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Tumbleglass
A wonderful time-slip novel full of secrets, family relationships and quiet magic, from the award-winning author of the bestselling and much-loved novels Crow Country, Cicada Summer and The January Stars.
'Captivating and mysterious. I was completely caught up in Rowan's daring hunt through time to rescue her sister.' - Bren MacDibble
Thirteen-year-old Rowan is helping her older sister Ash paint her bedroom when she discovers a mysterious ring that transports them both back in time to 1999. To a party being held in the very same house!
While Ash dances, Rowan unwittingly disrupts the laws of time, and when she wakes up back in the present day, her sister is missing, and - even worse - everyone in their family seems to be forgetting she ever existed.
With the help of her magical neighbour Verity, Rowan must find the courage to travel back through the history of the house. But can she find everything she needs to rescue Ash before her sister disappears forever?
A warm and beautifully told time-slip novel, brimming with secrets, gentle magic and the strong bonds of family, from one of Australia best-loved children's book authors.
'Thought provoking and highly engaging - a time-slip with an intriguing mystery and unexpected twist. Highly recommended.' - Wendy Orr
'A book to devour inone sitting. The mysteryand magic held me captiveuntil the very last page.' -Zana Fraillon
'Captivating and mysterious. I was completely caught up in Rowan's daring hunt through time to rescue her sister.' - Bren MacDibble
Thirteen-year-old Rowan is helping her older sister Ash paint her bedroom when she discovers a mysterious ring that transports them both back in time to 1999. To a party being held in the very same house!
While Ash dances, Rowan unwittingly disrupts the laws of time, and when she wakes up back in the present day, her sister is missing, and - even worse - everyone in their family seems to be forgetting she ever existed.
With the help of her magical neighbour Verity, Rowan must find the courage to travel back through the history of the house. But can she find everything she needs to rescue Ash before her sister disappears forever?
A warm and beautifully told time-slip novel, brimming with secrets, gentle magic and the strong bonds of family, from one of Australia best-loved children's book authors.
'Thought provoking and highly engaging - a time-slip with an intriguing mystery and unexpected twist. Highly recommended.' - Wendy Orr
'A book to devour inone sitting. The mysteryand magic held me captiveuntil the very last page.' -Zana Fraillon
Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2023
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Kate Constable
24 books282 followersKate Constable was born in Sangringham, Melbourne (Victoria, Australia). When she was six-years-old, her family moved to Papua New Guinea where her father worked as a pilot.
Constable got her Arts/Law degree at Melborne University, then got a job at Warner Music. She started writing during these years.
She wrote several short-stories before becoming an author and after her first attempt at writing a novel she fell in love with the man that is now her husband. They have a daughter.
Constable's first official novel was The Singer of All Songs, in a trilogy called The Chanters of Tremaris. It was published in 2002, a few weeks after Constable's daughter was born.
Constable got her Arts/Law degree at Melborne University, then got a job at Warner Music. She started writing during these years.
She wrote several short-stories before becoming an author and after her first attempt at writing a novel she fell in love with the man that is now her husband. They have a daughter.
Constable's first official novel was The Singer of All Songs, in a trilogy called The Chanters of Tremaris. It was published in 2002, a few weeks after Constable's daughter was born.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 8, 2023
Rowan and her sister are painting her sister's room when they slip through time to 1999. When Rowan returns to the present day but her older sister doesn't she is recruited by her maybe-magical neighbour to travel back in time and collect artefacts that will help Rowan bring her sister home.
This is a really fun time-slip middle grade story written by an Australian author and set in Melbourne. Rowan travels back in time to 1999, 1976, 1900 and 1943 and meets people and experiences the things taking place around her family home throughout history, including the impact of WWII and the Land Rights Movement. She learns more about her mother's family and the lives of her neighbours. It's a book that has a strong theme of family and the bonds of sisterhood and was a great time to read.
This is a really fun time-slip middle grade story written by an Australian author and set in Melbourne. Rowan travels back in time to 1999, 1976, 1900 and 1943 and meets people and experiences the things taking place around her family home throughout history, including the impact of WWII and the Land Rights Movement. She learns more about her mother's family and the lives of her neighbours. It's a book that has a strong theme of family and the bonds of sisterhood and was a great time to read.
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May 11, 2024
Trigger & Content Warnings
Disappearance
Military violence & World War II
Disappearance
Military violence & World War II
December 6, 2024
I’m so glad I chose this time-slip story, it was right up my alley. Rowan and her older sister travel waaay back to 1999 (yes, this made me feel like I need a zimmerframe) but once her sister, Ash, becomes stuck in this time, Rowan - with the help of a neighbour - must travel back to 1972, 1940 and finally 1900, in order to collect pieces of glass from her house to create a way back for her sister. When Ash begins to disappear from people’s memories, getting her back takes on a new urgency.
I loved this story. It kept me hooked and didn’t disappoint.
I loved this story. It kept me hooked and didn’t disappoint.
May 9, 2024
Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Disappearance of a person, military violence and war themes, World War Two, death of people
Score: Six out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Tumbleglass by Kate Constable didn't live up to my expectations. I wanted to read this one for months but I put it off for a while until I picked it up again from a library shelf. The blurb seemed intriguing, even though it's the fourth time travel story I've read, but when I closed the final page, it was underwhelming.
It starts with Rowan and her sister Ash, presumably living typical lives in 2019 until Ash unintentionally travelled back to the same house, but in 1999. Sounds strange? It is. But that's not the only year Rowan time travels to, because when she meets a character named Verity, she explains her house is in an area called The Weakness, where time slips are possible. Verity gives a time travelling ring to Rowan so she has to find her sister before it's too late and she disappears for who knows how long.
Unfortunately, after the compelling opening, the pacing slows from there and the whole 'travelling through time' aspect gets repetitive and tedious to read, since Rowan can't go anywhere outside of the house. First, she travels to 1999, then 1972, during a civil rights movement for First Australians (not the one in America, though,) then the early 1940s, during World War Two (she didn't know much about that,) and finally, 1900. The characters aren't easy to connect or relate with, making me disengage with Tumbleglass. The writing style is enough to keep the plot going, since there's nothing too literary here, but the worldbuilding is underexplored, leaving behind a few unanswered questions, like where did the time travel ring come from? What are the possibilities? Can it travel forward and backward and to any point in time or are there limitations? Are there more abodes affected by The Weakness? The conclusion is satisfying as Rowan reunites with her sister, Ash, but that didn't take much effort when I think about it. Why can't Rowan go outside the house? There's no diversity here, a missed opportunity to explore how POC lived in different times. I wonder if Constable's other works are better.
Trigger warnings: Disappearance of a person, military violence and war themes, World War Two, death of people
Score: Six out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Tumbleglass by Kate Constable didn't live up to my expectations. I wanted to read this one for months but I put it off for a while until I picked it up again from a library shelf. The blurb seemed intriguing, even though it's the fourth time travel story I've read, but when I closed the final page, it was underwhelming.
It starts with Rowan and her sister Ash, presumably living typical lives in 2019 until Ash unintentionally travelled back to the same house, but in 1999. Sounds strange? It is. But that's not the only year Rowan time travels to, because when she meets a character named Verity, she explains her house is in an area called The Weakness, where time slips are possible. Verity gives a time travelling ring to Rowan so she has to find her sister before it's too late and she disappears for who knows how long.
Unfortunately, after the compelling opening, the pacing slows from there and the whole 'travelling through time' aspect gets repetitive and tedious to read, since Rowan can't go anywhere outside of the house. First, she travels to 1999, then 1972, during a civil rights movement for First Australians (not the one in America, though,) then the early 1940s, during World War Two (she didn't know much about that,) and finally, 1900. The characters aren't easy to connect or relate with, making me disengage with Tumbleglass. The writing style is enough to keep the plot going, since there's nothing too literary here, but the worldbuilding is underexplored, leaving behind a few unanswered questions, like where did the time travel ring come from? What are the possibilities? Can it travel forward and backward and to any point in time or are there limitations? Are there more abodes affected by The Weakness? The conclusion is satisfying as Rowan reunites with her sister, Ash, but that didn't take much effort when I think about it. Why can't Rowan go outside the house? There's no diversity here, a missed opportunity to explore how POC lived in different times. I wonder if Constable's other works are better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2023
Tumbleglass is one of many modern books that I have come across in my job as a librarian that doesn’t have a target audience. The main character is Rowan who is thirteen years old. Therefore you’d expect the audience to be 10-14-year-olds. However, Rowan and her sister, Ash, inadvertently end up at a party for people in their late teens and early 20-year-olds. The party is described in much detail and there’re all the things you would expect at a party for this age group. Ash doesn’t have a problem as she is nineteen, but normally we wouldn’t allow a 13-year-old to attend a party for young adults so why would the author include such vivid details, that the reader might as well be there?
Ash plays a significant role in the story so as a librarian, I could catalogue the book as young adults for teenagers 16 and over. However, young adults wouldn’t pick it up because the cover shouts young teenager. The only option is adult fiction. Parents of teenagers, who don’t mind a bit of fantasy, would probably enjoy the story and be less worried about the cover.
Tumbleglass is a time-slip novel, where Rowan and Ash fall back in time and find themselves at a party at their current house. After a while, Rowan falls asleep and wakes up in her own time, but Ash doesn’t return. Rowan has to find a way to rescue Ash. She enlists the support of her magical neighbour, Verity, who is a glass artist. Rowan makes several trips back in time to collect the things that Verity needs to make a magical gadget that will bring Ash back to her rightful time zone. During her visits, Rowan makes friends with the previous residents of her house and learns about historical events from the people that lived through them.
Overall, Kate Constable has written an enjoyable time-slip novel, but it does contain adult themes and language.
Ash plays a significant role in the story so as a librarian, I could catalogue the book as young adults for teenagers 16 and over. However, young adults wouldn’t pick it up because the cover shouts young teenager. The only option is adult fiction. Parents of teenagers, who don’t mind a bit of fantasy, would probably enjoy the story and be less worried about the cover.
Tumbleglass is a time-slip novel, where Rowan and Ash fall back in time and find themselves at a party at their current house. After a while, Rowan falls asleep and wakes up in her own time, but Ash doesn’t return. Rowan has to find a way to rescue Ash. She enlists the support of her magical neighbour, Verity, who is a glass artist. Rowan makes several trips back in time to collect the things that Verity needs to make a magical gadget that will bring Ash back to her rightful time zone. During her visits, Rowan makes friends with the previous residents of her house and learns about historical events from the people that lived through them.
Overall, Kate Constable has written an enjoyable time-slip novel, but it does contain adult themes and language.
March 13, 2023
Rowan is helping her older sister paint her room. After moving Ash’s furniture to reach a wall, Rowan finds a beautiful blue ring that suddenly transports them back in time.
They find themselves still inside their home but decades before. A party is in full swing, and after realising where they are, nineteen year old Ash decides to make the most of it. Rowan however is much more conspicuous at only thirteen.
Rowan finds her way back home, but Ash is nowhere to be found.
With the help of a magical family friend (named Verity), Rowan learns more about this house she was born in. She has a special affinity with it, and it will always look out for her, but everyone at home is beginning to worry about the missing Ash.
Their parents wouldn’t believe her if she told them what she’s experienced, so Rowan aids Verity in finding what she needs to retrieve Ash from the past.
But it’s not going to be easy. Rowan meets likeable people in her houses’ past and it’s hard to leave them behind or learn their fates in real time.
Time travel itself presents its own problems and rules and Rowan has to try to undo something that she inadvertently changes on one of her ‘trips’ while also avoiding the past Verity.
I’m a fan of Time Travel stories and Tumbleglass is a fantastic read. The story has a fresh perspective even if the problems are recognisable, and the extra layer of magic adds even more to the story.
Tumbleglass has a special house that hosts these time shifts or jumps, and it also affects day to day life too, swallowing everyday items or presenting them to you when it thinks you need them.
Each time trip shows a piece of Australian history which is also applicable and interesting for readers from anywhere in the world – a peaceful protest rally, the second world war and more events that we can all relate to.
Age – 10+
They find themselves still inside their home but decades before. A party is in full swing, and after realising where they are, nineteen year old Ash decides to make the most of it. Rowan however is much more conspicuous at only thirteen.
Rowan finds her way back home, but Ash is nowhere to be found.
With the help of a magical family friend (named Verity), Rowan learns more about this house she was born in. She has a special affinity with it, and it will always look out for her, but everyone at home is beginning to worry about the missing Ash.
Their parents wouldn’t believe her if she told them what she’s experienced, so Rowan aids Verity in finding what she needs to retrieve Ash from the past.
But it’s not going to be easy. Rowan meets likeable people in her houses’ past and it’s hard to leave them behind or learn their fates in real time.
Time travel itself presents its own problems and rules and Rowan has to try to undo something that she inadvertently changes on one of her ‘trips’ while also avoiding the past Verity.
I’m a fan of Time Travel stories and Tumbleglass is a fantastic read. The story has a fresh perspective even if the problems are recognisable, and the extra layer of magic adds even more to the story.
Tumbleglass has a special house that hosts these time shifts or jumps, and it also affects day to day life too, swallowing everyday items or presenting them to you when it thinks you need them.
Each time trip shows a piece of Australian history which is also applicable and interesting for readers from anywhere in the world – a peaceful protest rally, the second world war and more events that we can all relate to.
Age – 10+
April 2, 2023
I like a good time travel book and this one was easy to follow. I think I’d have liked to have seen some more intrigue with where the lost sister was and what had happened to her, that is what I was expecting from the blurb. As it turned out it was more about the collecting of items to fulfil the requirement to bring the sister back and although this seemed more suited to intermediate students, I’m not sure there was enough edgy danger for them. Probably more of a year 6 read.
March 2, 2023
A slow start but a pretty good end. I can see a sequel coming up :-)
October 21, 2023
A sweet story about timetravel, loss and connections
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April 19, 2024i removed all of my audiobooks for the challenge as i don’t feel it really counts!
anyways, happy friday!!
and
happy reading!! [also no rating for this book :] ]
[mil ☁️]
anyways, happy friday!!
and
happy reading!! [also no rating for this book :] ]
[mil ☁️]
February 26, 2023
Finding and slipping on a sea glass ring (blue = rare btw) leads Roman to time travel in the family home and although she returns her sister does not. So it’s back and back for Roman, gathering items to try to ensure her sister also return home. For the love of sisters and family is strong in this home.
A delightful read for late primary and early secondary students.
Bonus sea glass!
A delightful read for late primary and early secondary students.
Bonus sea glass!
September 29, 2024
Reread. Just as good as I remembered.
Only put this down because too many other things took priority.
An immersive story with intricate, clever plotting.
Only put this down because too many other things took priority.
An immersive story with intricate, clever plotting.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews