It starts with a can of paint.
13-year-old Rowan, helping her older sister Ash redecorate her bedroom, shifts a bookcase and finds a silver ring set with a sea-glass stone. The chance-found (or was it?) ring has the power to transport the two sisters back in time, and they find themselves at a party in 1999. Ash dances the night away, but eventually Rowan falls asleep. Rowan, on waking, returns to her present-day life…but Ash does not, and Rowan must go on a high-stakes quest back into the past to rescue her. But perplexingly, time seems to take on the ability to slip and slide and shift. Even in the present day, things are not what they should be. What has Rowan done? And how will she bring Ash back?
I’m not going to give any spoilers, but basically, all my favourite story ingredients are here. There’s mystery, history, magic and intrigue. An old house full of secrets and stories. A rescue mission needing imagination, courage and tenacity. A wise woman (I love the name Verity, of course) who can help but not intervene. All sitting on a firm foundation of family life and love.
This is beautifully written, thought-provoking junior fiction – with a twist.
Thank you, Sue — I hope you enjoyed it (and there was a wee tip of the hat in your direction with the choice of Verity’s name).