As a child I was a huge fan of a book and movie called Playing Beatie Bow, so if you loved that book like I did, you will enjoy Elsewhere Girls too! This time-slip story in set in modern-day Sydney and Sydney during 1908. Alternating chapters follow teenager Cat, in the present day and Fan, in the olden days. Fan is based on Fanny Durack, the first Australian female Olympic swimmer. The two main characters are written by different authors, Emily Gale and Nova Weetman, but we never find out who wrote who! Although this book is aimed at older children and younger teens, I really enjoyed this story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

A twist of a story with hints of both Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap, this fun story vacillates between the two viewpoints of two girls, one contemporary and one from the past, as they trade lives and struggles.

Great read for young readers gaining confidence.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Another wonderful middle grade book. I recently gave a ya book a low raitng due to it's focus on sports, but when it comes to mg, it just flows better for me. Absolutely wonderful!

The minute I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. As a former competitive swimmer, I'm familiar with the triumphs and trials of the sport. Cat and Fan are two swimmers who live in Australia one hundred years apart. Cat attends school on a swimming scholarship and deeply feels the pressure many modern students experience. Fan, on the other hand, experiences the societal disapproval that young female athletes were subject to.

Emily Gale's book is a well-written work of historical fiction and it seems to get many of the details right. Personally, I didn't enjoy the "Freaky Friday" time slip aspect of the book. It seems a bit cliche to me. I would recommend this book, however, as a starting point for writing and class discussion in a history/ or language arts class. The character of Fan is based on olympian Fanny Durack adds extra interest.

There is nothing objectionable and this book would be an excellent addition to any middle-grade library

Elsewhere Girls by Emily Gale & Nova Weetman was a super quick read, following two girls in different era's who find themselves in each others bodies with the help of a magical stopwatch. I did enjoy this book, like I said it was really fast paced and was an interesting take on the Freaky Friday body swapping trope.

I definitely enjoyed reading from Cat's perspective the most as she's stuck in Fanny's body in 1908 but the cultural differences made for amusing reading in both perspectives. The two girls trying to figure out the language, chores and ensuring their families don't get suspicious was very entertaining. I also really liked the message this book portrays, highlighting how different life was for young girls 100 years ago. Fanny dreams of going to the Olympics to swim but can't because she's a girl but seeing how things are in Cat's time gives her the motivation to keep following her dream. Likewise, Cat is struggling with her own swimming but an incident in the past gives her a new outlook.

I did find it a little simplistic at times as well as not feeling overly connected to the characters but I think younger readers will get a lot more out of it.

Not for me unfortunately. I struggled to get into it and therefore did not finish it and unfortunately unable to review properly

I love the premise of Elsewhere Girls, and there were so many things I enjoyed about the story: learning about Australia in two drastically contrasting time periods, seeing the differences in gender roles and beliefs about race and religion, and even exploring the deceptively simple relationships between sisters.

Sadly, I felt like the pacing of the book was off. The middle section seemed to go on for weeks, while the ending went too quickly (with very little explanation about how the slip/swap worked).

This is rather like a dual time novel where two girls slip[ nto each others live, one in 1908, the other in modern day. Read this and enjoy the story as I have done. 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

A profound time-slip novel, featuring Cat and Fan, two young female swimmers who live in Sydney a century apart. Fan is based on the first woman to medal for Australia in Olympics swimming

We see their issues, pressures, and triumphs through alternating chapters, until the day they switch places in time. The insight each gains makes this such a compelling read, highly recommended for readers 10 years and older.

Thanks to the author, Text Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

Such a delightful middle grade read. Cat and Fan live in the same area of Sydney Australia, about 100 years apart. Both are star swimmers and suddenly they've time-switched and find themselves in worlds they barely recognize. Fan dreams of women being allowed to swim at the Olympics and Cat isn't quite sure what she wants to do. Through the challenges they face in navigating their time-switch, we learn about their hopes and frustrations as they pursue those dreams. This title was such fun, I immediately placed a pre-order for a copy for a young relative.  Thanks to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for a preview copy.

Such a delightful middle grade read. Cat and Fan live in the same area of Sydney Australia, about 100 years apart. Both are star swimmers and suddenly they've time-switched and find themselves in worlds they barely recognize. Fan dreams of women being allowed to swim at the Olympics and Cat isn't quite sure what she wants to do. Through the challenges they face in navigating their time-switch, we learn about their hopes and challenges as they pursue those dreams. This title was such fun, I immediately placed a pre-order for a copy for a young relative.  Thanks to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for a preview copy.

I loved this book! I didn’t even know it was middle grade until I read it, came to share my review and then saw it was from another review. It was so sweet, heartwarming and such a nice, fun and easy read. The different character pov’s and different timelines at the start of the book did confuse me a little, but I soon figured it out and was able to read the rest of the book with ease.

Although swimming isn’t really something I care for, I really enjoyed it as the main theme in this book. I suddenly was rooting for these swimmers and their progress with their times and races.

I also loved how the magic of the switched times and bodies really helped our two lead characters. Especially for cat, it made her realise how fortunate she is, what she took for granted - and to be kinder to her family. And I loved that!

A really sweet book overall, I adored it!

Elsewhere Girls is a great time travel/trading places book reminiscent of Freaky Friday. Fan, who lives in Australia in 1908, and Cat who lives in present day Australia, suddenly find themselves literally in the other’s shoes. Both Cat and Fan are swimmers. Fan dreams of women being able to compete in the Olympics and Cat isn’t sure she really wants to compete anymore. The girls are using the same old stopwatch and swimming in the same place when the exchange takes place. Throughout the book, both girls learn things about their time in history and themselves that change them for the better. Fan is based on Sarah Frances Durack, the first woman to win a medal in swimming for Australia. This was a wonderful book with strong female characters that really want to make themselves and the world around them better, no matter what time they live in. Funny, and heartwarming, this is one of the few books about swimming, and I can’t wait to add it to the school library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

3.5 stars
What would it be like to switch places with someone your age that shared your main interest, but you were born centuries apart? Time-travel with Fanny and Cat, one back to 1908, one forward to 2021!
Great body-swapping/ time travel story! The author’s notes about the real “Fanny” and her family were fascinating.
*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

Fanny Durack and Cat Feeney live in the same neighborhood and are both competitive swimmers. However, they live more than 100 years apart. One day, while swimming at Wylie’s Baths in Coogee, the girls trade places. Fan ends up in Cat’s body in 2021 and Cat ends up in Fan’s body in 1908.

The story is told alternating between Cat and Fan. Cat is thrust into a world where women do work around the house all day, while Fan is thrust into a world with technology she has no clue how to use. The experience helps the girls understand more about their own priorities in life as well as the value of their family and friends. The girls also learn more about the evolution of women’s rights over time.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved reading about each girl’s reaction to the new time period she was thrust into. I also enjoyed the history included by the authors about what it was like to live in 1908. I truly connected with both Cat and Fan and could relate to both characters.

At the end of the book, I was pleased to hear that Fanny Durack and her friend Mina Wylie were real people. They advocated for women to be able to swim in the Olympics and earned medals at the 1912 Olympics. I also love that Wylie’s Baths still exists. If I ever get a chance to go to Australia, I would love to visit Wylie’s Baths!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

A combination body swap and time travel book, and I thought the authors did both elements well. It was interesting to see the differences between the present day and 1908 in the same neighborhood in Australia. I loved how strong the sense of setting was and it definitely made me want to visit Wylie's Baths.

I have to say that although I think this is a good book, for reasons I can't put my finger on, I just didn't fully connect with the book. This is one I'll be thinking about for a little while as I try to figure that out.

We really enjoyed this book about two girls swapping the times they live in. It was interesting to see their reactions to the different cultures and ideas of the time they were dropped into. Would recommend this book.

This book lived up to the hype at least for me. I was drawn into because it was compared to the parent trap and freak Friday. Which is what I got along with a dual time novel with the same house but two girls living 100 years apart. So it also gave a bit of the lake house vibes. Only with out the romance. But all in all in was good book.