The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams by Mindy Thompson

A completely mediocre kids book about time travel. I certainly had higher hopes for the story based off the description. The writing was good, the concepts were solid, but the execution just lacked a sense of wonder to keep me engaged with the story.

The method of time travel is quite intriguing. Poppy works in her family bookstore in Sutton, New York. Rhyme and Reason isn't your average bookshop, though. It lives. There is magic happening beyond Poppy's wildest dreams. Out her back door there is a war going on because it is 1944. There is nothing but doom, gloom, and catastrophe. But, out the front door of Rhyme and Reason could be any year or any place. The possibilities and hope are endless.

Her customers span the centuries. To keep order in the universe, there is a rule about not sharing information across time streams. Despite this rule, Poppy soaks up history of every era through the unique characters who shop at Rhyme and Reason. This knowledge sets her apart from other kids. She becomes super reliant on the sanctuary of Rhyme and Reason. It's this crutch that she must overcome when a tragedy strikes the family.

Typical middle grade coming-of-age and overcoming obstacles. I wish the concept of how the people travel through time via Rhyme and Reason could have been more explored than the life lessons that are in every other middle grade novel. There was a sense of wonder that got lost focusing on the Light vs the Dark.