by Bianca Turestsky
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published April 5th 2011
by Poppy ISBN 0316105422
Source: Publisher
3.5 stars

When Louise Lambert receives a mysterious invitation to a traveling vintage fashion sale in the mail, her normal life in suburban Connecticut is magically transformed into a time traveling adventure. After a brief encounter with two witchy salesladies and donning an evening gown that once belonged to a beautiful silent film star, Louise suddenly finds herself onboard a luxurious cruise ship in 1912. As Alice Baxter, the silent film star, Louise enjoys her access to an extensive closet of gorgeous vintage gowns and begins to get a feel for the challenges and the glamour of life during this decadent era. Until she realizes that she’s not just on any ship– she’s on the Titanic! Will Louise be able to save herself and change the course of history, or are she and her film star alter ego, destined to go down with a sinking ship in the most infamous sea disaster of the 20th century?

The Time- Traveling Fashionista is a fun middle grade read with absolutely stunning illustrations that will take you back to the early days of Vogue magazine. As a girl I was fascinated by the Titanic as well as history and this book would speak right to my young teen heart. Louise transforms from a seventh grader to world famous actress with just the switch of clothes and is magically transported back into time. She finds herself in all kinds of predicaments as she is wearing someone else’s identity and the ship she;s on is about to sink. Can she find a way to alter history and convince the crew of the calamity swiftly approaching? Will she make it out of the disaster herself or be stuck in the past?

I’m delighted by this new series and the only qualm I had with it was the slow pace and my wish for a little more action. The design of the pages and chapter headings is beauitful. It has a clean splash of romance and though based on history is a fun twist to an actual event. This would be a great gift for girls between 10-15. Thanks so much to the Hachette Group for a wonderful read.And be sure to “check out the gorgeously designed Poppy website, http://pickapoppy.com/ in honor of the book’s release! There are all sorts of goodies: excerpts, discussion forums, photos and videos.”