California Dreaming

Fourteen-year old Mira wraps up her time travels and lots of loose ends in this the fourth book in her diary series. After ancient Rome, 19th-century Paris and World War I London, she returns home to the Bay Area with her brother and dad. Mom is MIA, probably in San Francisco, sometime in the past, trying to change things for the better. In hot pursuit, Mira uses Touchstones to reach 1896, 1906, and 1934. Along the way, she meets Samuel Clemens and Ina Coolbrith and sees life for early Jewish and Chinese immigrants. Girded with historical detail, the plot moves quickly toward revelations about what Mom's been doing and why. Add in a terrorist twist, philosophical musings and social commentary. (Censorship in academia takes in on the chin.) The result is a page-turner that extols freedom of speech.
--Susan Faust, San Francisco Chronicle

Moss illustrates the book with small, precise ink drawings that are inviting and effective. . . readers who have enjoyed Mira's journeys in the three previous books will be curious about the story's conclusion.
-- Carolyn Phelan, Booklist

This is part of a time-travel series filled with facts, tension, adventure and Moss' inimitable, quirky drawings. This time, Mira has landed in old San Francisco desperately searching for her mother in order to return her to the present. If you are a San Francisco aficionado, you will especially relish learning the city's history and meeting some of its illustrious characters.
--San Jose Mercury News

Written 'journal'-style and sprinkled with relevant little illustrations, California Dreaming is a fun and engaging romp through time. Moss includes an extensive bibliography and a detailed author's note, including the historical accuracy of her entertaining spin on history.
Recommended for ages 8-12.
--Jewish Book Council

After adventures in Rome, Paris, and London, Mira, her father, and brother are finally back home in San Francisco. The family thinks that Mira's mother is somewhere back in time in San Francisco, attempting the forbidden--changing the past. Mira is desperate to stop her mother from interfering. She and her brother are sure that whatever happens, they'll be able to handle it without their mother's meddling. While looking for her, Mira meets Samuel Clemens and takes a job helping him report on plays. She learns about what it was like to be an immigrant in America in the late 19th and early 20th century and about censorship in America. The protagonist is shocked to discover the true identity of the watcher and of the mysterious boy whom she's met in every time period throughout the previous novels. Fast-paced and full of details, the wrap-up of this series gives answers to all of the questions posed in earlier books. VERDICT A satisfying conclusion. Recommended to fans of the series and Moss's other works.
--School Library Journal