Lost in the Future by Damian was beautifully illustrated by Àlex Fuentes. I discovered this at Forbidden Planet during a London trip this year. I unintentionally plan book crawls, sometimes with too ambitious goals, whenever I travel. I had about 5 minutes until they closed to pick something, and this is what I chose.
During a field trip, a group of kids wanders off and falls down a hole. It’s giving Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole meets Adventure Time vibes. They discover it’s a portal and emerge into a trippy world that I initially thought was another dimension. They encounter a dangerous creature and are saved by a villager. He informs them they’re still on Earth, just in a surreal future. They have no idea how to get back to their time, but eventually learn they have to stick together. Even the bully of the group, who absolutely doesn’t want to be a joiner.
This was a fun middle-grade sci-fi tale, even though it felt a bit short. This book focuses on the dynamics between this diverse group and introduces the time travel concept. We meet the hopefully-redeemable bully, a kid with disabilities who isn’t afraid of anything, a nerdy girl who tries to puzzle it all together, a scaredy cat who is always hungry, and a curious boy. It ends on a cliffhanger, so I’m certainly hooked for the next installment. The futuristic world was a mysterious and intriguing mix of jungle and medieval times.
I’d recommend this for fans of Lost in Space or The Goonies.
