The Art of the Swap

Gr 4–6—Hannah is the daughter of the caretaker at The Elms, a historic mansion turned museum in Newport, RI. She is fascinated with an unsolved mystery involving the heist of a portrait of Margaret Dunlap painted by famed artist Mary Cassatt at the turn of the 20th century. Margaret "Maggie" Dunlap, on the other hand, is a well-mannered girl from a wealthy family living in The Elms in the year 1905. When the two inadvertently swap places via a magic mirror, Hannah is determined to solve the mystery of the stolen painting while Maggie has trouble adjusting to life in the 21st century. But Hannah and Maggie soon realize that solving the mystery will change history—and keep them trapped in the wrong time periods—and have to find another way to save the painting. Written in first person present tense, the chapters alternate between Hannah and Maggie; each of the girls has her own strong, distinct voice. While some of the slang and pop culture references feel forced and clunky, portions of the novel border on didactic, and the magic behind the mirror is never fully explained, the characters are likable and the writing is brisk, making for a quick and entertaining read despite the novel's more than 300-page length.