The Secret Adventures of WriterGirl

Miranda has Shakespeare in her blood: she hopes one day to become a Shakespearean actor like her famous parents. At least, she does until her disastrous performance in her school's staging of The Taming of the Shrew. Humiliated, Miranda skips the opening-night party. All she wants to do is hide.

Fellow cast member, Stephen Langford, has other plans for Miranda. When he steps out of the backstage shadows and asks if she'd like to meet Shakespeare, Miranda thinks he's a total nutcase. But before she can object, Stephen whisks her back to 16th century England—the world Stephen's really from. He wants Miranda to use her acting talents and modern-day charms on the young Will Shakespeare. Without her help, Stephen claims, the world will loose its greatest playwright.

Miranda isn't convinced she's the girl for the job. Why would Shakespeare care about her? And just who is this infuriating time traveler, Stephen Langford? Reluctantly, she agrees to help, knowing that it's her only chance of getting back to the present and her "real" life. What Miranda doesn't bargain for is finding true love . . . with no acting required.

Falling for Henry by Beverley Brenna.

A 15-year old girl, lonely after the sudden death of her father, finds herself transported back to the days of Henry VIII's teenage years where she inhabits the body of Katherine of Aragon and has to deal with the increasingly fervent attentions of the young prince.

 

Inuyasha (series) by Rumiko Takahashi.

From One of Japan's most beloved creators Kagome is a modern Japanese high school girl. Never the type to believe in myths and legends, her world view dramatically changes when she's pulled out of herown time and into another. There, in Japan's ancient past, Kagome discovers more than a few of those dusty old legends are true and that her destiny is linked to one legendary creature in particular—the dog like half-demon called Inuyasha. That same trick of fate also ties them both to the Shikon Jewel, the "Jewel of Four Souls". But demons are everywhere... the smallest shard of the Shikon Jewel can give the user unimaginable power.

Twilight (Mediator series, book 6) by Meg Cabot.

What is a girl to do when she has the choice of having the one she loves by her side or realizing that he is simply the ghost of someone who was killed in the nineteenth century and needs to be let go? Suze Simon, a mediator, has the powers to communicate with the dead and she has fallen in love with Jesse, a handsome ghost. In the final installment of "The Mediator" series, Suze has to make the final decision about what becomes of Jesse. Suze has discovered that Paul Slater, another mediator who has been a foe with questionable intentions, knows history can be altered. Paul tries to prevent the murder of Jesse in the nineteenth century, so Suze would never have met him in the first place. Readers will be captivated by the storyline and will want to know what happens to Jesse. Will Paul be successful in wiping out the existence of Jesse's ghost? Will Suze follow her heart and keep Jesse's ghost by her side? It is a fast read and readers and fans of the series will finally get their answer.--Children's Literature.

Steel by Carrie Vaughn.

In a thoroughly enjoyable take on the historical time-travel tale, Jill Archer, vacationing in the Bahamas with her family and depressed at having just missed qualifying for the Junior World Fencing Championships, uncovers the rusty tip of an old sword in the sand. With it, she's transported back 300 years onto the pirate ship Diana, captained by Margery Cooper. Recognizing the sword, Cooper claims it for her own, knowing it will lead her and her mostly loyal crew to its owner and Cooper's enemy, pirate Edmund Blane. Stuck in the past, Jill signs onto the crew, which operates as a loose democracy. Learning the ropes, setting sail and standing watch, Jill grows fond of her shipmates, but as Cooper closes in on Blane, Jill senses that he represents her only way home. As her attractive shipmate Henry teaches her to fight with a real sword, onboard and on land, Jill acquires a new, deeper understanding of her sport. The same bad move that in competition would only lose her points, in battle very likely could end her life. Through her assertive, appealing protagonist and a satisfying plot that sheds light on lesser-known aspects of pirate life, Vaughn introduces readers to an intriguing sport with an ancient pedigree.--Kirkus Reviews (February 15, 2011).

 Timeless by Alexander Monir.

When her mother dies in a car accident in California, Michele Windsor is sent to New York City to live with her high-society grandparents whom she has never met. Via her Great-Great-Aunt Clara's diary, she is suddenly propelled back in time to 1910, where she not only meets and interacts with her Windsor ancestors but also with the young man whom she has been dreaming of her entire life, Philip Walker. The two fall in love. Trying to live between her two worlds, Michele discovers that only by giving up her "timeless" love for him can she allow Philip to attain happiness and reach his true potential. While much of the explanatory prose and dialogue tend toward trite, there are enough twists and turns to make the story interesting, if rather hokey. Philip's promise to find a way back to her will entice readers to seek out the sequel. While the protagonist is generally well-developed, the secondary characters are fairly stereotypical: e.g., the ever-faithful boyfriend, willing to sacrifice his societal position for love, who finds solace in his music. Youngsters intrigued by time travel will revel in Michele's adventures into the past, enjoying the historically accurate details, while her amorous trysts with Philip, accented by the difference in mores between his time and hers, will appeal to romance fans. An additional purchase for collections trying to attract reluctant, romance-prone readers.--Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, School Library Journal, vol 57, issue 5, pg. 118 (Reviewed May 1, 2011).

Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison.

Although this follows directly from ThePrincess and the Hound (2007), both stories are complete in themselves and can be read independently. This beautifully understated tale is of magic and "unmagic," human and animal, forest and town. A bear and a hound circle each other, warily. He was once a king; she was once a princess. The bear does not know his magic yet; the hound is uneasy with hers. When they see unmagic (think antimatter) sucking the life out of their world, they both return to the past, to King Richon's devastated kingdom, to save it. Richon the bear and Chala the hound move between animal and human existence; the relationships between animal and human, and the magic in being both, are exquisitely delineated, and the love story between the two strong protagonists is all the more powerful for being intensely restrained. There's a fair amount of bloodshed and violence, but that, too, is understated. Not for every reader, but an absorbing tale for the right one. --Kirkus (April 1, 2009).





Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay.

Here is a Shakespeare retelling with a difference: What if Romeo actually murdered Juliet as part of a bargain with evil powers called Mercenaries in order to become immortal? The dying Juliet is recruited by the Ambassadors, opponents of the Mercenaries, as a protector of lovers and soul mates, and, for the next 700 years, she fights Romeo, who seeks to convince others to sacrifice their true loves as he himself did. He and Juliet take up temporary residence in new bodies every time they battle each other. Juliet's latest host is a troubled girl whose self-centered best friend, Gemma, appears to be one of the soul mates Juliet has been sent to protect. However, Juliet finds herself falling in forbidden love with good guy Ben, who seems to be Gemma's soul mate, and she also has to resist Romeo, who claims to have found a way to release both of them from their immortal bondage, if only she can love him again. Will Juliet find a true love after centuries of tragedy and loss? The paranormal romance elements work surprisingly well in combination with the play, although the backstory of the Ambassadors and Mercenaries is not always clear. Jay includes some interesting critiques of popular notions of romantic love associated with the story of Romeo and Juliet, which would make for a lively book discussion with teens who have read the play. Readers who enjoyed Amy Plum's Die for Me (HarperTeen, 2011) and Cynthia Leitich Smith's Eternal (Candlewick, 2009) will also enjoy this one.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ --Kathleen E. Gruver, School Library Journal (November 1, 2011. Vol 57, issue 11, pg. 127).