SOLVED. Middle grade/YA book about girl with hereditary time travel ability trying to prevent a tragedy in the past with help from a boy her age. [s]

[Lillian]

I got this book from the library maybe two or three years ago. It’s about a girl, her name is something like Mallory or Mabel. I’m a bit hazy on the details but I think she could ‘see’ spots where time was thin, or spots where she could go back in time. The ability was genetic, and her father had it as well. He taught some sort of rhyme/chant about not changing the past, something like ‘There is but one road, the path where I stand, and one way the road leads, onward, onward.’ I think it was set in a small town, maybe in the mountains? They had moved there recently I believe. The girl got to know a local boy who was about her age and somehow he found out about her ability. She starts going back in time and finds out about some sort of bad thing that happened maybe twenty years ago, possibly involving the boy’s dad, and I think she and the boy start trying to figure out how to prevent the tragedy, so something bad doesn’t happen in the present day. At the end the girl and boy can’t prevent the tragedy, but they bring the main antagonist, I think he was a judge or somebody else important in the community, a handkerchief or a pen, and it shows the antagonist he was wrong about something and whatever bad thing was going to happen was prevented. The girl ends up with glasses like bottle bottoms, but the book is talking about how even with those she eventually won’t be able to ‘see’ the time spots. Also at some point the boy and girl meet an estranged relative of the girl who was involved in the past tragedy, and who also can ‘see’ time spots. I think the boy’s name was Charlie. There was a scene where they were in a gazebo and the girl time traveled and the boy had to wait for her. I think the boy and girl were in their tweens/early teens. The time travel premise is similar to the one in Time Sight by Lynne Jonell.

This has been driving me up the wall. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

[Julia]

This sounds really good... wish I knew what it was!
Following!

[Lauren]

Couple questions: Was this set in present day or the past? which leads to; was the book more recently published or older?

[Lillian]

Hi Lauren! It was set recently, maybe in the last 20-30 years or so. I don’t remember people having smart phones or any references to car phones, though that may be due to my own forgetfulness. It was probably published fairly recently, maybe 2000s?

[Iris]

Is there any chance it could be When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead? The girl is named Miranda though I don't remember anything about seeing time spots.

[Lillian]

Unfortunately that’s not it, thanks for the suggestion though!

[Rainbowheart]

Saving Lucas Biggs

[Dina]

Could it be Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier? I dont remember the book very well, so it might not be..

[Lillian]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Saving Lucas Biggs"

That’s it Rainbowheart! Thanks!

[Rainbowheart]

Great, glad to help out!