Lost in Paris

August 20, 2012
Moss (the Amelia's Notebook series) offers an engrossing, diary-style blend of history, mystery, and time travel. Fourteen-year-old Mira's mother has been missing for six months when the family receives a cryptic postcard from her, postmarked from Paris. Awash in a flood of emotion, Mira, her father, and her older brother head to the City of Light in hopes of a reunion. Amid their search for clues, Mira is transported to 1881 Paris, where she befriends Edgar Degas, his young assistant, Ãmile Zola, and Mary Cassattâand sees her mother. Moss's tale, illustrated by Mira's sketches, toggles between the present and the 19th century, as Mira tries to understand her trip through time and is swept up in machinations surrounding the infamous Dreyfus Affair. Moss's careful attention to the Dreyfus case and the anti-Semitism that spurred it is laudable, as are the descriptions of the art movements (and artists) of the time. The arrival of a second postcard points to a sequel, and a thorough author's note provides information on Paris, Dreyfus, and Impressionist artists. Ages 9âup. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group.

August 15, 2012
Her mother's mysterious absence, a perplexing postcard and a unique family ability sends Mira on a race through time. A trip to France with her father and brother in search of her mother becomes a fateful odyssey for Mira when she is abruptly transported to Paris circa 1881. Mira is shocked to find out she can travel through time, a talent she has inherited from her mother. She also discovers that her mother has travelled into the past on a quest for justice for Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish military officer wrongly accused of a crime, and needs Mira's help. A series of letters from her mother guides Mira as she visits various moments in time between 1881 and 1899. Mira's encounters with anti-Semitism during her investigation further compel her to seek out the truth. While striving to unravel the secrets surrounding Dreyfus' trial, Mira becomes involved in the lives of several impressionist artists and, of course, writer emile Zola. With vividly detailed descriptions, Moss deftly recounts Mira's journey among the backdrop of historical events and people. Moss' thought-provoking tale examines the devastating effects of prejudice and intolerance; in her author's note, she gives more background on the Dreyfus Affair and Zola's "J'Accuse." A surprise ending will leave readers anticipating Mira's next mission as she follows her mother through time and history. (bibliography) (Fantasy. 10-14)

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October 1, 2012

Gr 7-9-This first book in an exciting series by a trusted "diary" author is history plus mystery, along with a little romance tossed in. When Mira gets a mysterious postcard from her missing mother, she's angry. Where has she been? Why did she leave? Her ecstatic father, on the other hand, flies her and her brother to Paris in hopes of finding his wife. At Notre Dame, Mira discovers that she has the power to travel through time, startlingly finding herself in 1880s Paris. Unfortunately, she can't seem to control her power. Fumbling through the past, Mira runs into her mother, also a time traveler, who is on a secret mission and is in trouble. Can Mira help her mom, kiss a boy, and still get home to the right century? With an engaging story, accessible history, and a spunky heroine, Mira's Diary is an absorbing, fast-paced adventure. Fun and evocative thumbnail sketches add enormously to the book's appeal. Recommend this one to fans of R. L. LaFevers's "Theodosia" series (Houghton Harcourt).-Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2012
Grades 4-7 The ballerinas, French poodle, and Eiffel Tower on the pink cover of Moss' new outing seem to promise a different book than what's in hand. Who would guess from appearances that the focus of this series starter about a time-traveling teen would be France's nineteenth-century Dreyfus affair? Yet Mira's assignmenta historical moment she needs to fixis indeed the infamous spy case, which centered around falsified evidence and anti-Semitismnot your usual middle-grade fiction fare. Mira must learn to manage her newfound talent, inherited from her missing mother, and skirt the machinations of other time travelers who don't seem to want justice for the wrongly accused Jewish military man. The famous Parisian tower and a bevy of impressionists, including Degas, end up playing a role in the intrigue, and Mira's sketches of her adventure add a charm recalling Moss' seminal Amelia books. Whether or not the heroine catches up to her mom somewhere in time is left, with other loose ends, for the next installment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)