Tangled in Time: The Portal

A convincing, compelling new time-travel series rife with Tudor drama.

Gr 4-7--An orphaned tween fashion blogger travels back and forth between Elizabethan England and present-day America, searching for a place to call home. Fashionista Rose Ashley moves in with her grandmother after the unexpected death of Rose's single mother. Her forgetful grandmother only connects with Rose when they work together in her greenhouse, and it's there that Rose first tumbles through time and finds herself a 16th century servant of the future Queen Elizabeth I. As Rose tries to figure out how the time travel process works, each world presents similar experiences navigating friendships, bullies, and family connections. Then the possibility arises that she may reunite with the father she's never met. Lasky's descriptive writing illuminates her enthusiasm for the times of the House of Tudor. The time travel premise is exciting, but the sudden shifts between worlds can be confusing. The young protagonist must grapple with numerous issues in addition to her time traveling dilemma: the death of a parent, bullying, online fame, and searching for a biological parent. The result overwhelms rather than captivates, occasionally becoming downright frustrating. VERDICT Readers who enjoy plot twists and turns will embrace this historical fantasy.--Casey O'Leary, Mooresville P.L., IN

After her mother dies in a car crash, middle-schooler Rose is sent from Philadelphia to live with her grandmother in Indianapolis. At her new school, Rose befriends Myles, a boy with cerebral palsy, who becomes her ally against a trio of mean girls as the school year progresses. Then, while exploring her grandmother's greenhouse, Rose finds herself periodically transported back to Hatfield House, home of Princess Elizabeth during her exile from Henry VIII's court. Soon, Rose becomes a regular time-traveler, taking on the role of a trusted advisor to the young royal. Bouncing between the periods, Rose deals with courtly intrigue, middle-school bullies, and a deepening mystery regarding her father. Lasky (The Days of Forever Frost) sets up an engaging premise in this series opener, but the mechanics of Rose's time travel are somewhat fuzzy, and the contemporary setting is more vividly realized than the Tudor past. Still, the parallels between each era's bullies and the playful contrasts between Rose's modern sensibilities and her historical surroundings contribute to an entertaining story with an intriguing family mystery. Numerous open questions will help lead readers to the future planned volumes. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Mar.)

"Kathryn Lasky's latest is a sleight-of-hand that will have you clapping your hands. With the brio and big-heart that characterizes all of Lasky's work, this opening salvo of a new series can be heralded with trumpet fanfares and clouds of rose petals." —Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Egg & Spoon