Beswitched

October 10, 2011
“Her proper memories were running away from her, and the modern world where she belonged seemed as distant as a dream.” Twelve-year-old British girl Flora Fox is angrily on her way to a fancy boarding school when she falls asleep on the train and wakes up in 1935 at another school, St. Winifred’s. Flora learns that she’s been magically summoned to the past by her three roommates, who were trying to conjure a “helpful demon from the future,” and has taken over the life of a girl from British India. She has to adjust to speaking French at breakfast, bathing just twice a week, wearing bloomers, being bullied, and learning Latin, all while trying to get back home (and prove that “future-girls” are not useless). The journey allows Flora to view her formerly spoiled self in a new light and complete a task that will better the world. Saunders (The Little Secret) offers a coming-of-age tale set against a rich backdrop full of period detail. First published in the U.K., this often surprising glimpse into the past will charm readers. Ages 10–up.

October 15, 2011
A spoiled, contemporary English schoolgirl travels back in time to 1935, where she must adjust to a different life style, make new friends and complete a mysterious task. Twelve-year-old Flora Fox resents leaving her pampered life with her doting parents while their London home is renovated. En route to snazzy Penrice Hall for one term, Flora naps on the train and wakes up at stuffy St. Winifred's boarding school in 1935. Flummoxed to find herself without such 21st-century necessities as cell phones, laptops, jeans, lattes and hot showers, Flora feels like an alien until she becomes attached to her three roomies: impetuous Pete, astute Pogo and gentle Dulcie. Determined to make the best of the rigid boarding school with its eccentric teachers and schoolgirl rivalries, Flora actually becomes a nicer person. The more she appreciates the past, the more she treasures "all the things in the future she had always taken for granted." Discovering her roommates have pulled her into 1935 through a summoning charm, Flora knows she'll remain in the past until she completes her mission. Told in a third-person, past-tense narration with schoolgirl humor and perspective, this time-travel tale convincingly links England of 1935 to the present. A ripping English boarding-school story with a perceptive heroine and time-travel twist guaranteed to appeal to modern schoolgirls. (Fantasy. 10-13)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 1, 2011

Gr 5-7-Spoiled English schoolgirl Flora Fox, 12, is very vocal in her displeasure at being sent temporarily to Penrice Hall, a fancy boarding school, while her parents prepare to have her cantankerous grandmother come to live with them. On the train to Penrice, Flora has a strange dream and wakes up to find herself in 1935 on her way to another school. Upon arriving at St. Winifred's, she realizes that the memories in her head are not completely her own. She also has the memories of another Flora and has assumed her place at the school. She learns that her three new dorm mates performed a summoning spell that brought her to the past and that she won't return to her time until she has completed an unknown task. Saunders successfully conveys the boarding school experience of 1935, particularly the relationships Flora forms with her dorm mates. Perceptive readers may even be able to predict the ending. The narrative occasionally does more telling than showing and would have benefited from more development of Flora's pre-boarding school relationship with her grandmother, but readers willing to overlook this will be satisfied with her growth as a person and the effect she has on one of her dorm mates in particular.-Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2011
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Twelve-year-old Flora Fox is unhappy when her parents send her to boarding school while they head off to Italy to pick up Flora's grandmother, who will return to live with their family in England. On the train, though, Flora finds herself magically transported to 1935, and things become even stranger after she learns that her new roomies at Saint Winifred's have magically summoned her. As she begins to sense that she has someone else's memories, she also has a growing, unsettling feeling that she has arrived at the school for a reason. In the midst of the fantastical happenings, she must also learn to navigate both unfamiliar aspects of daily life, from clothing to customs, and universal struggles with mean girls and homesickness. Ultimately, her experiences bring new insights about herself and the importance of compassion and responsibility. A surprising, poignant ending underscores the novel's theme, that the unique bonds of friendship and family can transcend time and place. Despite some familiar premises and devices, this absorbing novel, first published in Great Britain in 2010, features a dimensional, delightful protagonist, whose personality and growth ring true. The vivid narrative, filled with captivating details, brings to life both the settings and the diverse cast, including Flora's memorable roommates Pogo, Dulcie, and prickly Pete. Along with the entertaining magical elements, the themes of self-discovery and looking beyond appearances combine into a wholly engaging and enjoyable read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)