Alex and Ruby are back for another adventure in time. In this instalment, their magical mirror takes them back in time to the 1790s.
The premise of this series is simple. Alex and Ruby visit their aunt at the historical family home, Applecott House. There is an old mirror in the hallway that has magical properties. This mirror has been owned by other people in the house’s history. They often appear in the mirror’s glass and call Alex and Ruby into an adventure. What makes this series feel rich is the loving approach the author takes to creating the historical settings. Readers finish the books feeling as if they know what it is to live in those times.
In An Escape In Time, Alex and Ruby land in Applecott Hall, 1795. A French Aristocrat, her son, and their governess have also used the mirror to travel into this time. By doing so, they have escaped the violence of the French Revolution. They have also been left penniless and without connections. Their lives are at the mercy of the owner of Applecott Hall, a vicar named Frederick Pilgrim. Frederick is due to marry, but his wife-to-be Isabella, and her mother Mrs Broderick are not happy with the idea of long-term house guests – even if those guests are French nobility.
The Countess and her son Camille have nowhere else to go. While Camille has ambitions to be in the army when he grows older, he’ll have nobody to pay his fee – his mother has never worked a day in her life and has no idea where to start. Alex and Ruby reckon that their task in the 1790s is to ensure a safe future for Camille and his mother, but they aren’t sure how to achieve this. The mirror, however, always sends them back to the right time, and solution is closer to hand than they expect.
I’ve loved time-slip stories since childhood when I found a copy of Charlotte Sometimes in my local library. Having a whole series that followed the same characters through different adventures would have delighted my eight-year-old self and I’m certain that there are young readers out there who feel the same way today. The characters are learning more and more about their magical mirror and their history of Applecott Hall as the series progresses. The story of the mirror itself is exciting and mysterious, and it builds across the series.
There’s a hint at the end of the book about which time-period Alex and Ruby will visit next … but I’m not spoiling anything! A wonderful series that engages readers with history.
- An Escape In Time by Sally Nicholls is available now from Nosy Crow. RRP. £6.99. (Provided for review)
