From School Library Journal Grade 4-6-Jo Ellen is so hateful to everyone over her mother's remarriage that no one but an unknown great-aunt, Ellen Macallan, will keep her during her mother's honeymoon. At Winterbloom, Granty's castlelike home in NH, Jo discovers a turret window that takes her back into time and reveals a puzzling mystery. Meanwhile, agoraphobic Granty feeds her stories of their ancestor, Witch Ellen who, Jo Ellen discovers, still lives at Winterbloom despite her 200 years. When Jo double-crosses her evil ancestor, the house burns to the ground, finally freeing Granty from her phobia. Though the opening pages of exposition lack finesse, the story follows a logical line. Unfortunately, the tension is not well sustained throughout Jo's adventure, and plot points (Jo's initial ugliness toward her new stepfather, neighborhood resentment of Witch Ellen) either disappear or are never fully developed, resulting in a rather superficial treatment of events. Despite some clumsy writing, Jo is a strong protagonist worth knowing. It is because she stops to think about her actions that she averts a fatal mistake. Smart, brave heroines are not unusual, but they should always be encouraged. Moon Window lacks the haunting quality of Alison Uttley's A Traveler in Time (Faber and Faber, 1981; o.p.) and the tension of Curry's Poor Tom's Ghost (Atheneum, 1977; o.p.), but it will pass away a few pleasant hours for fantasy fans.
