Koehler Books, 2018
Fifteen-year-old Bobby Hastings witnesses an atomic explosion near a top secret New Mexico army base in July of 1945.
Terrified, he soon heads off on his bike for home, only to encounter something that rivals the blast for drama. A girl his age stands naked at the side of the lonely desert road: underweight, unwell, and speaking with a German accent. In the coming days, she unveils an impossible story about time travel and a heartbreaking outcome of the war. She begs people to believe her warning and prevent the awful future she claims to know too well. But even if they do believe her, and the story is true, the biggest question remains: can history be undone?
“Its anti-war message is stark, engaging, realistic, and hard to put down; making Fast Backward a highly recommended read not just for young adults, but for adults seeking an unusually compelling alternative history timeslip saga.” Read the full review here
–D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“David Patneaude has done it again with this explosive anti-war book to end all anti-war books. It is a terrific read from the first word to last.”
—Roland Smith, author of Peak, Zach’s Lie, and Cryptid Hunters
“Patneaude peels back the layers of history to glimpse the future–but is it bright or dark? A superb, enduring book, with lots of timely reverb.”
—Conrad Wesselhoeft, author of acclaimed novels Adios Nirvana and Dirt Bikes, Drones, and Other Ways to Fly
“Riveting! One of the best time travel stories I’ve read in a long time.”
—Dori Hillestad Butler, Edgar Award-winning author of the King and Kayla, Buddy Files, and Haunted Library series
“Fast Backward is not only a page-turning, heart-stopping glimpse into an alternate outcome to WWII, it is a thought-provoking take on choices being made in contemporary times. Cocoa is an unforgettable character, fighting hard against the current of history.”
—Kirby Larson, award-winning children’s author, including Audacity Jones to the Rescue, Audacity Jones Steals the Show (2018 Edgar Award Nominee), Dash (Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award), Duke, Hattie Ever After, and Hattie Big Sky (Newbery Honor)
“…Fast Backward is a high-stakes, tense tale about two gritty young people from different centuries who take on the impossible challenge of saving the world. David Patneaude’s fast moving story involves a striking cast of characters, events, and surprises that keep the pages turning. Don’t start Fast Backward until you have plenty of time. You won’t want to put it down.”
—David Harrison, award-winning author; Poet Laureate, Drury University (Missouri)
“Fast Backward is a high-stakes thrill ride! I’ve long thought that we need more World War 2 stories and alternate history in young adult fiction, and this is both. Fans of The Man in the High Castle or Michael Grant’s Front Lines series will love Fast Backward!”
—Mike Mullin, award-winning author of the Ashfall series
“Imaginative, thought-provoking, and compelling, Fast Backward draws you in to a fascinating what-if: What might have happened if the Nazis got the bomb in time to win the war? And what if a traveler from the future gave us the chance to avert that disaster? Hurtling head-first into this challenge are lively, likeable Bobby and Cocoa, the intriguing girl who materializes out of thin desert air. But why should anyone believe two teenagers?”
—Dori Jones Yang, journalist and author of Daughter of Xanadu and The Forbidden Temptation of Baseball
“David Patneaude’s frightening ‘What if?’ alternative history will have young readers turning pages to find out what happens next and also turning to history books to educate themselves about the horrors of World War II. What an accomplishment!”
—Carl Deuker, award-winning author of Heart of a Champion, Swagger, and Gutless
Click on the image below for PDF Sell Sheet
