Publishers Weekly
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The secrets of a middle schooler’s locker connect three generations of Black girls across time in this speculative novel by Smith (Pearl). Struggling to navigate changing friendship dynamics, 13-year-old Candace Wells starts eighth grade with a pit in her stomach. After “a bird of unordinary colouring” flies out of her locker, Candace discovers a notebook belonging to someone named Tracey Auburn, who seems to be sending Candace messages through the pages from the past. Tracking down the volume’s owner, Candace meets adult Tracey, who shares that the same bird flew into her locker in 1988. Candace and Tracey soon encounter elderly quantum physicist Loretta Spencer, who informs the pair that the locker is a knot in time through which only the unusual bird can travel—and that Loretta needs Candace and Tracey’s help to map all the knots in Chicago. Chapters alternate between Candace in the present, Tracey in 1988, and Loretta in 1968; interspersed throughout are brief, sensorial excerpts from an in-universe children’s story about a window in the sky. The trio’s heartwarming bond takes center stage; with help from the older women, who act as her mentors, Candace learns how to navigate friendship woes and a first crush. Ages 10–up. Agent: Kirby Kim, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Sept.)

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A 13-year-old Black girl’s locker find leads her into an unlikely intergenerational friendship that widens her horizons. Candace Wells is beginning eighth grade with a friendship crisis. Her Filipino American best friend, Deen, has been spending more time with Candace’s “next best friend,” Becca, who’s Black and biracial, leaving Candace feeling like the odd one out. When Candace opens her new locker, a bird shoots out. Deen and Becca walk away arm in arm, leaving her to clean up. As she disinfects her locker, Candace discovers a purple composition notebook with handwritten notes. The friendship advice feels especially relevant: “These People Are Not Your Friends.” The next chapter transports readers to 1988, where Black eighth grader Tracey Auburn is arguing with her best friend, olive-skinned Dia Andres, when a bird flies into her school locker. Her purple notebook and pen go missing from her locker—only to reappear with a drawing of the bird and the signature “Candace.” Candace tracks down Tracey, who’s a professor at a local college, and the two eventually locate Loretta Spencer, the Black woman who had the locker back in 1948 and who studied physics. The trio, connected by the mysterious locker, bird, and notebook, examine the strange phenomena. Smith offers nuanced portrayals of the well-rounded characters and their relationships, combined with enjoyable fantasy elements. Each lead character’s storyline offers accessible connection points, keeping readers engaged. A heartwarming adventure that explores courage, self-belief, and dreams.(Fantasy. 10-14) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

A school locker links three generations of Black girls from different eras—thanks to the 40-year time loop tucked inside. Though the Underground Railroad, redlining, and the Black experience do figure into events, Smith is telling less of a historical tale and more of a warm, funny, richly nuanced story centering on the complex dynamics of friendships, both among peers and between generations. In 1908, young Elizabeth sees a bird fly out of a patch of air over a Chicago elementary school under construction. In 2028, after a like bird flies out of her locker, new eighth-grader Candace also discovers an unfamiliar private notebook (full of startlingly relevant observations about types of friends). It leads her first to Tracey, who had the locker in 1988 and is now a college professor, and to 93-year-old Loretta, Elizabeth’s strong-minded granddaughter, who had it in 1948 and has spent her years since mapping out similar “knots” in space-time by tracking the “unordinary” birds associated with them. So, while Candace is also struggling to deal with clueless boys and a suddenly questionable bestie, she and the two older women form a tight friendship and set out on a series of “birdwatching” expeditions. The birds do add a mystical touch, but despite anxious moments, the overall tone is whimsical; the distinctly “unordinary” characters are thoroughly winsome, and readers will be well pleased to find the author leading them through an extraordinary quest to a promise of further adventures to come.

School Library Journal
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Gr 5 Up—Smith delivers a captivating blend of science fiction and coming-of-age storytelling that explores friendship, identity, and wonder across generations. Thirteen-year-old Candace Wells feels unmoored by changing friendships at the start of eighth grade, but her world expands dramatically when a mysterious bird flies out of her new locker. Inside, she finds a purple notebook filled with advice "For Girls Like Me," written by Tracey Auburn in 1988. When new messages begin to appear, Candace tracks down the now-adult Tracey, a college professor, and the pair are soon led to 93-year-old physicist Loretta Spencer, who had the same locker in 1948. Together, they discover that Candace's locker is a portal through space and time that connects their lives. Smith expertly weaves together multiple time lines, showing each woman at age 13, facing pivotal moments of growth and change. The speculative elements are grounded in real physics concepts, such as Fibonacci sequences and particle accelerators, while excerpts from an in-universe children's book add literary resonance. Candace's voice is clear and compelling as she navigates shifting friendships, a first crush, and the overwhelming realization that she's part of something cosmic. The intergenerational mentorship is especially well crafted, avoiding clichés while showing how wisdom and curiosity flow in both directions. The novel's grounding in Chicago history, with connections to the Underground Railroad and Fermilab, adds richness to the narrative. VERDICT A sophisticated blend of science and realism for readers who enjoyed the time-travel mystery of Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me or the intergenerational depth of Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon. A strong addition to those seeking diverse speculative fiction with emotional resonance.—Rose Garrett