SOLVED. Children's book, accidental time travel, possibly "A Stitch in Time" NOT Penelope Lively. [s]

[Kathryn Tomkinson]

I'm looking for a book I read as a child in school (around 1994, probably published a lot earlier). I thought it was called A Stitch in Time but I can't find it on any search, even by entering plot details, so maybe I'm misremembering. It's NOT the one by Penelope Lively.

What I remember about the plot. Boy (possibly called Tom) is moving house into an old house. Falls asleep in the kitchen in front of the stove. Wakes up in the past, he is known by name by the servants of the house and is a servant of the house himself. He lives and works there for a long time not knowing how to get back to the present and gets caught up in his life there, along with some sort of servant rebellion. Eventually wakes up in the present again (at a crucial moment of decision making in the past). No time has passed in the present. He endeavours to find out how his story ended in the past.

If anyone can help I'd be very grateful, can't find a sniff of this book anywhere and I'd like to read it to my daughter.

[Rachel]

Maybe Tom's Midnight Garden?

[Kathryn Tomkinson]

Thanks for the reply. Definitely not Tom's midnight garden though, I'm very familiar with that one.

[Mai]

I think I found it! (I searched in WorldCat.com)
The Stove Haunting by Bel Mooney
"When his family moves to a large rambling house in the English countryside, Daniel discovers an old stove which leads to a journey into the past, to 1835, where as a kitchen servant, he becomes involved in the local farm workers' dangerous plans to form a union."

[Kathryn Tomkinson]

Wow that does sound like it! Thank you! 😊

[Mai]

Hopefully this is it!! Please let us know if you find a copy and it's the book you were looking for. Or if it's not your book so we can keep looking!

[Kathryn Tomkinson]

Just looked it up, it's definitely the one! Thanks so much it's been driving me nuts! 😀

[Mai]

Cool! I hope you enjoy reading it again with your daughter!