Title:? The Time Traveling Fashionista
Author:? Bianca Turetsky
Publisher:? Poppy
Series:? Fashionista #1
Other Reviews for This Author:? None
There's nothing better than a good book about fashion.? Fashion references are right up there with mentioning my favorites bands as a surefire way to get me into the story before actually getting into the story.? Books with startlingly beautiful covers also tend to do that.? The Time Traveling Fashionista was just one of those books that fits me with the writing and the subject.? I knew I couldn't go wrong with it, and I was very relieved to find that it lived up to my expectations in a fun, Middle Grade read.?
Louise Lambert has always had an eye for fashion.? Vintage Chanel dresses that reminded her of the heyday of couture.? The way a great find at a consignment shop or a vintage store could make her wardrobe seem to sparkle with renewed vigor.? If there is one thing Louise knows, it is the importance and life behind wearing vintage fashions.? Louise's family doesn't understand it, though.? Her mother thinks their money should be more than able to buy Louise the latest fashions that she seems so interested in.? What's the point of wearing ratty old clothes when you could have new ones?
It's the way Louise understands the secret life of vintage clothing that causes a special invitation to appear in the mail for her.? This invitation offers Louise the chance to go to a special thrift store sale for used clothing, and it sounds too interesting to pass up.? Especially since there's a dance that she's kind of sort of going to and a boy that she would like to impress at said dance.? A great new dress could be just what Louise needs.? The thrift store trip, made with her good friend, is decidedly lacking in a crowd.? Louise does meet the two eccentric owners named Glenda and Marla, who seem fairly convinced that there is something special about Louise.? They even allow her to try a gorgeous gown from an early film actress's wardrobe; a flowing pink one that looks stunning on her body.?
Then things go dark.? Louise is no longer in the thrift shop, but on a boat in the early 1900's.? A boat that is being acclaimed as the best luxury liner of its time.? She's no longer in her thirteen year old body, either, but in a seventeen year old one!? Not only that, but she is being called by a completely different name.? The name of a girl who was a famous film actress of her time.? Surrounded by the luxury and confused by the time travel, Louise struggles to find out who she is and who she has become in her new situation.? What soon comes out is that the ship that Louise is traveling on is the world-famous Titanic.? Which sank on its maiden voyage.? Louise is suddenly playing with even higher stakes now.? Can she get home before getting lost under the icy waves of the sea after a shipwreck??
Past the middle school years I am, but that doesn't mean I can't relate to a finely conceived middle grade character.? I didn't find Louise to be a complex character, but she's one that doesn't strike me as being cliche, either.? She has real problems but doesn't focus on them to the point where you think, 'Gosh, this girl is way too concerned with _____' Younger kids tend to dwell on certain things they see as important, but there are many that don't.? It was nice to see Louise have problems and plot arcs going on at home, but ultimately being able to set them aside to enjoy the adventure she was having during her time travel stint.? A lot of middle grade books I've read have similar heroines (think patterned similarly to the strong, independent YA heroines we're starting to see more of) in MG (Middle Grade) fiction.? They tend to be girls who are fashionable, spunky, and are able to change the world around them by being positive and learning important life lessons.? Louise is a heroine that falls more on the mature middle-grader side, as she does get caught up in the action around her and doesn't (thankfully) have an obvious moral that Turetsky is trying to shove down the reader's throats.? The thing that also endeared me to Louise was just how she was a genuine person.? She can be a little bit insulting, a little bit forgetful (although anyone would realistically forget they're in a new time period for the first few days), but at the end of the day does good things and has interests (in this case fashion) that will allow readers to have a firm hold on who she is and who she can become in subsequent books.
The secondary characters were unfortunately not developed to a full extent.? Louise's relationship with her mother was interesting, but I only saw a little bit of it throughout the novel.? I also felt like the position of Glenda and Marla in the novel was a little underdeveloped.? I would have liked a clearer idea on why they have these fashionistas going around for them and who they really are as people.? Turetsky does a great job of writing the figures on the Titanic, though.? We glimpsed a lady's maid that liked a worker boy on the ship and befriended Louise, top fashion and business icons that were riding on the ship, and some other small characters that manage to charm their way into your hearts.? The illustrations that go along with their fashions really help to accentuate their good parts.? I liked the idea of full-color fashion illustrations to begin with, but the illustrator and Turetsky strike a really nice balance in using the images to showcase the styles, the settings, and the characters without making it seem like it's being overdone.? The fashions themselves become a bit of a special character with the general theme of clothing holding a key to someone's past.?
Turetsky's writing was good.? Books of this age level tend to be written woodenly, but Turetsky's writing didn't feel that way in the slightest.? She tells the story in a way that focuses on the plot and has a more subtle message/theme to it than most middle grade novels tend to do.? The time travel and the non-Titanic plot arcs are left open ended, but the overall story arc was tied up without any loose ends.? It has good series potential without feeling like it's using that as an excuse to make the ending less than satisfying.? Turetsky's obvious talent is in describing and naming the fashions that her character loves so dearly.? There's a little burst of excitement you feel along with Louise when she sees a new outfit that is beautiful or glamorous.? The connection to a character's emotions really helped Turetsky keep me reading.? I would have liked more explanation of the time travel and the fashionista bits, which I thought were cute and fluffy but underdeveloped.? Those aspects have room in future novels that I hope Turetsky will use to refine, explain, and manipulate the world building to her advantage.?
There wasn't a lot to dislike about The Time Traveling Fashionista.? While I think the book veered into some too-fluffy elements with regards to some of the secondary characters and the way the world-building of the time travel/fashionista concepts occurred, I found the book itself to be all kinds of enjoyable.? Louise is a protagonist that you will enjoy following around, Turetsky describes her fashions and the Titanic with class and style, and the whole idea just wins for me.? I'd hand this off to any girl in middle school - or even high school - that loves a good tale of high fashion and some classic history.? Now only a year until the second book....I don't think I can wait.
Cover:? LOVE.? Capital L LOVE.? The gorgeous artwork is one of the highlights of Fashionista (and why the hardcover price is more than worth it.)?
Rating:? 4.0? Stars
Copy:? Received from Little, Brown for review? (Thank you Faye, Sara, and Little, Brown!!!)
Source: http://dreaminginbooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-time-traveling-fashionista-by.html
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