From School Library Journal
Grades 7-10--This appealing and quick read mixes humor, suspense, fantasy, and romance with a good dash of history. When Sam makes a wish while wearing the antique necklace her mother gave her for her 16th birthday, she soon finds herself in Tudor England, barefoot and in the chambers of Edward VI. The sickly boy king assumes she is an angel sent to help him on his approaching journey to the afterlife. Sam quickly becomes a favorite of his when she deduces that his illness may be the result of allergies and uses come 21st-century knowledge to help him regain his health. Along the way she falls in love with Sir Barnaby Fitzpatrick. The suspicious and jealous Duke of Northumberland convinces Edward that Sam and Barnaby are plotting against him, so the two teens must flee for their lives. When Sam wishes she could be anywhere but there, the magic necklace again does its work, and she is amazed to find herself home again. But is this her home? The notes she was studying are now in Spanish, and her mother and brother can't understand her English. Sam then realizes that by curing Edward, she has changed history and her own future as well. Her observations of 16th-century life, with all its uncomfortable clothing, incurable diseases, and injustices are eye-opening, and her encounters with historical figures such as Jane Grey and the future Queen Elizabeth bring history to life. There are a number of current, popular movies that juxtapose characters from the past and the present, and this novel will fit right in with that trend.
Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
The Magic Charm It was a lovely silver necklace with a strange antique charm -- an early sixteenth birthday present from her parents. But now Samantha clutched the charm, desperate to disappear when her father discovered she'd wrecked his BMW....Suddenly she was standing in the bedchamber of Edward VI, the young king of England in 1553....
He was her own age -- and cute. Why hadn't she studied her history? Sam only knew that Edward had died at about sixteen -- and she was determined to save him. He seemed to expect her. He called her "my sweet angel." She should have recognized the danger when the scheming Duke of Northumberland tried to come between them. But Edward protected her -- especially as the ailing young king grew healthy, and rumors of marriage began. She thought she was safe -- until a handsome young stranger stole her heart and swept her into the middle of deadly sixteenth-century court intrigue....Could she ever go home again?
