The door that led to where

276 pages

English language

Published July 12, 2015

ISBN:: 978-1-4714-0110-7
OCLC Number:: 903427734

(1 review)

When the present offers no hope for the future, the answers may lie in the past. AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his GCSEs, and his future is looking far from rosy. So when he is offered a junior position at a London law firm he hopes his life is about to change - but he could never have imagined by how much. Tidying up the archive one day, AJ finds an old key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth - and he becomes determined to find the door that fits the key. And so begins an amazing journey to a very real and tangible past - 1830, to be precise - where the streets of modern Clerkenwell are replaced with cobbles and carts, and the law can be twisted to suit a villain's means. Although life in 1830 is cheap, AJ and his …

When the present offers no hope for the future, the answers may lie in the past. AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his GCSEs, and his future is looking far from rosy. So when he is offered a junior position at a London law firm he hopes his life is about to change - but he could never have imagined by how much. Tidying up the archive one day, AJ finds an old key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth - and he becomes determined to find the door that fits the key. And so begins an amazing journey to a very real and tangible past - 1830, to be precise - where the streets of modern Clerkenwell are replaced with cobbles and carts, and the law can be twisted to suit a villain's means. Although life in 1830 is cheap, AJ and his friends quickly find that their own lives have much more value. They've gone from sad youth statistics to young men with purpose - and at the heart of everything lies a crime that only they can solve. But with enemies all around, can they unravel the mysteries of the past, before it unravels them?

2 editions

patchworkbunny reviewed The door that led to where by Sally Gardner

Review of 'The door that led to where' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Sally Gardner does a wonderful job of portraying both modern day and 19th century London, the similarities and differences. Everyday life in 1830 is tough but for some it holds more promise than now. Sometimes all people need to get on in life is a blank slate. With no preconceptions and prejudices, a young man has more hope even when there is little.

All too often, young adult protagonists come from middle class background, or have at least one loving parent in the wings. It’s important to see characters like Sally's, who do represent a lot of teenagers today. Many are facing futures with little prospects, even minimum wage jobs being hard to get and with families that don’t love them unconditionally. AJ’s adventure might be fantastical but there’s a lot of reality within the pages.

It really emphasises how bad it’s getting for the latest generation of teenagers that …

Sally Gardner does a wonderful job of portraying both modern day and 19th century London, the similarities and differences. Everyday life in 1830 is tough but for some it holds more promise than now. Sometimes all people need to get on in life is a blank slate. With no preconceptions and prejudices, a young man has more hope even when there is little.

All too often, young adult protagonists come from middle class background, or have at least one loving parent in the wings. It’s important to see characters like Sally's, who do represent a lot of teenagers today. Many are facing futures with little prospects, even minimum wage jobs being hard to get and with families that don’t love them unconditionally. AJ’s adventure might be fantastical but there’s a lot of reality within the pages.

It really emphasises how bad it’s getting for the latest generation of teenagers that a life in the past offers greater potential than the present. However the story is also a well-paced murder mystery and a tale of friendship.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Subjects

Murder
Investigation
Juvenile fiction
History
Teenagers
Time travel
Fiction

Places

England
London
London (England)