. The universe simply is not developed enough for it.
If this Time Squad is so concerned with anachronisms why do they allow field trips where Leaplings from the past are exposed entirely to technology outside their comprehension? Regardless of whether or not this person physically brings something from the future to the past, by virtue of them being aware it exists they will be changed in a way that warps the timeline. Take the 16 year old from 1924 - to be exposed to the breadth of womens’ rights so far in the future would completely change a persons’ perception of their life or capabilities. The very act of her learning there is more to life can have massive, unexpected effects on society.
What if this girl finds something out and invents something 'too early’? Is that a crime? How do you even argue that she's not allowed to do that if she used her own intelligence and/or resources based on what she learned in the future to do so? For example, if she invested in Walt Disney Corporation because she saw Disney was huge in the future; is that a crime? Would that be some form of insider trading? Answers to questions like these are the most basic of story construction when you have a story where there are supposed to be heavy consequences for breaking a rule.
The resolution to the final conflict is based on the idea that timelines are fluid so, in theory, it can be argued that the impact of the 16 year old is negligible since it is possible that time will ebb and flow around her in such a way that any change she might make will not matter. However, because The Infinite lacks so much by way of logical internal consistency and rules that the world must adhere to, this explanation makes the whole book feel like a waste. What does any of it matter if apparently you can always go back and manipulate the timeline in such a way that things change in your favor? There already was no suspense, but this revelation kills all momentum moving forward for the series as a whole.
Elle and her best friend Big Ben are autistic and both have very little support for their needs which results in often rude, out of place behavior. It is realistic because they do not have caretakers that are actively seeking services that would be helpful nor are they given resources to potentially determine coping skills on their own or navigate the complex social dynamics of most everyday situations. And even with all the support in the world, that does not mean that they will ever reach the neurotypical expectation of base ‘normality’ nor should they have to strive for it. Like many things, being autistic changes a person’s experience in the world and how they react or handle life is naturally going to be different. It doesn’t have to be a bad, weird, or wrong difference, just a difference.
However, that does not mean that autistic people - or anyone - has free license to act any kind of way purely because of that difference. There can be understanding without excusing the behavior and the only way for any person to learn is if they are corrected.
Big Ben wants Elle to be his girlfriend. He asks her at the beginning of every conversation they have if he’s her boyfriend. Elle specifically states at the beginning of the book she does not want him to think he’s her boyfriend and always tells him no when he asks. Later on in the book, Elle befriends another boy MCSquared. Big Ben automatically gets jealous, gives Elle the silent treatment as punishment for hanging out with another guy, and eventually punches MCSquared in the face yelling about how MCSquared must be her boyfriend.
There are zero consequences for his actions. No one bothers to explain why this was not okay. McSquared is a young man, but he’s in a position of authority as part of the Time Squad. He doesn’t even threaten Big Ben with a demerit or anything.
Big Ben stays friends with Elle without giving her an apology. He still wants to be her boyfriend and ends the book still asking if he is her boyfriend. Elle seems to just accept this as part of their friendship even though the book makes it clear it bothers her. The fact that he’s developed an uncomfortable entitlement to her that literally has led him to be physically violent is completely ignored.
I do not care who the person is or what they are dealing with: there is no excuse for acting possessive over another human being, in general, let alone one who has made their intentions abundantly clear. It might take Big Ben longer to understand or the lesson might need to be communicated in a manner that seems foreign to a person who isn’t autistic, but that does not mean that he can’t be taught that it’s not okay how he acts toward Elle or that no one should try.
Elle inquires about GMT’s sexuality like two seconds after their first meeting.
Her exact words are 'Are you a bisexual bissextile?’.
One, they just met, so that is not an appropriate question.
Two, it doesn’t even make sense because GMT was discussing gender identity at the time (Elle could not tell if GMT was a boy or girl), not sexual orientation. I think it’s important not to conflate the two to the intended demographic since they are most likely still learning about the distinctions. It was so obvious the author just thought it was a clever tongue twister and forced it in.
I don’t mind that Big Ben and Elle do these things in and of itself; they’re kids and they’re learning. I do mind that they do not grow from either of these incidents.
It should be made clear in no uncertain terms that Big Ben does not have any kind of control over Elle. Elle could use a call-in about what is acceptable to ask someone when you don’t yet know them well particularly since she asks several different characters if they are autistic out of nowhere after only brief initial interactions which establishes it's a pattern with her. Learning to do better is a normal part of growing up.
The mystery is terrible. There are no leads, no clues, and no puzzles. There are no interesting places to explore because the whole book takes place in the previously mentioned one location. The Time Squad center only seems to consist of a couple non-descript classrooms and a cafeteria.
Nothing of what they learn across the field trip is relevant to leaping or to figuring out what is going on. MCSquared knows everything basically from the get go, but he’s incapable of talking in anything except riddles so he can’t have a straightforward conversation to simply tell the characters what he knows. He has to drag it out until the end, forcing Elle and her friends to piece it together themselves. There is no reason for him to do this other than the author thinking this is an interesting quirk for him to have; there is no narrative obstacle - like say a legal restriction on his leaping or fear of retribution from the villain - to him just being straight up.
If I wasn’t in a class that required me to read at the time I read this then I would have absolutely entered into a reading slump. It was a total slog to get through. I could not recommend it less if I tried.
November 26, 2021
I absolutely loved this book, so much that it actually prompted a time travel dream! For me, one of the best things was the characters: they all added something to the story and the relationships between them were good too. It was great to see neurodivergent adults as well as children in this story, because not many middle grade books I have read feature this. The time-travel element was really well thought out and I liked the subtle climate messages. This book is aimed at 8-12 year olds, but I think all ages could enjoy this. 5 stars, I highly recommend!
Read
November 2, 2020Elle Bibi-Imbelé Ifiè is a Leapling with The Gift -- the ability to leap through time. After receiving a warning from the future, Elle and her best friend Big Ben travel to the Time Squad Centre in 2048 to learn more about being a Leapling. Absolutely jam-packed with neurodivergent characters, clever language and interesting storytelling.
January 17, 2020
Am I the first person to review this amazing book?? Lucky me! Add this right now!
I read an advance copy to blurb it (again, lucky me!), and readers are going to love this time-travel middle grade. Elle goes on a field trip to the future, and soon realizes that some of the adults in charge are up to something bad, and at the same time, kids are starting to go missing. The mystery plot gets enhanced by the fluidity of time travel--villains can hide the evidence in a totally different time!
It's a great plot that gets me thinking about time--what and who belong, when and where, and that sense of belonging parallels Elle's desire for friendship. As a neurodiverse girl of color, she's had her fair share of social challenges and people who throw micro-aggressions her way, but she's a runner and knows how to endure and thrive. And she proves to be a great friend as well as a great mystery-solver.
Put this on your radar, friends!
I read an advance copy to blurb it (again, lucky me!), and readers are going to love this time-travel middle grade. Elle goes on a field trip to the future, and soon realizes that some of the adults in charge are up to something bad, and at the same time, kids are starting to go missing. The mystery plot gets enhanced by the fluidity of time travel--villains can hide the evidence in a totally different time!
It's a great plot that gets me thinking about time--what and who belong, when and where, and that sense of belonging parallels Elle's desire for friendship. As a neurodiverse girl of color, she's had her fair share of social challenges and people who throw micro-aggressions her way, but she's a runner and knows how to endure and thrive. And she proves to be a great friend as well as a great mystery-solver.
Put this on your radar, friends!
June 27, 2022
This is why I love randomly borrowing books from the library. Free of expectations, who knows what’ll surprise you!
The Infinite was quick, fun and breezy. We had a Black autistic protagonist with more Black and autistic secondary characters. The world-building was a little confusing at times, but such is the nature of time-related science fiction. I had a blast.
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Elle (mc) is Nigerian & autistic; Ben (sc) is autistic; BIPOC scs.
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The Infinite was quick, fun and breezy. We had a Black autistic protagonist with more Black and autistic secondary characters. The world-building was a little confusing at times, but such is the nature of time-related science fiction. I had a blast.
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Elle (mc) is Nigerian & autistic; Ben (sc) is autistic; BIPOC scs.
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January 7, 2022
Although I loved the characters and appreciated the neurodiverse cast, I found the plot to be lacking and confusing at points, which hindered my overall enjoyment of the book.
June 29, 2025
1/5 ⭐ Don't even give this to your worst enemy.
The Infinite centers around 11-year-old Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè, who was born on February 29th and can leap through time. Once her birthday came along, she and her best "friend," Big Ben, went on a field trip to 2048 to the Time Squad Center. But Elle receives mysterious text messages from the future. Other Leaplings are disappearing. And it's up to Elle and her group to solve this mystery. As a black autistic girl myself, I really wanted to like this book. But the execution of this story was horrible! Let's go over the pros, the cons, and the autistic representation.
Pros: Usually, I try not to have a negative outlook when it comes to books. But there wasn't anything that I liked about it. Elle's autism was inconsistent, and the story wouldn't have been that different if she wasn't autistic. We don't see her having any kind of struggles to make connections with people or to make friends. And the times when she's "blunt" feel random and unnatural.
(There was one scene where Elle asked one of her new friends, Ama, if she's a "bisexual bissextile," Ama said someone might’ve said something like that in 1968. Please note that being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in the 50s and 60s was taboo. The Stonewall riots happened in 1969. Also, Elle kept asking different people in the story if they were autistic, and they always had a contrived answer. I’ll go in more depth later.)
Things do not get any better from here, because most of my problems with this book lie in the cons.
Cons: I only read one chapter, I barely read through chapter two, and I just skimmed through the rest. But I can already tell how much of a dumpster fire this book is. First off, there are so many plot holes in the book, and there are a lot of aspects of the story that don’t make sense! Like being a Leapling who can time travel, for instance, those Leaplings and their family members have to swear the Oath of Secrecy, but the story never delves into what the Oath of Secrecy entails. It also doesn't explain why it has to be kept secret until the second book. It said that if the bad Annuals were to learn about the good Leapling’s ability to time travel, they could get kidnapped and taken advantage of by making them commit crimes that regular officers wouldn’t detect. But considering the good Leaplings have to stop the bad ones, wouldn’t the bad Annuals already know the good Leaplings could time travel? And why would the bad Annuals need help from the good ones to commit crimes when they’re already doing that? Also, from what I’m aware of, when they go through time, they don’t wear any disguises or even try to conceal their identity, so they’re not doing a good job at keeping it a secret.
Speaking of secrets, Elle and Big Ben go to a top-secret boarding school called Intercalary International, but it feels more like an open secret. It’s hidden somewhere in the woods, but it looks like a country mansion! And there doesn’t seem to be security around to prevent locals from getting into the school. I guess they thought the “private” sign should be enough to deter them. If the school is so confidential, how can locals see it in plain sight? They may not know it’s a school, but still. And how do people from India and Brazil know about it? How would you enroll? Would whoever is running the school find out about you somehow? This book makes me ask more questions than answers, and that’s not a good thing. I can go on and on about how some of these aspects of the story don’t make sense, but if I were to list everything, this review would get way too long! The last points I’ll address here are how the characters aren’t very developed and Elle and Big Ben’s weird friendship.
Despite Elle being the main character, we don’t know much about her. (This might be because I skimmed through everything.) We know that her special interest is in the Olympics and athletic activities. We also know that her mom died in a car accident and that her dad moved back to Nigeria and married someone else. But aside from those things, there aren't any unique aspects about her character.
Another problem is that Elle doesn't have interesting dynamics with the other characters. The only one that comes to mind is her newfound friendship with Pete. Pete used to be Elle's bully, but then, once the book ended, he changed and even wanted to hang out with her. How many times have we seen that trope before?
Anyway, the final point I'll mention is one of the things that bugged me the most about this book. Big Ben and Elle have a strange friendship. At the beginning of the book, it's revealed that a lot of people think Elle and Big Ben are dating. I didn't think I'd say something like this, but I understand why. Big Ben asks Elle, "Am I your boyfriend?" A hundred times a day, and he gets jealous when Elle is friendly to other boys or if she says something nice about other boys. Unless Big Ben does have a crush on Elle, I don't see any logical explanation for that. It was a poorly handled couple at that. Wow, the cons got so long. Let's move on to the autistic representation now.
The Representation: As a black autistic girl, this book looked promising. It's hard to find stories with autistic characters, let alone black autistic characters. And this book absolutely blew it! The story includes a lot of autistic characters, like Elle, Big Ben, and Kwesi just to name a few. But the way their autism presents itself goes underdeveloped. For Elle, it seems she has lower support needs. But as I mentioned in the beginning, we don't see how she struggles socially. We don't see her have a harder time with things like sarcasm, or go through the trouble of having fake friends. The only other thing I could think of is Elle constantly asking people she met if they're autistic. And one person replied with yes, and that her nickname had something to do with automobiles. Some people may not be comfortable with telling new people if they're autistic, but the book didn't showcase something like that happening, which is unrealistic. There is one scene at the beginning of the book where Elle talks about how her grandma does her hair before she goes to bed. And she had a more significant reaction to the rug beneath her than how tightly her grandma did her hair.
Considering that Elle is supposed to be hypersensitive to touch, that doesn't make a lot of sense. As for Big Ben and Kwesi, they were side characters, so we don't know too much about their autism. Except that Big Ben's special interest is timing things and that he has anger issues. We also know that Kwesi is nonverbal, and he uses sign language to communicate. That's it. The View from the Very Best House in Town by Meera Trehan has a much better autistic protagonist of color. Particularly, Asha is Indian American. This is huge because we don't see enough Asian autistic characters in literature, let alone female Asian autistic characters.
Anyway, in that book, Asha had much better dynamics with the other characters. We saw how Asha and Sam’s friendship changed over time and her struggles with navigating through middle school. We also saw how Asha and the mean girl, Prestyn, weren’t on good terms. But despite all of that, Asha was still optimistic and resilient and looked at the best in all people. So how did Meera Trehan create a more relatable autistic character of color than Patience Agbabi did? It's pretty simple: Meera consulted a well-known autistic author, Sarah Kapit, for the sensitivity of the portrayal. And she even has an autistic child of her own. As for Patience Agbabi, she consulted another popular autistic author, Lizzie Huxley-Jones, for the sensitivity in the book, too, but it's unknown if she has experience with the autistic community besides that. And the writing makes it pretty clear.
Conclusion: The Infinite was just a poorly told narrative. So many aspects of the story didn't make sense, the characters' dialogue felt unnatural and contrived, the attempted romance with Elle and Big Ben was a disappointment, and the whole book is an unpolished hot mess! If you want an action-packed story about time travel with a diverse group of characters, this book isn't for you. There are so many good sci-fi novels out there, but this one isn't one of them.
Thank you for reading, and God bless!
The Infinite centers around 11-year-old Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè, who was born on February 29th and can leap through time. Once her birthday came along, she and her best "friend," Big Ben, went on a field trip to 2048 to the Time Squad Center. But Elle receives mysterious text messages from the future. Other Leaplings are disappearing. And it's up to Elle and her group to solve this mystery. As a black autistic girl myself, I really wanted to like this book. But the execution of this story was horrible! Let's go over the pros, the cons, and the autistic representation.
Pros: Usually, I try not to have a negative outlook when it comes to books. But there wasn't anything that I liked about it. Elle's autism was inconsistent, and the story wouldn't have been that different if she wasn't autistic. We don't see her having any kind of struggles to make connections with people or to make friends. And the times when she's "blunt" feel random and unnatural.
(There was one scene where Elle asked one of her new friends, Ama, if she's a "bisexual bissextile," Ama said someone might’ve said something like that in 1968. Please note that being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in the 50s and 60s was taboo. The Stonewall riots happened in 1969. Also, Elle kept asking different people in the story if they were autistic, and they always had a contrived answer. I’ll go in more depth later.)
Things do not get any better from here, because most of my problems with this book lie in the cons.
Cons: I only read one chapter, I barely read through chapter two, and I just skimmed through the rest. But I can already tell how much of a dumpster fire this book is. First off, there are so many plot holes in the book, and there are a lot of aspects of the story that don’t make sense! Like being a Leapling who can time travel, for instance, those Leaplings and their family members have to swear the Oath of Secrecy, but the story never delves into what the Oath of Secrecy entails. It also doesn't explain why it has to be kept secret until the second book. It said that if the bad Annuals were to learn about the good Leapling’s ability to time travel, they could get kidnapped and taken advantage of by making them commit crimes that regular officers wouldn’t detect. But considering the good Leaplings have to stop the bad ones, wouldn’t the bad Annuals already know the good Leaplings could time travel? And why would the bad Annuals need help from the good ones to commit crimes when they’re already doing that? Also, from what I’m aware of, when they go through time, they don’t wear any disguises or even try to conceal their identity, so they’re not doing a good job at keeping it a secret.
Speaking of secrets, Elle and Big Ben go to a top-secret boarding school called Intercalary International, but it feels more like an open secret. It’s hidden somewhere in the woods, but it looks like a country mansion! And there doesn’t seem to be security around to prevent locals from getting into the school. I guess they thought the “private” sign should be enough to deter them. If the school is so confidential, how can locals see it in plain sight? They may not know it’s a school, but still. And how do people from India and Brazil know about it? How would you enroll? Would whoever is running the school find out about you somehow? This book makes me ask more questions than answers, and that’s not a good thing. I can go on and on about how some of these aspects of the story don’t make sense, but if I were to list everything, this review would get way too long! The last points I’ll address here are how the characters aren’t very developed and Elle and Big Ben’s weird friendship.
Despite Elle being the main character, we don’t know much about her. (This might be because I skimmed through everything.) We know that her special interest is in the Olympics and athletic activities. We also know that her mom died in a car accident and that her dad moved back to Nigeria and married someone else. But aside from those things, there aren't any unique aspects about her character.
Another problem is that Elle doesn't have interesting dynamics with the other characters. The only one that comes to mind is her newfound friendship with Pete. Pete used to be Elle's bully, but then, once the book ended, he changed and even wanted to hang out with her. How many times have we seen that trope before?
Anyway, the final point I'll mention is one of the things that bugged me the most about this book. Big Ben and Elle have a strange friendship. At the beginning of the book, it's revealed that a lot of people think Elle and Big Ben are dating. I didn't think I'd say something like this, but I understand why. Big Ben asks Elle, "Am I your boyfriend?" A hundred times a day, and he gets jealous when Elle is friendly to other boys or if she says something nice about other boys. Unless Big Ben does have a crush on Elle, I don't see any logical explanation for that. It was a poorly handled couple at that. Wow, the cons got so long. Let's move on to the autistic representation now.
The Representation: As a black autistic girl, this book looked promising. It's hard to find stories with autistic characters, let alone black autistic characters. And this book absolutely blew it! The story includes a lot of autistic characters, like Elle, Big Ben, and Kwesi just to name a few. But the way their autism presents itself goes underdeveloped. For Elle, it seems she has lower support needs. But as I mentioned in the beginning, we don't see how she struggles socially. We don't see her have a harder time with things like sarcasm, or go through the trouble of having fake friends. The only other thing I could think of is Elle constantly asking people she met if they're autistic. And one person replied with yes, and that her nickname had something to do with automobiles. Some people may not be comfortable with telling new people if they're autistic, but the book didn't showcase something like that happening, which is unrealistic. There is one scene at the beginning of the book where Elle talks about how her grandma does her hair before she goes to bed. And she had a more significant reaction to the rug beneath her than how tightly her grandma did her hair.
Considering that Elle is supposed to be hypersensitive to touch, that doesn't make a lot of sense. As for Big Ben and Kwesi, they were side characters, so we don't know too much about their autism. Except that Big Ben's special interest is timing things and that he has anger issues. We also know that Kwesi is nonverbal, and he uses sign language to communicate. That's it. The View from the Very Best House in Town by Meera Trehan has a much better autistic protagonist of color. Particularly, Asha is Indian American. This is huge because we don't see enough Asian autistic characters in literature, let alone female Asian autistic characters.
Anyway, in that book, Asha had much better dynamics with the other characters. We saw how Asha and Sam’s friendship changed over time and her struggles with navigating through middle school. We also saw how Asha and the mean girl, Prestyn, weren’t on good terms. But despite all of that, Asha was still optimistic and resilient and looked at the best in all people. So how did Meera Trehan create a more relatable autistic character of color than Patience Agbabi did? It's pretty simple: Meera consulted a well-known autistic author, Sarah Kapit, for the sensitivity of the portrayal. And she even has an autistic child of her own. As for Patience Agbabi, she consulted another popular autistic author, Lizzie Huxley-Jones, for the sensitivity in the book, too, but it's unknown if she has experience with the autistic community besides that. And the writing makes it pretty clear.
Conclusion: The Infinite was just a poorly told narrative. So many aspects of the story didn't make sense, the characters' dialogue felt unnatural and contrived, the attempted romance with Elle and Big Ben was a disappointment, and the whole book is an unpolished hot mess! If you want an action-packed story about time travel with a diverse group of characters, this book isn't for you. There are so many good sci-fi novels out there, but this one isn't one of them.
Thank you for reading, and God bless!
October 19, 2021
This book tackles so many important topics. Topics like time travel, autism, climate change, and just generally being a good person to those around you all told from the perspective of an intelligent young 12 year old Nigerian girl. 5/5
July 19, 2023
Lovely characters, some of the time travel elements were well done but a lot about this book was also confusing, therefore the 3 stars.
October 26, 2025
I mean, the children I teach rate it, so that counts for something, right?
You just have to forget the flat characterisation (a list of neuroses does not a personality make), poorly-realised worlds (present and future), questionable ethics and plot holes you could drive/fly a lime green Lamborghini through!
You just have to forget the flat characterisation (a list of neuroses does not a personality make), poorly-realised worlds (present and future), questionable ethics and plot holes you could drive/fly a lime green Lamborghini through!
November 6, 2021
Cute story about Elle who needs to change the future from the past/present!
I love the idea of this book - if you’re a ‘leap’ child you can leap in time. Elle is a great, very likeable protagonist so I can’t wait to read the next book.
I love the idea of this book - if you’re a ‘leap’ child you can leap in time. Elle is a great, very likeable protagonist so I can’t wait to read the next book.
June 30, 2020
An environmentally-conscious and diverse sci-fi mystery where not only is the main character autistic but there’s multiple representations of neurodivergence depicted throughout the story? SIGN ME THE HECK UP. This story is a DELIGHT and I can’t wait to see what Elle, Big Ben and the gang get up to next.
August 7, 2020
I really enjoyed this! Being autistic, I always love it when main characters are autistic, as our brains work the same and it's refreshing among the thousands of neurotypical characters. And Elle is a great character. She's a sweet, relatable kid who always wants to do the right thing and has a strong sense of what's right and wrong. She gets thrown in the middle of a time-travelling mystery and she handles it better than I would! I also really liked her friendship with Big Ben, another autistic kid. You don't often see that in fiction, autistic characters being friends. Normally the autistic character is the only one in the entire book, but there were a lot of neurodivergent characters in this, which I very much appreciate. The story managed to surprise me as well, and I do hope there will be a sequel to this!
December 10, 2021
it was a bit funny and very dificult to predict what will happen next! but that was why it was so good!
June 27, 2023
Special thanks to the author(s), publisher, Goodreads and/or NetGalley for the review copy. All views and opinions expressed are honest and my own.
This was a unique story with an interesting concept and delivery, with quite a lot of representation.
Our main character Elle, has The Gift and she gets to use it on her twelfth birthday when she leaps to the Time Square Centre in 2048. There she meets many leapers and a few annuals, as well as gets involved in a mystery regarding missing leapers.
The plot is unique. I liked the idea of children who are born on February 28th, being able to leap or time travel as well as being able to influence the future by making changes in the past. However, I felt the story wasn't clear in the delivery of the plot and sometimes it felt fuzzy. Also, the mystery element is unclear many times and the climax happens very fast, causing an unfulfilling feeling.
The writing in this book wasn't my favorite. There is quite a bit of repetition, consecutive short sentences and facts which weren't critical to the plot. The world building was minimal making it hard to understand some things. I'm not sure if that's a representation of Elle's personality, but I felt like it took away from the plot and overall reading experience. Although I will mention that a lot of the facts were new to me and quite interesting.
The characters in this book are all lovely. I loved how the author doesn't make or change the character's personality immediately. The events of this book happen in a short time span, so while there is growth it isn't substantial. I enjoyed how each character was different and although we focused on a certain set of characters, the side characters had a small presence as well. Also I wish the names weren't so uncommon. I'm really bad with names in real life so the uncommon names used in this book made me confused. They were a unique concept but I didn't understand the significance of them.
Overall, this was a good book but I'm probably not the intended audience for it. The representation was really good and well balanced making it quite unique. The story isn't over yet and there are some unanswered questions, so I hope we receive those answers in the next book of this series.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
This was a unique story with an interesting concept and delivery, with quite a lot of representation.
Our main character Elle, has The Gift and she gets to use it on her twelfth birthday when she leaps to the Time Square Centre in 2048. There she meets many leapers and a few annuals, as well as gets involved in a mystery regarding missing leapers.
The plot is unique. I liked the idea of children who are born on February 28th, being able to leap or time travel as well as being able to influence the future by making changes in the past. However, I felt the story wasn't clear in the delivery of the plot and sometimes it felt fuzzy. Also, the mystery element is unclear many times and the climax happens very fast, causing an unfulfilling feeling.
The writing in this book wasn't my favorite. There is quite a bit of repetition, consecutive short sentences and facts which weren't critical to the plot. The world building was minimal making it hard to understand some things. I'm not sure if that's a representation of Elle's personality, but I felt like it took away from the plot and overall reading experience. Although I will mention that a lot of the facts were new to me and quite interesting.
The characters in this book are all lovely. I loved how the author doesn't make or change the character's personality immediately. The events of this book happen in a short time span, so while there is growth it isn't substantial. I enjoyed how each character was different and although we focused on a certain set of characters, the side characters had a small presence as well. Also I wish the names weren't so uncommon. I'm really bad with names in real life so the uncommon names used in this book made me confused. They were a unique concept but I didn't understand the significance of them.
Overall, this was a good book but I'm probably not the intended audience for it. The representation was really good and well balanced making it quite unique. The story isn't over yet and there are some unanswered questions, so I hope we receive those answers in the next book of this series.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
August 21, 2020
Being born on the 29th February can be a pain for some people, only being able to celebrate your proper birthday every 4 years could be super annoying. But, if you’re like Elle, then not only are you born on a leap year, you’re also born with The Gift; the ability to leap through time, you’re a Leapling. Leaplings get to attend special schools, study the past, present and future, visit different time periods and most of all, The Gift is a secret that Annuals don’t know about.
On Elle’s 3-leap birthday (turning 12), her and her classmates are finally old enough to learn to leap on their own, but in order to do that they travel to the year 2048. However, when Elle receives a Predictive before they're due to leave, their visit to the Time Squad is not without mystery and danger and Elle must summon all her courage and concentration in order to be able to save the future.
This book is formed around such a unique and exciting concept and we’re being taken on this crazy journey through the eyes of Elle, who is also autistic, and as the reader, it’s like we’re getting an insight into Elle’s mind; how she processes information, how she makes decisions, how she tries to understand her feelings as well as those of others. Time travel stories can sometimes be confusing and hard to follow but The Infinite is truly wonderful, we understand how leaping works because Elle makes sure she’s knows as much about it as she can and therefore we end up knowing as much as her.
I found myself getting attached to each of Elle and her friends, all for different reasons. Each of them has qualities that draw you in and each of them is part of the story for a reason. Agbabi has given us real people with real personalities that sometimes clash but most of the time fit perfectly together. To me, it's clever, endearing and reflective of real life. I admire Elle, her determination, her honesty and especially the way she owns her fears and she makes the effort to try to understand, to become better. Let’s be honest, what more could you want from a character than that.
On Elle’s 3-leap birthday (turning 12), her and her classmates are finally old enough to learn to leap on their own, but in order to do that they travel to the year 2048. However, when Elle receives a Predictive before they're due to leave, their visit to the Time Squad is not without mystery and danger and Elle must summon all her courage and concentration in order to be able to save the future.
This book is formed around such a unique and exciting concept and we’re being taken on this crazy journey through the eyes of Elle, who is also autistic, and as the reader, it’s like we’re getting an insight into Elle’s mind; how she processes information, how she makes decisions, how she tries to understand her feelings as well as those of others. Time travel stories can sometimes be confusing and hard to follow but The Infinite is truly wonderful, we understand how leaping works because Elle makes sure she’s knows as much about it as she can and therefore we end up knowing as much as her.
I found myself getting attached to each of Elle and her friends, all for different reasons. Each of them has qualities that draw you in and each of them is part of the story for a reason. Agbabi has given us real people with real personalities that sometimes clash but most of the time fit perfectly together. To me, it's clever, endearing and reflective of real life. I admire Elle, her determination, her honesty and especially the way she owns her fears and she makes the effort to try to understand, to become better. Let’s be honest, what more could you want from a character than that.
April 7, 2023
I think what I really liked about this book is that the main character’s Nigerianness wasn’t forced. I’ve been reading a lot of work from Nigerian authors in the diaspora recently and this was the break I needed.
That said, I had a rough start with this book. The tone threw me off and I had to remind myself I am not the target demographic and push through. I'm glad I did.
Patience Agbabi has created a unique and captivating tale that centres around Elle – a 12-year-old Leapling (someone born on 29th February in a leap year) gifted with the ability to time travel. I laned much more than I thought I needed to know about leap years in this book and now I might host a trivia night just to show off.
We go on a journey through Elle's narration, celebrating neurodiversity. The book presents an array of characters who are both quirky and original. I appreciate that neurodiversity is talked about positively, without shying away from the difficulties. Did it get a bit much? Yes But I don’t think it really took away from the story. Although, I did start to wonder if all Leaplings are neurodivergent.
The plot takes some time to get going but eventually leads up to an exciting mystery which requires Elle's help to solve. However, the story does suffer from some pacing issues and overstuffing - you have friendship, family, climate change, time travel, veganism, morality, ad a bunch of other stuff that could have been great if only one or two were focused on.
The Infinite may be hard for its intended age group to follow due to long build-up periods that may feel repetitive or confusing, however, it offers great opportunities for character study and language exploration. I’m going to give it to my daughter (12yo) to read and see what she thinks.
That said, I had a rough start with this book. The tone threw me off and I had to remind myself I am not the target demographic and push through. I'm glad I did.
Patience Agbabi has created a unique and captivating tale that centres around Elle – a 12-year-old Leapling (someone born on 29th February in a leap year) gifted with the ability to time travel. I laned much more than I thought I needed to know about leap years in this book and now I might host a trivia night just to show off.
We go on a journey through Elle's narration, celebrating neurodiversity. The book presents an array of characters who are both quirky and original. I appreciate that neurodiversity is talked about positively, without shying away from the difficulties. Did it get a bit much? Yes But I don’t think it really took away from the story. Although, I did start to wonder if all Leaplings are neurodivergent.
The plot takes some time to get going but eventually leads up to an exciting mystery which requires Elle's help to solve. However, the story does suffer from some pacing issues and overstuffing - you have friendship, family, climate change, time travel, veganism, morality, ad a bunch of other stuff that could have been great if only one or two were focused on.
The Infinite may be hard for its intended age group to follow due to long build-up periods that may feel repetitive or confusing, however, it offers great opportunities for character study and language exploration. I’m going to give it to my daughter (12yo) to read and see what she thinks.
January 21, 2023
An amazing imaginative original story taking the concept of time travel in a new direction. I’ve always been intrigued by the people born on a Leap day (29th February). Now that has turned into intense curiosity and envy thanks to the skills the author has given these ‘Leaplings’ - an ability the ‘Leap’ in time and space. This gives them opportunity for all sorts of adventures, mishaps and potential to use their skills to the benefit of themselves and others, or to misuse them in equal measure.
Entwining this concept with characters spanning the spectrum of age, neurodiversity , gender, ethnicity and eating habits adds a further layer of interest. How will they behave and react to the situations they are presented with? Can they (or we) predict what will happen next?
I found myself immersed in this new imagined world, where the author skilfully wove environmental and ecological issues into the storyline, to add a further dimension of possibilities - what could the planet and society be like in the future?
I am really impressed at how all these perspectives were handled in such an intelligent way, by speaking through the voices of the characters, and seamlessly weaving them into the plot , which centres around the main protagonist, Elle on her ‘3rd leap ‘ birthday. Mysterious messages and disappearing ‘Leaplings’ form the basis of the ‘whodunnit’ style storyline.
It could have felt clunky and contrived , but I enjoyed the effortless read from cover to cover.
Somehow the twists and turns of this new imagined world all made sense in the end. Maybe we all need lessons in PPF (Past, Present, Future).
Entwining this concept with characters spanning the spectrum of age, neurodiversity , gender, ethnicity and eating habits adds a further layer of interest. How will they behave and react to the situations they are presented with? Can they (or we) predict what will happen next?
I found myself immersed in this new imagined world, where the author skilfully wove environmental and ecological issues into the storyline, to add a further dimension of possibilities - what could the planet and society be like in the future?
I am really impressed at how all these perspectives were handled in such an intelligent way, by speaking through the voices of the characters, and seamlessly weaving them into the plot , which centres around the main protagonist, Elle on her ‘3rd leap ‘ birthday. Mysterious messages and disappearing ‘Leaplings’ form the basis of the ‘whodunnit’ style storyline.
It could have felt clunky and contrived , but I enjoyed the effortless read from cover to cover.
Somehow the twists and turns of this new imagined world all made sense in the end. Maybe we all need lessons in PPF (Past, Present, Future).
November 15, 2020
Some people might think being born on a leap year and only getting to celebrate your true birthday every four years is a pain, but not Elle for she has the Gift.
Leaplings born with the gift are super rare, able to literally leap through time Elle is receiving messages from other leaplings and somebody is in trouble.
An environmentally friendly, sci fi mystery this book is unlike any middle grade I've ever read and it works. It really does. Its fun and adventurous and thats not even the best part.
This book has diversity at its heart and Patience Agababi is setting a fine example of how to write characters that represent all children. Stories where children can read books with people like them inside the pages.
Elle and her best friend Big Ben are autistic, and as a parent of an autistic child I can do nothing but applaud the reprensation of neuro divergent children.
Reading this book is like a breath of fresh air. Its fun, highly amusing and has a fast pace that kept me hooked.
I did find I had to concentrate with this one and there was so much going on I did get a little confused but I think that was my attention span rather than the book itself.
I loved the time travel element and the friendships formed but mostly I love that Elle was cast as the superhero. I can't wait to read this with my little girl and would love to see this being read in schools.
Leaplings born with the gift are super rare, able to literally leap through time Elle is receiving messages from other leaplings and somebody is in trouble.
An environmentally friendly, sci fi mystery this book is unlike any middle grade I've ever read and it works. It really does. Its fun and adventurous and thats not even the best part.
This book has diversity at its heart and Patience Agababi is setting a fine example of how to write characters that represent all children. Stories where children can read books with people like them inside the pages.
Elle and her best friend Big Ben are autistic, and as a parent of an autistic child I can do nothing but applaud the reprensation of neuro divergent children.
Reading this book is like a breath of fresh air. Its fun, highly amusing and has a fast pace that kept me hooked.
I did find I had to concentrate with this one and there was so much going on I did get a little confused but I think that was my attention span rather than the book itself.
I loved the time travel element and the friendships formed but mostly I love that Elle was cast as the superhero. I can't wait to read this with my little girl and would love to see this being read in schools.
July 15, 2021
So it's probably worth nothing this is definitely a kids book so I'm absolutely not the intended audience, I only read this because it was nominated for the Clarke Award and I felt I should give it a chance.
On the positives it's a wonderful success, to the best of my ability to tell, in terms of representation. The main character is a young black autistic girl and the autism seemed to be dealt with with sympathy. Elle goes on an adventure through time and while his she thinks and interacts with everything on the adventure is coloured by her neurodivergence it's never viewed as an obstacle purely to be overcome. The plot is breezy and doesn't drag and the rest of the characters, if not exactly fully 3D though again it's a kids book, are perfectly engaging.
For an adult reader though it is very simplistic and I'm not sure I can quite see why it made the Clarke list. I also had an issue with the ending which leaned in too hard on a if you'll just be nice to people they'll be nice to you theme which when juxtaposed with the bullying presented felt really quite iffy.
On the positives it's a wonderful success, to the best of my ability to tell, in terms of representation. The main character is a young black autistic girl and the autism seemed to be dealt with with sympathy. Elle goes on an adventure through time and while his she thinks and interacts with everything on the adventure is coloured by her neurodivergence it's never viewed as an obstacle purely to be overcome. The plot is breezy and doesn't drag and the rest of the characters, if not exactly fully 3D though again it's a kids book, are perfectly engaging.
For an adult reader though it is very simplistic and I'm not sure I can quite see why it made the Clarke list. I also had an issue with the ending which leaned in too hard on a if you'll just be nice to people they'll be nice to you theme which when juxtaposed with the bullying presented felt really quite iffy.
August 2, 2020
I’m still a bit confused as to whether or not I enjoyed this book or not. I approached the ending feeling confused and unsure but after the final chapter I didn’t not like it.
I really liked the main character, Elle, who has autism. I thought that was conveyed in a really believable and authentic way which would help young children better understand autism. I also thought there were times when topics such as Elle’s home circumstances were introduced in a really sensitive manner.
However, I think there were so many other elements that were brought into the story (GM food, veganism etc.) along with what was already a complicated world that it made it difficult to follow the story at times.
I’m not sure I’d recommend this story to a child in my class but there would be children in Y6+ who I’m sure would love the book.
I really liked the main character, Elle, who has autism. I thought that was conveyed in a really believable and authentic way which would help young children better understand autism. I also thought there were times when topics such as Elle’s home circumstances were introduced in a really sensitive manner.
However, I think there were so many other elements that were brought into the story (GM food, veganism etc.) along with what was already a complicated world that it made it difficult to follow the story at times.
I’m not sure I’d recommend this story to a child in my class but there would be children in Y6+ who I’m sure would love the book.
January 19, 2022
I really wanted to love this - what's not to love about a time travel book featuring a whole heap of neurodivergent characters who have to fight crime? But the plot was confusing and it wasn't as exciting as I thought it could be. Elle was fun, spunky and interesting but lacks the authenticity of being written by someone who fully understands what it's like to be neurodivergent. Whilst I'm not autistic myself I would always prefer reading a book about an autistic main character that's written by another autistic person, rather than the parent of an autistic child. Still, I think this is a good book for young people to read, especially someone who wants to see themselves reflected in a book. I loved how the author brought her own Nigerian heritage into the book - now I want to try pepper soup with fish!
January 28, 2023
Elle is smart, self aware and determined!
I read this book to my class and we all loved it! Could read it again and again!
“Leaplings, children born on the 29th of February, are very rare. Rarer still are Leaplings with The Gift – the ability to leap through time.
Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè has The Gift, but she’s never used it. Until now. On her twelfth birthday, Elle and her best friend Big Ben travel to the Time Squad Centre in 2048. Elle has received a mysterious warning from the future. Other Leaplings are disappearing in time – and not everyone at the centre can be trusted.
Soon Elle’s adventure becomes more than a race through time. It’s a race against time. She must fight to save the world as she knows it – before it ceases to exist . . .”
I read this book to my class and we all loved it! Could read it again and again!
“Leaplings, children born on the 29th of February, are very rare. Rarer still are Leaplings with The Gift – the ability to leap through time.
Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè has The Gift, but she’s never used it. Until now. On her twelfth birthday, Elle and her best friend Big Ben travel to the Time Squad Centre in 2048. Elle has received a mysterious warning from the future. Other Leaplings are disappearing in time – and not everyone at the centre can be trusted.
Soon Elle’s adventure becomes more than a race through time. It’s a race against time. She must fight to save the world as she knows it – before it ceases to exist . . .”
January 24, 2025
Elle, a young autistic girl born on a Leap Day, is part of a school of Leap Day kids ("Leaplings") who have the power to travel through time. On a special school trip to the future, she and her friends discover that some Leapers have gone missing. As they seek to unearth the mystery, darker and darker truths surface.
I found this Leap Day futuristic world compelling and unsettling. Agbabi paints a realistic future that has been impacted by climate change. Seeing the present and future through Elle's eyes is a unique experience in middle grade fiction that adds a richness to the text. I enjoyed this book immensely, but I read it with a group of 9-10 year olds who were deeply bored by it. For them, it was too slow. I am looking forward to picking up the next in the series.
I found this Leap Day futuristic world compelling and unsettling. Agbabi paints a realistic future that has been impacted by climate change. Seeing the present and future through Elle's eyes is a unique experience in middle grade fiction that adds a richness to the text. I enjoyed this book immensely, but I read it with a group of 9-10 year olds who were deeply bored by it. For them, it was too slow. I am looking forward to picking up the next in the series.
May 13, 2023
Goed gevonden uitgangspunt voor een boek met tijdreizen in. Ik was fan van de neurodiverse karakters, waarvan ik het het meest zalig vond dat autisme niet eens vermeld werd in de korte inhoud.
Dit is geen verhaal over autisme, nee hoor, het is een verhaal over reizen door te tijd en een slechterik in de toekomst te slim af proberen zijn, waarbij sommige personages een beetje anders zijn dan andere. Mijn kinderen snappen niet waarom ik dat speciaal vind, wat ik natuurlijk al even heerlijk vind. Op dat vlak ben ik toch blij dat “the good old days” van mijn jeugd, met vooral stereotypes bevestigende jeugdboeken, echt niet meer van deze tijd zijn.
Dit is geen verhaal over autisme, nee hoor, het is een verhaal over reizen door te tijd en een slechterik in de toekomst te slim af proberen zijn, waarbij sommige personages een beetje anders zijn dan andere. Mijn kinderen snappen niet waarom ik dat speciaal vind, wat ik natuurlijk al even heerlijk vind. Op dat vlak ben ik toch blij dat “the good old days” van mijn jeugd, met vooral stereotypes bevestigende jeugdboeken, echt niet meer van deze tijd zijn.
October 22, 2020
The Infinite is a middle-grade novel that follows 12-year-old Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè. Elle is a Leapling (born on the 29th February) who possesses a special gift that enables her to leap through time, past and future. She receives an invitation to travel to the Time Squad Centre in 2048, a place where she can meet other gifted Leaplings and celebrate her talents.
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Initially, everything about the Time Squad Centre seems otherworldly and magical but Leaplings are going missing and not everyone at the centre can be trusted. Elle finds herself fighting crime across time as she tries to get to the bottom of what’s going on.
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The Infinite is a well-written, funny and original novel with a strong environmental theme. The characters are brilliant. Elle is smart, self-aware, determined and courageous, and I love her Nigerian grandmother! She and her best friend Big Ben are an adorable duo and I’d happily go on an adventure with them. I appreciate the neurodiverse representation in this book. Elle has autism, something I didn’t realise until I was several chapters in. The world-building is also wonderful. Agbabi presents a hopeful and fairly realistic version of the future, while subtly encouraging readers to consider how they treat the planet today.
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Aside from environmentalism, bullying and friendship are among the other themes thoughtfully explored in this novel. The plot confused me slightly on some occasions but overall I love the book so I can look past this. Agbabi's fantastically-crafted, time-travelling adventure is fun, exciting and hard to put down. I can't wait to read more books in the author's Leap Cycle series.
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Initially, everything about the Time Squad Centre seems otherworldly and magical but Leaplings are going missing and not everyone at the centre can be trusted. Elle finds herself fighting crime across time as she tries to get to the bottom of what’s going on.
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The Infinite is a well-written, funny and original novel with a strong environmental theme. The characters are brilliant. Elle is smart, self-aware, determined and courageous, and I love her Nigerian grandmother! She and her best friend Big Ben are an adorable duo and I’d happily go on an adventure with them. I appreciate the neurodiverse representation in this book. Elle has autism, something I didn’t realise until I was several chapters in. The world-building is also wonderful. Agbabi presents a hopeful and fairly realistic version of the future, while subtly encouraging readers to consider how they treat the planet today.
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Aside from environmentalism, bullying and friendship are among the other themes thoughtfully explored in this novel. The plot confused me slightly on some occasions but overall I love the book so I can look past this. Agbabi's fantastically-crafted, time-travelling adventure is fun, exciting and hard to put down. I can't wait to read more books in the author's Leap Cycle series.
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