The children of Clifton are dying and Jessie's mother is desperate for medicine to save their lives, but it is 1840 and no such remedy exists. Except that it isn't 1840 at all, it is 1996, and the critical situation forces Jessie's mother to reveal an unbelievable secret.
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It's 1840 and in the small village of Clifton the children are dying from an outbreak of diphtheria, and there is no medicine to save them. Their deaths seem inevitable until Jessie's mother admits that she knows how to cure them. The problem is that it isn't as simple as using a little medicine. Clifton's future hangs in the balance and the only way to cure the children is to tell Jessie the truth: Clifton is an experiment, and it is really the year 1996.
Running Out of Time is a complex and utterly gripping novel which examines the effects of a human experiment that begins to go horribly wrong. Jessie is sent out into the real world to find medicine, leaving her loved ones behind to face a treacherous journey. As she treads softly through the horrors of this brave, new world, she has to come to terms with the fact that her whole life so far has been part of a strange experiment while realising that there are dangerous people out there who will do anything to stop her telling the truth.
This is a clever book, which uses attention-grabbing, fast-paced writing as a way of questioning the world we live in, and will capture the imagination of any curious reader with a passion for cracking story-telling. (Ages 10 and over)--Susan Harrison --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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The light woke Jessie, though it was just a glimmer downstairs. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The light woke Jessie, though it was just a glimmer downstairs. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Laura T
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
I really liked this book. I thought it had some very original ideas in it, and was a great idea for a story. The book starts in a small village in the 1840's. People are dying and the only way to save them is for 13 year old Jessie's mother to tell her the truth behind their village. Jessie has already noticed some strange things, but when the truth is revealed, it is completly unexpected. This book was exciting and easy to read. If you liked this book, I'd also recommend another book by Margaret Haddix, 'Amongst the Hidden.'
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Floss
Format:Paperback
When I first picked up this book, I chose it for the excited sounding title. This excitement does not merely give false hopes about the book's content, but in fact it did not come close to having as much suspense and anticipation as the actual text.
At the time that I first read this, I had never found such an action-packed, dramatic and enticing book written for my age range. It has much movement in the plot and the reader can really empathise with Jesse as we are as confused as she is about the world that she finds herself in, when she has to leave her safe village, to live in the 'real' world.
The plot tells of how her small community needs to be saved from lack of medicine for an illness, and really pulls people into feelings of despair of a completely believable and life-like character searching for truth in confusion.
This is a book to excite and refresh.
At the time that I first read this, I had never found such an action-packed, dramatic and enticing book written for my age range. It has much movement in the plot and the reader can really empathise with Jesse as we are as confused as she is about the world that she finds herself in, when she has to leave her safe village, to live in the 'real' world.
The plot tells of how her small community needs to be saved from lack of medicine for an illness, and really pulls people into feelings of despair of a completely believable and life-like character searching for truth in confusion.
This is a book to excite and refresh.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Turtleback
I really enjoyed M. Night Shyamalan's film, "The Village", and later read that there was a controversy over where the idea for the film had originated. It had been suggested that the premise of the film had been taken from this book. My curiosity having been peaked, I decided to check for myself. I was surprised that the book was one that had been written for the young adult market. Still, I did not let that deter me from buying the book, though it had been decades since I had been a young adult. I was pleased, however, to note that the book had been designated an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, so all was not lost.
The book is an easy and pleasant read with a very compelling storyline. It tells the story of thirteen year old Jessie Keyser, who all her life has believed that she lives in the nineteenth century frontier village of Clifton, Indiana. When diphtheria starts claiming the lives of the village children, her mother tells her that it is not really 1840, as Jessie has been led to believe, but 1996. It appears that the village in which Jessie has grown up is actually a historical preserve, which its inhabitants are forbidden to leave. Jessie, however, is entrusted with a very important mission. She is to leave the preserve and seek help for their village in the outside world, avoiding capture by those who would seek to silence her in order to maintain the status quo and the secret that they are harboring in Clifton.
This is a very imaginative debut novel with a strong storyline that will appeal to those who are fond of historical fiction or time travel tales. It is most definitely a plot driven, rather than character driven, story. While it is simply written so as to appeal to the young adult market and teens, the story is so compelling that adults will also enjoy it, as long as they keep in mind the targeted audience. As for its similarity to the film, "The Village", there can be little doubt as to why someone may suggest comparison between the two.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice and complex conspiracy theory
Thirteen year old Jessie lives in a frontier town, Clifton Indiana in the year 1840. It is a nice comfortable town. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2010 by bernie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Running out of Time
Running out of Time is a very interesting book. It revolves around Jessie, a girl in the 1840s. Children are dying from diphtheria. Read more
Published on 16 April 2005
5.0 out of 5 stars
Runnintg out of time!
I think running out of time is a brilliant book for 9+ year olds.It is full of twists and turns and keeps you gripped right to the end. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very clever read
I read this story to a class of 9 year old boys. They loved it! They couldn't wait for the next instalment. Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2000 by J. Trollope
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
The best book i have read in a long time. I really felt i was in the book. You really can't put the book down at all. I would recomend this book to any reader. Read more
Published on 6 May 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
In store reading group thought this was exciting but scary
BeBeep Book group, a middle level reading group in Severna Park, Md discussed this book at their July meeting. Six really liked it while two did not. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Captivating Story For All Ages
Unlike this author's other books, this book is not violent or unnecessarily drastic. It is, instead, an original story which somehow seems possible, and I was moved throughout. Read more
Published on 27 Nov 1997
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