On her tenth birthday, Rosemary Rita receives ten packages in the mail from her grandmother, each full of old postcards, clothes, and antique trinkets. She is warned not to open the last package until her grandmother arrives, but how can she resist? Among the gifts is a beautiful hourglass. She turns it over while holding an old German postcard, falls into a deep, deep sleep, and wakes up in Berlin, back in 1870, where she’s face-to-face with ten-year-old Rosemary Berger, her great-great-great-grandmother!
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This plodding first installment of The Hourglass Adventures centers on a girl who is the sixth generation of her family to be named Rosemary. On her 10th birthday, Rosemary Rita heads to the post office to pick up 10 numbered boxes from her grandmother, Rosemary Regina ("The clerk's eyes crinkled with pleasure as she pushed package after package across the counter"). Her grandmother's note explains that the boxes contain postcards and other objects that belonged to previous Rosemarys and instructs the birthday girl not to open the last box. The curious child opens it anyway and finds an antique hourglass. Holding a postcard dated 1870, Rosemary Rita turns over the hourglass and is transported to Berlin, where she meets her great-great-great-grandmother the recipient of the postcard as a 10-year-old. The rather anticlimactic "adventure" that the two share involves their decoding of the message on that very postcard, sent by Rosemarie's older brother, who is traveling in France in the midst of the Franco-Prussian War. Frequently flat dialogue and strained plot contrivances weigh down the story. Footnote-like prompts throughout the book direct readers to the publisher's Web site, where they can find activities and additional information about the characters and their era. Rosemary Rita hooks up with her great-great grandmother in Rosemary in Paris: Back to 1889, the series' simultaneously released second volume. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-In Rosemary Meets Rosemarie, Rosemary Rita celebrates her 10th birthday and receives 10 packages from Mimi, her carefree granny who shares a special bond with her granddaughter, and namesake. The packages contain old trinkets, memorabilia, and foreign postcards, all owned by previous Rosemarys. Mimi writes a cautionary letter about the 10th present, but Rosemary rips into it to discover an hourglass. Before she knows what's happening, she finds herself on a bustling Berlin street in 1870, talking to Rosemarie Ruth Berger, her 10-year-old great-great-great-grandmother. The girls quickly become friends, despite the language barrier, and share an adventure. Later, she finds the hourglass and uses it to return home. The story continues the next day in Paris. Rosemary is anxious to embark on another trip, this time to the Paris Exhibition of 1889. Once again she travels through time and meets her great-great-grandmother Rosemary "Gracie" Christianson. Together, they tour the exhibits, meet a famous artist, and help unravel a crime ring before Rosemary returns home. Illustrations in both books offer a historical flavor, and include glossaries of German and French phrases used in the stories. Readers are encouraged to visit the publisher's Web site for fun activities and games. The author's notes provide historical information about the times and settings. These two whimsical stories add to the current trend of interactive stories and will appeal to readers looking for a series with room for imagination.
Alison Grant, West Bloomfield Township Public Library, MI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Alison Grant, West Bloomfield Township Public Library, MI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rosemary Meets Rosemarie,
By Joan Maydet (NJ) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Rosemary Meets Rosemarie: Hourglass Adventures #1 (Paperback)
I read this book in one sitting, literally! I bought it today and just couldn't put it down. I've always wondered what it would be like if I could go back and meet my great grandparents. This new bookseries, The Hourglass Adventures, answers that question. Rosemary comes from a long line of grandparents that share her first name, but most of them have nicknames. In the first book, Rosemary Rita goes back in time to 1870 by means of a magic hourglass. When she looks at a postcard that was sent to her great-great-great grandmother, Rosemary Ruth "Rosemarie", who is referred to as Rosemarie in the book, and tips over the hour glass, she is sent back in time and helps her great-great-great grandmother solve a mystery. Of course Rosemary can't tell Rosemarie that she is her great-great-great grandmother... so Rosemary tells Rosemarie that her name is Rita. This is a wonderful book, and I can't wait to get number 2. This is a book series that you will keep for always and will read over again. It's so imagnative and wonderfully written... a must for anyone who always wondered what it would be like to go back in time and meet your ancestors!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Keep 'em coming!,
By "alohamanr" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Rosemary Meets Rosemarie: Hourglass Adventures #1 (Paperback)
Just finished the first; can't wait to read the others. I have 2 young daughters and can't wait til they are old enough to enjoy these creative, interactive, intelligent books.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rosemary Rita Rules!,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Rosemary Meets Rosemarie: Hourglass Adventures #1 (Paperback)
The Hourglass Adventures #1 is an outstanding book. I liked how it gave so much detail about the scenery and what was happening in the past. I like how it was one of those books that you just can't wait to find out what happens next. I would reccommend this book to all girls who like adventure and exciting books. I really enjoyed reading this book.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
