Glitch (Lost in Time, Book 1), by Brenda Pandos

Release Date:  January 2014

Genre: Science Fiction/Time Travel 

Protagonist:  Abby, 18 years old

The Story:  In the not too distant future,  Abigail lives a simple life in Brighton.  She follows all the rules and allows every choice to be influenced by the Date of Death clock she wears on her wrist.  Wrong choice = less time to live.  As part of the transition to adulthood, Abby is excited to meet her Compliment (her future self) and glean all the wisdom she can from the experience.  Disillusioned by the entire situation, Abby soon realizes that the Brighton leadership is hiding some pretty profound secrets, and unauthorized persons with secret information is considered a threat.  Abby discovers she is not the rule-follower she believed herself to be, and she's willing to do whatever it takes to protect those she loves.  Government secrets, romance, and friendship all weight heavily into Abby's tale...and then there are the zombies Abby fears so much. 

Reaction:  Glitch is one of those stories that starts off strong, slows down a bit in the middle, then picks back up as the action starts.  Strengths:  zombie apocalypse novel told from a feminine perspective, interesting plot twists, zombies, and time travel.  Weaknesses:  Dare I say this?  Too many boys!  Other than Kaden, I had a hard time remembering which boy was who.  I also found the jumps to different time streams confusing at first.  It took some re-reading to keep everything/everyone straight.  Lots of new plot elements were introduced right at the end of the novel, too, and I would have liked at least of the major conflicts resolved prior to the conclusion of the novel.  I understand that series are all the rage right now, but typically at least one of the conflicts in the story arc are resolved before the next one is introduced.  I was left with a lot of questions at the end of this book, and I want some answers!  :) 

Rating:  3

Teacher Notes: Nice addition to a classroom library.  Plentiful of the tropes that are so popular in young adult fiction are present in this fun, little book, so students who enjoy science fiction, zombies, and romance will find Glitch quite entertaining.