The Time-Traveling Fashionista

February 7, 2011
Seventh-grader Louise Lambert—obsessed with vintage clothing, but with only a few vintage outfits to her name—longs for excitement in her life. It arrives in the form of a mysterious invitation to the Traveling Fashionista Vintage Sale. When Louise finds the perfect dress there with the help of some eccentric saleswomen, she discovers that the "traveling" part of the sale is literal: upon trying on the dress, Louise passes out and awakens in the body of Alice Baxter (the dress's former owner), a silent film star and currently a passenger on the Titanic. At first Louise enjoys her luxurious new life, not to mention wardrobe, but when she realizes she is on the ill-fated ship, she is up against the clock to either change the course of history or return home before it's too late. First in a planned series, Turetsky's debut breezily incorporates past and current pop culture references; with a spunky main character and breathless descriptions of glamorous clothing, it's entertaining wish fulfillment for those as fashion-focused as Louise. Suy contributes full-color illustrations, not seen by PW. Ages 12–up.

March 15, 2011
Uncomfortable with her body and braces, seventh-grader Louise Lambert spends her time sketching outfits and daydreaming about the day when she'll be glamorous. In between school and swim practice, she scours vintage shops and secondhand stores and teaches herself about fashion; she looks for both clothes and a connection to the women who wore them. While her classmates want to fit in, Louise wants to stand out, and she might just get her wish. After trying on a dress at a mysterious traveling vintage sale, she finds herself in another girl's (fashionable) shoes...on the Titanic. Typical time-traveling conflicts—sexism, clothing, class issues, altering the course of history—ensue. Though the dialogue is occasionally stiff, the relationships possess some depth. Debut author Turetsky portrays Louise as a girl caught between childhood fantasies—Louise's closet is "the only place left where she still felt the nervous anticipation that extraordinary and magical things could happen"—and the reality of growing up. While it doesn't cover any new territory, the novel's message of living life in the moment and accepting oneself provides some counterweight to the detailed fashion montage—presented throughout the book in delicate, color illustrations. Clothes, boys and adventure make for a quick series opener. (Fantasy. 11-15)

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

April 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-Louise's love of vintage clothing leads her to answer an invitation for a sale at a building she's never seen before in her suburban neighborhood. She's searching for the perfect dress for her seventh-grade dance but instead she's whisked back onto the Titanic after trying on a gown worn on the ship. She becomes its owner, Miss Baxter, a 17-year-old actress traveling with her uncle. She enlists the help of the maid she befriends to warn the crew about their fate, but the two aren't taken seriously. Famous passengers are name-dropped but not fully developed. Fictional ones, such as the maid, fare better. Although the panic after the ship hits the iceberg is vivid, the plot seems to exist to point out details of the vessel and, especially, the clothing of the time. There is no endnote to distinguish fact from fiction. The writing is loose and bloated with unnecessary description and too much telling instead of showing. Marla and Glenda, the owners of the shop, are depicted in unflattering terms and referred to as witches even though the origin of their magic is never clear. Thirty full-color fashion illustrations add a lot to this book's appeal. It's unfortunate that the story isn't better written.-Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2011
Grades 5-8 Imagine if wearing a vintage dress could whisk you away to the time and place it was last worn. That might be fun unless, as seventh-grader Louise Lambert discovers, it was worn by someone on the Titanic! Using vintage fashion as the trigger, Turetsky ably combines historical fiction and time travel with descriptions of clothing prettied up by Suys full-color illustrations of elegant gowns. Although there are no historical notes for readers to follow up on, the promise of more books to come in a series will please fans. The fashioncentric approach makes for an unusual gateway to historical fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2011
After trying on a gown at a "fashionista vintage sale," seventh-grader Louise finds herself aboard a fancy 1900s ocean liner. She's delighted to be mistaken for, and wear the clothes of, a wealthy actress--until she realizes she's on the Titanic. The writing is stiff and the story line predictable, but full-color illustrations and similarly colorful clothing descriptions will appeal to fashion lovers.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)