Review of The Art of the Swap By Kristine Asselin & Jen Malone

The Art of the Swap

By Kristine Asselin & Jen Malone

Published by Aladdin

February 13, 2018

Digital ARC Obtained through NetGalley

Goodreads Summary:

Two girls trade places in time to solve a legendary art heist across two centuries! 

As the daughter of a caretaker for a mansion-turned-museum, twelve-year-old Hannah Jordan has spent nearly all her life steeped in the history of the Gilded Age of Newport, Rhode Island. The Elms, the mansion where her dad works (and they both live), is one of the most esteemed historical properties on famed Bellevue Avenue. Mysterious legends and priceless artifacts clutter every inch of the marble floors and golden walls, but Hannah is most drawn to the reproduction portrait of Maggie Dunlap, the twelve year-old subject of a famous painting stolen in a legendary art heist on the day of its scheduled unveiling in 1905. 

Hannah dreams of how glamorous life must have been for the young oil-heiress, Maggie, at the turn of the century, but she never expects she’ll have a chance to experience it herself… until the day a mysterious mirror allows the two girls to change places in time! 

In 1905, Hannah races to stop the art heist from happening—something she is convinced will allow the girls to trade back to their own eras—while in current times, Maggie gets a hilarious introduction to the modern digital age and a new perspective on women's roles in society while reveling in the best invention of all: sweatpants. So long corsets! 

As the hours tick off to the recorded moment of the legendary art heist, something’s not adding up. Can the girls work together against time—and across it—to set things right... or will their temporary swap become a permanent trade?

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this time traveling story! I liked that the story switched back and forth between this century and the last century. It was very interesting to see how different the two centuries have become and how a 21st century kid might fare in the 20th century and vice versa. Maggie and Hannah are both in for some shocks as they try to navigate the others world without permanently messing anything up for each other. As Hannah tries to solve a century old mystery in the 20th century, she realizes that her actions could change history and therefore change the life she knows back in her own century.

I would recommend this book for grades 4 and up!