Upcoming Release Review: The Art of the Swap

The Art of the Swap
by Kristine Asselin and Jen Malone
Age Range: 8-12
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Publisher: Aladdin
9781481478717

The past and the present shake hands in this fun and all-around thrilling collaboration of art, history, and girl power.

Hannah Jordan lives in The Elms, a mansion preserved by the Newport Antiquities Society as a museum. Well, technically, she lives above it. As the daughter of the mansion’s caretaker, Hannah has always had free reign in the beautiful estate. She also has a fierce love for the history of The Elms, including that of its former occupants.

As the niece of the mansion’s owners, Margaret Dunlap is spending the summer at The Elms with her aunt and uncle, where a commissioned portrait of her is about make its debut. Margaret would much rather slide down the banisters or read The Wonderful Wizardof Oz in her room than sit for the painting, but this is 1905, and such behavior is not proper for a young lady about to turn thirteen. In Hannah’s time, the very same portrait of Margaret is famous for going missing the night of its planned unveiling.

When the two girls spot each other in the corner of a mirror that hangs behind its replicant (a seascape in Margaret’s time) and fall through, they don’t just swap places. They swap bodies. Suddenly, Hannah finds herself at the very place she has grown up, but in the time period in which she always dreamed of seeing it, and at the very moment she has been most fascinated with: the heist of Margaret’s portrait. Margaret (known as Maggie to those closest to her) is still in the summer estate she knows so well, only it doesn’t look quite right. And is she wearing trousers? Made of denim? What is she, a cowboy?

Hannah and Maggie are a joy. Told from alternating perspectives, their voices are wonderfully different, and not only because of the difference in vernacular. Hannah is bold and outgoing, athletic and outspoken, and wants nothing more than to solve the case of the missing painting. Maggie is taught to be quiet and meek, but rebellious adventure stirs within her, a desire for things she didn’t even know she was allowed to wish for. As the two try to navigate in the other’s life and time, they each learn more about themselves and each other. Some of the very best moments are when the two discuss a girl’s place in society.

Speaking of, the feminism is strong here! There are great discussions about how women can fight and vote and run for president, all of which is a thrilling shock to Maggie. But as Hannah tries to explain the still-existing prejudices, she realizes that women may have equal rights on paper, but there is still a lot to be done about mindsets.

The Art of the Swap is a nonstop blast the entire way through. A joyous marriage of history and the present, the world as seen through both girls’ sets of eyes is a marvelously engaging experience. The beauty in this lovely new work lies in its ability to tie together the two times. While the past seems glaringly different from the present, the two are far more alike than they appear. In both places, human beings live, love, and dream of happiness.

The Art of the Swap is available for preorder at your local, independent bookstore, and hits shelves February 13th. Happy reading!