Laney vividly remembers the day her father found her on his doorstep, despite the fact that she was only a year old; it was the first she caught a glimpse of the future. Now, twelve years later, her future flashes have become common place and she usually delights in the happy future moments she sees for the people around her.  Until Lyle moves to town.  The future she sees for him is terrifying and she doesn’t know how to stop it, but she knows she has to try.

Future Flash by Kita Helmetag Murdock is a high stakes story of friendship and human relationships.  Despite the story being a little under-developed, Murdock still manages to beautifully illustrate the social dynamics and politics of a small town, from the self-styled “crazy cat lady” to the school bully.  The reader’s attention is quickly captured and held from beginning to end with all characters that are all very relatable and real to life.  

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Sky Pony Press

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: None

Violence/Gore:  Many references to bullying behavior; many references to a fire; a few references to parental death; boy shoves other boy off his bike; boy sustains several physical injuries; a few instances of a boy lighting toys on fire; boy falls; girl recalls hitting her finger with a hammer; boy brags about beating up other boy; boy breaks other boys nose; boy knocks out other boy; extended scene of children caught in a house fire (feline deaths alluded to); minor burns sustained.

Sex/Nudity:  Girl hugs boy.

Mature Subject Matter:

Abandonment, death of a parent, fate, divorce, vandalism, bullying.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

References to adults drinking heavily.