Book Review of All the Time in the World
The Children’s Book Review
What to Expect: Middle school transition, changing friendships, magical realism, time travel, intergenerational bonds, non-binary representation, empathy, dogs.
All the Time in the World is a heartwarming middle-grade novel about an eleven-year-old girl who uses a magical vintage watch to visit the past and help her understand her changing friendships.
Eleven-year-old Charlotte Hartlace is dreading the start of sixth grade and middle school. Her older sibling, Eli, has officially moved away to start their adult life in Manhattan, her parents are buried in their own work, and—worst of all—her lifelong best friend, Lyric, has suddenly grown distant and cold. Feeling completely isolated during a lonely Rockaway summer, Charlotte finds unexpected comfort in walking Murry, the elderly dog of her neighbor, Maud. But when Maud mysteriously vanishes and leaves behind a non-working rose-gold wristwatch, Charlotte discovers that holding the watch unleashes a quiet magic—transporting her backward through time to pivotal moments in the childhoods of her friend, her neighbors, and her sibling.
Author Michelle Herman’s prose is beautifully nuanced as she balances nostalgia, grief, and hope with remarkable grace. Charlotte’s voice feels authentic to an eleven-year-old on the threshold of middle school—hyper-aware of subtle social shifts yet deeply vulnerable to the scary realities of change. Grounded and emotionally resonant, Herman captures the quiet anxieties of childhood with sensitivity. And the clever integration of time travel functions not as a flashy plot device, but as an empathetic lens through which Charlotte learns to see the “bigger picture” of the people around her.
Complementing the story’s warmth without distracting from Herman’s vivid descriptive language is Kathryn Dorrian’s black-and-white spot art scattered throughout, which grounds the reader in the coastal, retro setting of Rockaway.
All the Time in the World is a heartfelt, deeply moving coming-of-age story that reminds us that understanding others is the greatest form of magic. It is an absolute must-read for those who love introspective stories, magical realism, or are navigating their own big life transitions and changing friendships.
Buy the Book
About the Author
Michelle Herman is the author of many books for adults and an advice book for children, A Kid’s Guide to Life. She also writes a weekly parenting and relationship advice column for Slate. Born and raised in Brooklyn, educated in New York City public schools, Brooklyn College, and the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she lived in Columbus, Ohio, for nearly four decades, teaching creative writing at The Ohio State University, before she returned to New York in 2026. All the Time in the World is her first novel for kids.
*Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.
