There's a mention of Oscar Wilde and his life after prison that's as follows "And for him, the halo of sin has made him all the more popular in London fashion. He's invited out every night and dines on his witty stories of prison life."

Didn't he move to France after his imprisonment, and was practically abandoned by most???

Mira's mom goes missing and the family is not sure where she's gone until they receive a postcard from France. So the family heads to Paris, where Mira discovers she can travel back through time. She arrives at the end of 19th century to find that her mother is there as well. The two of them must try to fix a mistake made by the French army that will affect the future. Mira tries to help as much as she can while learning the rules of her time-traveling gift.

This was an interesting idea, but I didn't really like the book. A little bit of travel, history, and mystery, but I didn't like the "lost" feeling I had throughout - I know Mira was lost as well, but I didn't like not knowing enough (and it not really getting resolved). ( )

I recommend this book for people who like time travel mysteries. Very informative about the history of Paris, the Dreyfus case, and (in my opinion) a real page turner.

The Good Stuff

The covers are adorable and I bet many will pick this up based on that alone
Storyline is fast paced and funny at times
Honestly I would love to have her gift. To be able to experience Paris with artists both in the past and present would be a mind blowing
Kids will learn a little about art, history antisemitism in an age appropriate way - in other words not as boring as in history classes (trust me - when I was that age I had crappy art and history teachers - thank goodness when I hit high school I had much better teachers - that's right Mr Shore you rocked!)
Some lovely illustrations checkered throughout
Really appreciated Mira's thoughts and feelings on being Jewish and the atrocities committed against her people all throughout history - done very age appropriate and some lesser known pieces of history (Dreyfus affair) highlighted

The Not So Good Stuff

This is hard to explain but Mira doesn't come across as an authentic voice for her age. Her expressions are more that of an adult (I was a mature child for my age and not even I spoke that way) She doesn't come across as a tween/teen
Jumps around a lot and doesn't make a lot of sense (again I am speaking more of towards who the intended audience is - many will go huh and just give up)
Mira is alright but there really isn't a lot of character development so I never really felt really invested in what happens to her
Instalove - not a big fan of girls falling instantly in love with a person

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"Lose the book," I begged. "You're making us look like dumb tourists."
"We are dumb tourists, and this book is useful."

"Like the word "interesting" which basically means "I don't like it but don't want to hurt anybody's feelings."

"Intolerance will breed more intolerance, which will breed violence."

Who Should/Shouldn't Read

This will be a tough sell as the book is marketed towards a MG girl but the language and Mira's actions don't fit that category
A mature MG with a love of art will enjoy this

3 Dewey's

I received this from Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review - sorry guys I have to be honest about what I felt (Can you tell I have guilt issues - always feel bad when I don't love a story) Again Author please remember I have no talent whatsoever as a storyteller so I am not judging you or your talents ( )

The Dreyfus Affair is one of the most complicated and obscure episode in French history - yet its rippled effects impacted the whole world.
I was not expecting such an outstanding historical content in a Marissa Moss book. GREAT JOB.

With the magical parts, one can say it's in the line of a HP book: a kid the age of the reader discover herself and her world as the book unravels.

As for the educational value of the book. Each and every character has a specific purpose. The reader can either research the historical accuracy, just just read with the flow, like a HP book. Either way, it's very enjoyable. ( )