Reviews

"Alcock leavens this fantasy with generous doses of her usual sly wit, raising it a cut above other time-travel tales. . . . This clever story is full of unexpected developments and lively unusual characters. . . . Grand fun."

Gr 5-9‘Since infancy, Mary Frewin has seen ghosts with red ears but no one believes her. Things change when a couple of teachers take an interest in her. One of them is a believer in "alternate worlds" and thinks Mary may actually be seeing people from a parallel universe. He turns out to be right, as halfway through the novel she crosses over to this other world, where she is mistaken for her own great-grandmother who had journeyed there decades before. As she tries to find a way home and learns more about this new place, Mary's story bogs down a bit. The friendships she develops here are not as vividly realized as her relationships with two friends in England. The rather complicated details about the nature of the parallel universe detract from the initially intriguing plot. A much needed author's note is included to explain the relationship between the two worlds. Despite the actions of a menacing and manipulative "ghost," the novel never becomes suspenseful. However, Mary is a fascinating character and most readers will persist through the sluggish moments. She takes risks and places herself in danger because she is determined to convince others that the figures she sees are real. Her feisty personality carries the novel along, and her ultimate success in convincing her friends and parents is satisfying.‘Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR