I think time travel books are really starting to grow on me, in that I actively seek them out. Mira’s Diary: Lost In Paris by Marissa Moss first caught my attention at BEA 2012 when I went to the Young Adult And Middle Grade Author Buzz panel. I thought the concept seemed cool because I like reading about history, I like middle grade and I like time travel. When I was offered a chance to be on the blog tour for Mira’s Diary: Lost In Paris, I jumped at it, because I was still curious.
Mira’s mother just kind of went missing one day. She’s pretty angry about it. When a mysterious postcard from Paris comes in the mail, Mira and her family discover that Mom is alive and in France. So, they all head to France because Dad is a photographer who got a grant to photograph the modern wonders of the world. While in France, Mira finds she has the genetic ability to time travel and so goes back in time to Paris during the Dreyfus affair. She gets to meet and hang out with Degas and a coterie of Impressionists. Anyways, Mira finds that she must help her mother, also a time traveler, change the past, but without contacting each other. OH AND BY THE WAY there’s bad guys too, but they are vaguely alluded to. Like, the one bad lady shows up mysteriously every now and then to mess things up.
Honestly, the writing style of Mira’s Diary: Lost In Paris definitely skews younger than the middle grade I typically read. Mira does a lot of describing and inner monologuing. Plus, there’s bits of info-dumping. As a reader, I would have liked more action or more dialogue. I think maybe if I was younger I would have enjoyed Mira’s Diary: Lost In Paris more. However, I just didn’t find it nearly as engaging as say, Breadcrumbs, Troubletwisters, or The Aviary.
What was really cool though, about Mira’s Diary: Lost In Paris were the incorporated art elements. Almost every page had a sketch on it. There were diagrams/charts included, too. Plus, I loved the way the art history was woven in. It was fascinating to learn about Degas, Renoir, Manet, and Monet as people beyond their amazing art. I thought Degas, one of the central characters, was well done because he had both strengths and flaws.
To be perfectly frank, I found Mira’s Diary: Lost In Paris by Marissa Moss to be an okay book. It wasn’t BAD but it didn’t knock my socks off either. I think it’s target audience would be children who are interested in historical fiction and art. I think the incorporation of sketches will appeal to reluctant readers who are artsy. Mira’s Diary: Lost In Paris is a fast read, incorporates real life historical elements and has interesting time travel elements.
Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.
Other reviews of Mira’s Diary: Lost In Paris by Marissa Moss:
The Write Path – “As the reader, you feel as if you were back in the 19th century.”
Escape Through The Pages – “a smart middle grade novel”
Candace’s Book Blog – “I really enjoyed the book a lot and feel like I really learned a lot”
Note:
I was supposed to put up a guest post for the blog tour, but unfortunately it looks like the same guest post went out to four different book bloggers, so rather than post up the same content as another blogger, I thought I would direct you to the guest post and throw some traffic towards Cait’s awesome blog. Y’all, check out THE INTRIGUE OF TIME TRAVEL on Cait ‘The Kams’ blog – Escape Through The Pages.
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Aw, thanks April! The sketches were one of my favourite things about the book, and yea…the bad guys were a little odd. I wasn’t even sure they were actually bad guys,sometimes.
I heard that the art stuff in the book was really good! and I like the design of it. I’m sad it didn’t resonate more with you, but it wasn’t bad, so yay! 😀