ALA Booklist (Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

After her mother's death, Rose is sent to Indianapolis to live in her frail grandmother Rosalinda's stately house. Feeling adrift, she becomes a target of vicious mean girls at her new school. Though her grief and the added stress are hard to bear, Rose makes a few friends, begins to feel closer to her forgetful grandmother, and discovers a secret: Rosalinda's conservatory offers a gateway for time travel to Princess Elizabeth's household, then at Hatfield Palace, while Henry VIII is king. Rose's story climaxes when she finds her father in sixteenth-century England. Between Rose's ventures into the past, time passes swiftly there, and at the story's end, Elizabeth's stepsister, Mary, is queen. Lasky, who wrote Elizabeth: Red Rose of the House of Tudor (1999) for the Royal Diaries series, now sets the scene convincingly in both periods. Rose's disorientation in the present makes her escapes into the past seem more plausible, while her longing for family gives her search for a father more urgency. This enjoyable time-travel chapter book will leave readers hoping for a sequel.

Kirkus Reviews

A "time gypsy," 11-year-old Rose travels between 21st-century Indianapolis and 16th-century England searching for her father.Budding fashionista Rose designs clothing and writes a popular fashion blog. She's never known her father, so following her mother's untimely death, Rose goes to live with her slightly dotty grandmother, who treats her with "general indifference." At school she's immediately targeted by the Mean Queens, a trio of cruel girls known for destructive bullying. Drawn to her grandmother's otherworldly Tudor-style greenhouse, Rose tumbles backward in time to Hatfield, home of Princess Elizabeth, banished daughter of Henry VIII. Hired as Elizabeth's chambermaid, Rose finds herself embroiled in palace politics. When she receives a locket containing a modern photo of her with her mother and an unidentified man, Rose suspects he could be her father. Toggling between contemporary life with her grandmother and 16th-century life searching for her father, Rose fits amazingly (even incredibly) well into past and present, growing especially close with dairymaid Franny. Diary entries, letters, blog posts, and photos add pizzazz. A strong subtext comparing contemporary teen bullying to Tudor mockery of court dwarfs and fools proves relevant, though the term "gypsy" goes unquestioned. The ending offers a revelation about Franny and leaves Rose in the 16th century, ripe for further adventure. A convincing, compelling new time-travel series rife with Tudor drama. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

After her mother dies in a car crash, middle-schooler Rose is sent from Philadelphia to live with her grandmother in Indianapolis. At her new school, Rose befriends Myles, a boy with cerebral palsy, who becomes her ally against a trio of mean girls as the school year progresses. Then, while exploring her grandmother-s greenhouse, Rose finds herself periodically transported back to Hatfield House, home of Princess Elizabeth during her exile from Henry VIII-s court. Soon, Rose becomes a regular time-traveler, taking on the role of a trusted advisor to the young royal. Bouncing between the periods, Rose deals with courtly intrigue, middle-school bullies, and a deepening mystery regarding her father. Lasky (The Days of Forever Frost) sets up an engaging premise in this series opener, but the mechanics of Rose-s time travel are somewhat fuzzy, and the contemporary setting is more vividly realized than the Tudor past. Still, the parallels between each era-s bullies and the playful contrasts between Rose-s modern sensibilities and her historical surroundings contribute to an entertaining story with an intriguing family mystery. Numerous open questions will help lead readers to the future planned volumes. Ages 8-12. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Mar.)