Narrator Lorelei King beautifully captures the wide emotional range and unforgettable characters in this utterly fascinating story of time travel, the first in the award-winning Clay Lion series. When Brooke Wallace's beloved younger brother dies of pulmonary fibrosis, she decides to use her one government-approved trip to go back in time to try to reverse his illness and prevent his death. King demonstrates the warm relationships of the Wallace family members and flawlessly expresses Brooke's emotions as she embarks on her mission. Listeners will be deeply moved as she maintains her religious faith and learns from the events that befall her family. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2015]

"If you loved A Wrinkle in Time, then read The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn.  Both of these novels' success centers on the endurance of sibling bonds, and both novels explore time travel as a means of recalibrating a painful and inexplicable loss."

What would you sacrifice for your younger sibling? In Amalie Jahn's tale about destiny and sibling love, older sister Brooke risks everything and everyone she loves to try and save the life of her younger brother. An early lesson in loyalty, protection, and unbreakable faith among siblings.

The Clay Lion raises some fascinating and worth questions about regrets, missed opportunities, second chances, and destiny. Written with charm and emotional wisdom which is hugely rewarding and captivating.

"Jahn's clear writing style and crisp pace treats the heavy emotional load with grace and ease. Brooke emerges as a wounded, but ultimately well-rounded character that you can really cheer for."

This poignant, well-written story puts mortality—and readers’ reactions to it—front and center. 

As Jahn takes Brooke through the same events multiple times, the author explores how small changes can snowball into huge ones and how attitudes can influence, if not overcome, tragedy.

A lovely, tear-jerking tale of time travel, familial love, and sacrifice.

Brooke loses her brother to pulmonary fibrosis and attempts to go back in time to save him. Along the way she encounters obstacles she never dreamed she would, including a love that had eluded her in her original timeline. A gripping read that will simultaneously break your heart and warm it, The Clay Lion will transform readers’ perspectives as the main character plays with fire, teetering dangerously on the borders between mind and matter, fate and free will, and loss and life.

Author Amalie Jahn skillfully creates moments of powerful imagery interspersed with moments where the picture is left to the readers’ personal interpretation. The overall message of the book is that everything happens for a reason, and that no matter what, we just have to keep moving forward. It shows that destiny and fate are two different things, that while we control our fate, destiny can’t be avoided.

The Clay Lion is highly recommended and has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Amalie Jahn composes a creative and compassionate story in The Clay Lion. Brooke Wallace falls into a deep depression after her younger brother, Branson, dies of pulmonary fibrosis. Motivated by her grief and loss, Brooke decides to use her time travel trip voucher to save her brother’s life. By returning to her past, Brooke believes she can prevent the cause of her brother’s fatal disease. She clings to the “miracle of second chances.” However, she must avoid changing too much of the past, every alteration threatens the future. Reliving the past becomes an obsession. How many trips to the past will it take to get over the loss of her brother? How many lives will be altered because of her desperation? Putting her own destiny on hold, Brooke displaces fear with bravery, and attempts to do the unthinkable - change her brother’s life. Brooke Wallace is “one special girl.” 

The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn is painfully heartwarming. This work of fiction portrays the love and commitment of family. The plot is thought provoking, the setting is enduring, the conflict is penetrating, and the characterization is extraordinary. Jahn walks the reader through the pain and grief of losing someone. She resourcefully uses the idea of time travel to change the past. As a reader, I was caught up with the challenge of the protagonist. All of us, at one time or the other, desire to go back and change an outcome, to partake in a “do over” in life. Or to retrace time, by reliving cherished precious moments. The development of the main character was vividly depicted through repeating the same portion of her life. Regardless of all her attempts, Brooke realizes the undeniable truth, “your life is bigger than you are” - you live the life that was made for you. Amalie Jahn pens a dramatic narrative about love and loss, of death and life, and hope and destiny.

Perhaps I could change my fate, but in the end, I realized, my destiny may have already been written.

– Amalie Jahn, The Clay Lion

Open your child’s eyes to the wonders of fiction with this tale of Brooke Wallace, a girl who desperately wants to save her brother’s life. People in this world can time travel, but only after they’ve turned 18. Brooke takes the opportunity to go back in time to try and prevent her brother’s death, and what ensues teaches her valuable life lessons. Your child will bond with these characters and their struggles and squabbles.