SOLVED. Girl who time travels to China and uses a Polaroid camera to fake magic [s]

[Addie]

So I read this book about 1998-2000. I know it had to be either a chapter book or middle grade level. The book was part of a trilogy/series that had this girl (and I think her aunt or older sister sometimes) traveling to different time periods. The one I remember most clearly was when she traveled back to ancient China, got stuck there because they took away her time travel device, and in order for her to get back to it, she used a Polaroid camera to convince the emperor that she had magic. There's this adviser dude who doesn't believe her, but in then end she gets the time travel device back and makes it home to her present which would have been in the 80s or 90s. Can't remember much more of it, sorry... One of the other books hard her traveling to the world fair at one point. don't know if that helps.

[Rosa]

Maybe the series The Adventures of Abby Smith through Time & Place? Abby and the Silken Secret takes place in ancient China. There’s another one in which she goes to Victorian England. Maybe that’s the World’s Fair one.

[Rosa]

Or Kat and the Emperor's Gift?

[Addie]

It was Kat and the Emperor's Gift. Thank you so much! This has been bugging me for years!

[Rosa]

You're very welcome, I'm glad that was the one! I searched on Worldcat's Advanced Search with the keywords "china" and "time travel," published between 1970 and 2004 (arbitrary end date, I know), for juveniles, in English. Worldcat is good for finding books like this. I wonder which book in the series was about the World's Fair. I might have to check them out.
Happy reading!

[Addie]

It was Kat the Time Explorer. I guess it wasn't the world fair, but the Great Exhibition in Victorian London. I'm so glad you helped me find these again! All I remember is being in love with these books.

[Rosa]

That's wonderful. Thanks for filling me in.

[Ann (Inky Labyrinth)]

I joined the group just so I could say THANK YOU for this post!!!

I have been googling stuff like "book with time traveling girl in China with a camera" for years and only now that I tried again out of the blue and you've solved my mystery already!!

I think it's hilarious that we both remembered the same exact part of the third book in the series. I remember my cousins and I put money together and bought all of the Stardust Collection with intention to trade them, but I loved Kat so much we never ended up switching.

I'm so happy I can try to find these online now. Thank you again, it sounds silly but I feel a little weight has been lifted off me. <3