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Jessamy
Jessamy is staying in a large house that has lots of places to explore, especially the old schoolroom. In there she mysteriously finds her own name written on the wall with a date: 1914. Some how Jessamy is transported back to that time and to the people who lived in the house and is involved in the theft of a valuable treasure - a treasure she must find...
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
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189 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Sleigh
23 books25 followersBarbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh (1906-1982) was an English children's writer and broadcaster. She worked for the BBC Children's Hour and is the author of Carbonel and two sequels: The Kingdom of Carbonel and Carbonel and Calidor.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 24, 2019
4.5 stars. Jessamy is an orphan who goes to stay with an Aunt for the holidays. This year her cousins have whooping cough so it is arranged she should stay in a nearby old house with the caretaker. We loved the sound of this, an empty old house and gardens to explore! The modern cover made us think this was a scary story, but it isn't. There are some inaccuracies on the cover pictured here which made us suspect something different in the story and the original cover is much nicer.
When Jessamy finds her own name written on height marks on the wall she finds a way back in time to the days when the house was occupied by a wealthy family and many servants. Jessamy slips in easily to this other life she feels she knows. It was good to read about Jessamy finding a family and some security in the time slip that she lacked in her own era. The outbreak of WWI follows and a mystery around a precious Book of Hours unfolds.
The characters were interesting and we enjoyed reading about their lives and interactions. We enjoyed working out the mystery, and some scenes at the end had us not wanting to put the book down, reading faster and faster and stopping to say with exasperation 'why doesn't she....' This part ends in the worst moment for a time slip back you can imagine!
The ending was good, we were glad we weren't left wondering about some things. We thought that the decision to But otherwise we appreciated finding out some of others story after Jessamy leaves that era.
When Jessamy finds her own name written on height marks on the wall she finds a way back in time to the days when the house was occupied by a wealthy family and many servants. Jessamy slips in easily to this other life she feels she knows. It was good to read about Jessamy finding a family and some security in the time slip that she lacked in her own era. The outbreak of WWI follows and a mystery around a precious Book of Hours unfolds.
The characters were interesting and we enjoyed reading about their lives and interactions. We enjoyed working out the mystery, and some scenes at the end had us not wanting to put the book down, reading faster and faster and stopping to say with exasperation 'why doesn't she....' This part ends in the worst moment for a time slip back you can imagine!
The ending was good, we were glad we weren't left wondering about some things. We thought that the decision to But otherwise we appreciated finding out some of others story after Jessamy leaves that era.
April 25, 2014
A light but pleasant time-slip story.
Jessamy is staying in a large old house for the holidays. Exploring at night, she slips into a cupboard, and when she emerges, it's 1914 and she has taken the place of the housekeeper's niece. She slips into this other Jessamy's place, helping her aunt and the other servants, and playing with the children of the house. And then comes war, and the eldest son runs away to be a soldier, and it seems he's taken his grandfather's treasured Book of Hours...
The plot-line is fairly predictable, but Jessamy is an engaging protagonist, and the secondary characters are well-drawn and believable. And unlike some similar tales, the big house here is no upper-class mansion, but the somewhat vulgar home of a patent medicine millionaire ("good solid middle class", as Miss Brindle says), which makes a refreshing change. And the 1914 and 1966 characters link up in neat but not entirely expected ways, which is also nice.
Jessamy is staying in a large old house for the holidays. Exploring at night, she slips into a cupboard, and when she emerges, it's 1914 and she has taken the place of the housekeeper's niece. She slips into this other Jessamy's place, helping her aunt and the other servants, and playing with the children of the house. And then comes war, and the eldest son runs away to be a soldier, and it seems he's taken his grandfather's treasured Book of Hours...
The plot-line is fairly predictable, but Jessamy is an engaging protagonist, and the secondary characters are well-drawn and believable. And unlike some similar tales, the big house here is no upper-class mansion, but the somewhat vulgar home of a patent medicine millionaire ("good solid middle class", as Miss Brindle says), which makes a refreshing change. And the 1914 and 1966 characters link up in neat but not entirely expected ways, which is also nice.
March 3, 2013
I actually read this as a child when it first came out in the 1960's. All of the girls in my school fought over the lone copy our school library had. I have only just been able to borrow the lone copy of the 1967 original from interlibrary loan. I have been trying to buy a copy of the 1967 original hard-cover which is what I just finished reading but it is rare and in high demand. I have battled other Baby Boomer women in several countries whenever this book shows up on ebay and right now the only copies available is the 1970's paperback reprint which is available at Amazon for up to $775.00!!! My husband has been searching for years for a copy of the hardcover original for me at a decent price and it is the sweetest thing in the world to see a man in his 50's love his wife so much he tirelessly searches for a 46 year old children's book to make her happy but then again, he is the sweetest man I have ever met and that is why I fell in love with him and married him.
What a treat it has been to re-read this!! It is just as good as I remember. The story is about a young girl named Jessamy that starts out in 1966 England. Jessamy is an orphan who spends her school days with one aunt and her holidays with another aunt. On the train she meets an old man who turns out to be very special in her life. If you read this be sure to notice him and what he offers her as a treat. When Jessamy arrives, she is dismayed to find that her aunt's two kids have whooping cough and she must stay with Miss Brindle, a woman she does not know who is caretaker to an old mansion and who really isn't fond of kids.
The two get along very well and on the first night Jessamy is there, she sees her name in a nursery closet with other kids' names where their height had been measured on that same date in 1914. She sneaks back up that night when she can't sleep to see if her name was really there and suddenly she IS that Jessamy (an ancestor of hers) and has just had an accident and is supposed to stay in bed. She winds up spending days here living Jessamy's life.
This is a wonderful story, full of history, suspense, mystery, a great atmosphere, and a theft that Jessamy must struggle to solve before she disappears back to her own time. The book is so full of charm. I wish I had written it! I wish I could get a copy for less than $770 ! If you find it or can get it through interlibrary loan, do read this. It is not "dumbed down" and isn't a kiddie story that adults and teens can't enjoy. Recommended for all ages. Just simply a good story.
What a treat it has been to re-read this!! It is just as good as I remember. The story is about a young girl named Jessamy that starts out in 1966 England. Jessamy is an orphan who spends her school days with one aunt and her holidays with another aunt. On the train she meets an old man who turns out to be very special in her life. If you read this be sure to notice him and what he offers her as a treat. When Jessamy arrives, she is dismayed to find that her aunt's two kids have whooping cough and she must stay with Miss Brindle, a woman she does not know who is caretaker to an old mansion and who really isn't fond of kids.
The two get along very well and on the first night Jessamy is there, she sees her name in a nursery closet with other kids' names where their height had been measured on that same date in 1914. She sneaks back up that night when she can't sleep to see if her name was really there and suddenly she IS that Jessamy (an ancestor of hers) and has just had an accident and is supposed to stay in bed. She winds up spending days here living Jessamy's life.
This is a wonderful story, full of history, suspense, mystery, a great atmosphere, and a theft that Jessamy must struggle to solve before she disappears back to her own time. The book is so full of charm. I wish I had written it! I wish I could get a copy for less than $770 ! If you find it or can get it through interlibrary loan, do read this. It is not "dumbed down" and isn't a kiddie story that adults and teens can't enjoy. Recommended for all ages. Just simply a good story.
December 24, 2015
Time-travel books featuring adolescent girls were all the rage in the mid-60s. Why, I will never know. As a girl in those days I gobbled them up; re-reading them today, they're all pretty mush of a mushness. This particular one is an improvement on the other Sleigh books I've read, having been left pretty cold by the Carbonell stories (though admittedly those were probably for younger readers). However, I couldn't help thinking the story would have been more engaging if the author had simply left out the "timeslip" aspect and told a straight "lost treasure" story set in the WW1 years.
Having said that, it's quite possible that's what Sleigh did and the publisher recommended the "time travel" addition. It certainly reads as if that aspect were an add-on; the 1966 bits don't feel like a real part of the story.
Two and a half stars for content; three because the writing held my attention, though I did find myself wishing she'd left the timetravel out.
Having said that, it's quite possible that's what Sleigh did and the publisher recommended the "time travel" addition. It certainly reads as if that aspect were an add-on; the 1966 bits don't feel like a real part of the story.
Two and a half stars for content; three because the writing held my attention, though I did find myself wishing she'd left the timetravel out.
November 22, 2007
Evocative story of lonely child stepping into family (which, unknowingly, she is linked with) two generations back. Jessamy, a little orphaned schoolgirl, is sent in an emergency to stay with the elderly caretaker of a long-empty country mansion, Posset Place. ("I daresay you won't mind being treated like a grown-up person. I don't know any other way.") A cupboard in the old nursery - the magic link between present and past - takes her back half a century to 1914, and to a family of lively children. From her double time-position she not only learns of her relationship to them, but is able to solve a mystery at last - what became of the Book of Hours when scapegrace Harry went off to the wars.
December 27, 2020
I loved this book so much as a child that I told my mother I was going to have a daughter and name her Jessamy. Fast forward perhaps 20 years to January 1998: I had my Jessame (wanted to avoid it appearing that I named her for myself).
January 16, 2009
Another English schoolgirl travels back in time story. I remember being very fond of this story.
March 26, 2021
I loved this book as a child and still do! So glad to have been able to find it at long last. Openlibrary.org
May 11, 2012
After knowing of this book as a desperately hard-to-find and fondly remembered story from many people's childhoods, I was given a copy by a friend. I found it a pleasant timeslip fantasy, but perhaps I'm spoiled by over-familiarity with the genre. I liked that Jessamy is a servant's child rather than a daughter/cousin of the house, that the villains aren't terribly villainous, and that there's friendship rather than a budding love between Jessamy and Kitto.
But compared with Tom's Midnight Garden, for instance, it felt rather slight and restrained. On the whole I prefer Sleigh's Carbonel, where I felt there was something more at stake, and where the children have definite tasks to accomplish.
But compared with Tom's Midnight Garden, for instance, it felt rather slight and restrained. On the whole I prefer Sleigh's Carbonel, where I felt there was something more at stake, and where the children have definite tasks to accomplish.
December 31, 2021
You might think I'm a bit biased about this book. Maybe I am. Being named from it can do that. But this book is a really fun little adventure, even without the nostalgia attached. My mom loved it so much when she read it in college that she photocopied it (she couldn't afford to buy it) and laminated it, and the large 3 ring binder holding it is now a family heirloom. The name stuck with her so much that she named her first kid after it. You should definitely read this book if you can get your hands on it
January 5, 2018
One of the few books I remember from childhood. Good enough story to stick with me for 49 years.
March 9, 2020
a favorite story from my childhood days
March 17, 2018
Decent time slip novel, from a brief window in the 60s and 70s in which time slips were a very popular genre. I feel like I preferred Tom's Midnight Garden, but it's been a long time since I've read it. Still, I love this particular form of time travel narrative, and it's a shame that it was only in fashion for a brief period of time.
October 10, 2023
I read this when I was 9 and at 40 recently rediscovered it when packing up my mams house for a move. I have tried and failed to remember the name of this book on so many occasions I almost jumped for joy at finding it. I've re read it and still love it, it holds sentimental value for me and I'm so happy to have rediscovered it!
April 30, 2025
Deserves to be discovered! Brit children’s book lovers love Barbara Sleigh’s Carbonel. But this is underrated delight. One of my favorite children’s books— that’s saying a lot. Good read even as adult.
Suggesting the storyline — time travel in an old English house —doesn’t begin to convey the charm and detail. A Book of Hours. Upstairs/downstairs drama. Satisfying if wistful ending.
Suggesting the storyline — time travel in an old English house —doesn’t begin to convey the charm and detail. A Book of Hours. Upstairs/downstairs drama. Satisfying if wistful ending.
March 2, 2022
As a child I loved this book so much. The Carbonel books were also my favorites.
June 16, 2022
Loved this book as a child.
July 23, 2024
Time travel in an old English stately home is always fun, and this is a really nice book, except for the snarl of false accusation in the middle....
sony-or-android
February 27, 2017open library
September 9, 2008
This was one of my favorites as a child--I must have checked this out from the library a dozen times or more. I had forgotten the title, and just a few years ago, some of the wonderful folks on Fiction_L helped me find it again. It's such a wonderful tale and I so enjoyed reading it again. Would love to find a copy of my own!
February 16, 2016
A children's time-slip story that takes place in 1966 and during the years of World War I.
I did find it a little odd that Jessamy seemed to take it in her stride so easily, and I did wonder why people accepted her without a second thought considering she had taken another girls place in time.
A great story though, with a nice little mystery thrown in.
I did find it a little odd that Jessamy seemed to take it in her stride so easily, and I did wonder why people accepted her without a second thought considering she had taken another girls place in time.
A great story though, with a nice little mystery thrown in.
April 17, 2008
One of my favorite youth books. I would love to have a copy of it. Better than the Secret Garden. Part sci-fi (time travel), part romance (first crush), part historical.
Very cool, fun read. Even grown-ups will like it.
Very cool, fun read. Even grown-ups will like it.
June 17, 2012
This book has been on my ‘to read’ book for a long time since it’s a classic of the ‘timeslip’ canon. As timeslip novels go, it’s pretty satisfying. I suspect if it were written today, there would be a lot more mystery and intrigue, but as it stands it’s a simple story, effectively told.
June 19, 2008
Loved this book as a kid.
July 22, 2008
I finally found a copy of this book on ebay. It was my favorite book in fifth grade. I recommended it to all my friends. Wanted to see what I loved about it. It was the time travel!
September 28, 2011
i read this book when i was in elementary school. i loved the book then and i love it now. it will always be one of my favorite books, it really is a shame its out of print and so hard to find.
June 19, 2012
I first read this as a young girl, maybe eleven years old or so, and found it amazing and thrilling. Re-read it as 26 and still liked it.
January 24, 2014
I adored this so much as a child that I hunted down a dilapidated old out-of-print copy on Amazon UK. Spellbinding to 10-yr-old me.
December 10, 2015
I LOVE this book.
Review and thoughts: http://myownlittlecornerbyjenni.blogs...
Review and thoughts: http://myownlittlecornerbyjenni.blogs...
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews