Readers and the novel’s protagonist alike are drawn into the history of London as Nina participates in mudlarking in the Thames with her Aunt Bee. The forgotten artifacts she discovers enable Nina to travel back in time, in an elegantly constructed mechanism of time travel that is notable amongst timeslip novels.
The focus on Nina’s family bonds and growing confidence in her own abilities is age-appropriate, with her adventure during the Blitz providing a thrilling climax. The language and the writing style used are precise with clever inclusion of words and phrases that add to the strong sense of time and place. A hope-filled, fast-paced read pitched well to the younger reader aged 9-12.