Beyond Australia - by Lee Forrest (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

So Gramp's time machine actually works! Fourteen-year-old Susan Ferguson is startled when she's catapulted into the wild streets of 1872 Manhattan-where danger and adventure await at every turn.

The errand she volunteered for is scary enough-to bring home a brain that holds the key to her grandfather's survival-but her mission quickly spirals into chaos when she has to navigate a perilous landscape filled with street gangs, narrow escapes, and diseases from a bygone age.

Susan has always been an instinctive liar, but now she's playing in the big leagues. She's mistaken for a boy but goes along with it for safety. To conceal her spooky time travel she tells people she's a visitor from Australia. As an Australian boy she becomes an assistant to the surgeon who removed the brain, but she must escape bullies and dodge a suspicious detective while tumbling into a historic blackmail case. Her only ally is a street-smart newsboy who sometimes helps her with a mixture of bravado, misinformation, and genuine skills. Could they become a team?

Review Quotes

Richly drawn and always entertaining... vividly recreates the 1870s in all of their brilliant weirdness. More playful than the standard breathless, earnest YA fare of today... One cannot help but hope there are more time-hopping adventures... in the future. Kirkus Reviews

A visceral sense of the gritty and turbulent experience that was life in the United States before modern times. With strong pacing and rich historical context, this is an engrossing, informative read. BookTrib

Powerfully wrought, second only to Forrest's skill at creating vivid atmosphere, making this an outstanding YA sci-fi with a relatable and engaging protagonist. Gripping YA time travel adventure with serious heart. BookLife