The Time-Jinx Twins by Carol Fisher Saller is a fun read for children and young adults, but even older adults could enjoy this entertaining and creative story with unexpected twists and intelligent social commentary. Ellie and Kat, two 12-year-old identical twins, are thrown 50 years into the past in 1970 by their scientist mother’s experimental time machine. They are still in their hometown of Chicago, but everything is weird, and they have to find a way to return to their own time, 2020. They have their cell phones, some money, and their mother’s tiny time machine, which they have no idea how to use. First, they try to find help at the university’s physics department by approaching Professor Wilkes Lavin, but run away when the professor scares them with his threatening attitude. Then they try to find their own grandma, who is still a young woman. They get in touch with another physics professor who might help them get home. Will their desperate quest finally succeed, and will they be reunited with their mother and their own time?

What I enjoyed most in this fascinating tale is the characters of the two girls, totally believable to anyone who has seen how young siblings sometimes behave as best friends and sometimes as worst enemies in relating to each other. They use intelligent problem-solving, at times even scientific thinking, to figure out how to cope with unexpected setbacks as they plan their next move. The description of 1970s Chicago is detailed and familiar to older readers, and the author highlighted significant differences, commenting on both the positive and the negative. The girls become aware of social changes in attitudes toward women, the environment, and the pace of life between the two eras. This is a great story, helping youngsters to understand social issues, methods, and attitudes to cope with the world they live in. I highly recommend The Time-Jinx Twins by Carol Fisher Saller to parents and young readers alike.

Ellie felt her life was stable as it was; her father's love for the cabaret had taken him away from her scientist mother, and her twin sister, Kat, went along with him. The last thing she expected was for her parents to come to an unusual arrangement that brought Kat back to stay with her and her mom for the foreseeable future. Now, Ellie must balance her social life at school with the added responsibility of watching over her twin sister. When her mother's time-traveling project goes horribly wrong, Ellie and Kat discover there is more to their family than meets the eye. The only way to set everything right is to find their way back home safely. Only time will tell if the twins can do this in Carol Fisher Saller's The Time-Jinx Twins.

In The Time-Jinx Twins, Carol Fisher Saller provides a detailed explanation of Ellie's unusual family dynamics. The author highlights the reasons why the parents do not stay together and, in doing so, also references how the arrangement has affected Ellie's life and her relationship with Kat, creating a believable origin story that readers can easily relate to. The dialogue shifts to jovial tones whenever the girls get into shenanigans at school, and becomes impressively technical when it switches to the science behind Ellie's mother's machine. Young readers will enjoy the entertaining pranks the girls pull. Science fiction fans will appreciate the attention to detail in the transitions between past and present that the girls experience. Saller weaves these elements together with an even pace that immerses readers in a captivating narrative from start to finish.