
In Diana Wynne Jones's intricate fantasy, 'The Homeward Bounders,' 12-year-old Jamie stumbles upon a dark secret: powerful, demonic beings are playing a game with entire worlds. As punishment for his discovery, Jamie is cursed to be a 'Homeward Bounder,' an immortal traveler who must endlessly jump between parallel universes, forbidden to interfere with 'Play' and unable to die. His quest is to find his original home, a task complicated by the passage of time in his own world. Along his journey, he befriends other Bounders, including the Flying Dutchman and Prometheus, and eventually rallies them to confront 'Them.' This book explores profound themes of loss, resilience, identity, and the search for belonging, wrapped in a complex, fast-paced adventure suitable for mature middle-grade readers.
Once he becomes a pawn in a game played by a powerful group he calls them, 12-year-old Jamie is repeatedly catapulted through space and time.