What if time itself could break, and only courage, patience, and love could set it right? In Sonya and the Broken Clock City, author Diana Shulinskiy delivers a richly imagined fantasy that transforms an abstract concept into a deeply human, emotionally resonant journey for young readers and adults alike. This beautifully layered story blends adventure, science, philosophy, and heart, offering a tale that entertains while quietly teaching one of life’s most essential lessons: time matters because people do.
At the center of the story is Sonya, a brave, thoughtful
girl whose ordinary life is disrupted when a cracked wall clock begins counting
down her mother’s remaining hours. Refusing to surrender to fear, Sonya takes
the broken clock and boards Bus 16, a mysterious route that delivers her to the
Broken Clock City: a silent place filled
with clocks of every kind, all shattered, all frozen, all forgotten. Here, time
has lost its meaning, and those who arrive often become trapped by comfort,
distraction, or impatience.
As Sonya journeys through this strange city, she encounters
unforgettable characters: a fisherman endlessly repeating a meaningless task,
an old woman who tempts children with comfort and timeless pleasure, lost
children pulled from their own timelines, and a weary watchmaker whose single
moment of lost patience transformed a once-happy city into a broken one. Along
the way, Sonya rescues a young boy named Scottie, confronts illusions of
safety, witnesses the terrifying consequences of ignoring time’s forward
motion, and even travels through the distant past, where dinosaurs still roam.
Guided by intelligence, empathy, and an unshakable sense of
responsibility, Sonya learns that fixing what is broken requires more than
tools; it demands patience, courage, and the willingness to face mistakes
without shortcuts. With the help of her loyal cat Coaly and her own sharp mind,
she uncovers how time truly works, restores the great Sunflower Clock, and
transforms the Broken Clock City back into the joyful, living place it was
meant to be.
Sonya and the Broken Clock City is far more
than a fantasy adventure. It is a thoughtful exploration of time, choice, and
accountability, introducing young readers to ideas such as entropy, the arrow
of time, and cause and effect in a way that feels natural, exciting, and
accessible. At its heart, it is a story about love between a mother and
daughter, the power of patience, and the truth that even when adults fail, a
determined child can change everything.
Enchanting, meaningful, and unforgettable, this book is a
must-read for families, educators, and anyone who believes that stories can
shape how we understand the world, and our place within it.