Oliver Blue and the School for Seers #1: The Magic Factory by Morgan Rice

My name is Oliver, and I'm sick and tired of being bullied by my brother Chris. My parents don't even care, and they let him get away with it. So, it was an easy decision to leave home after meeting my favorite inventor, Armando. I decided to stay in his factory and help with the development of his fantastic inventions; I even finished making an invisible coat! How was I to know the other strange things happening to me were due to my powers as a seer? I now find myself in the School for Seers, and I've made some good friends. I can't say where they're from, but it's more important to say when they're from. Esther, the cute girl in class, is from my neighborhood, but about fifty years before me. However, I've discovered Armando's assistant is planning something dangerous against the school, and no one can stop him. Except me.

This book will appeal to lovers of science and inventions, as Oliver loves to create new things. There is some magic involved, as the seers are able to manipulate things using their specialized powers. Of course, the main character is going to have the rarest and most powerful specialty. Bullying is a big part of the plot, as Oliver faces it almost everywhere he goes. His brother, parents, classmates, and teachers all treat him unfairly. Friendship is another big part of the story, although his relationship with Esther isn't typical for most eleven-year-olds. Ralph is his best friend, but their bond isn't as close as I would expect. They're buddies, but they don't seem much closer than others in the group. The hardest thing to accept is Oliver's mastery of his ability. It's first presented as something difficult to perfect, but he somehow performs powerful spells with almost no training. He's also told he could end up good or evil, so that question continues throughout the book. I appreciate his loyalty and caring toward Armando and his friends, and his positive qualities will most assuredly come out on top. Overall, time travel, magic, and comradery appealed to me, so I recommend you give the book a shot.