Reviewed by Kathryn Bennett for Readers' Favorite

The Crystal Navigator: A Perilous Journey Through Time by Nancy Kunhardt Lodge is a children's fantasy book in the same tradition as The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. Within the pages we find young Lucy Nightingale, a girl who can make things happen with her thoughts. The trouble for her comes when during an oral report she draws a blank and loses her confidence. When a new teacher assigns a project about paintings, Lucy knows the best way to make this assignment an A is to talk to the painters, and so she finds someone to help her time travel to finish her assignment.

On a mission to find more books my nephew can enjoy, I decided to read The Crystal Navigator. This book made me smile and laugh and truly feel like a kid again while I was reading it. It is the perfect book to get kids engaged and enjoying a story. Whether you have a kid who likes to read already or one you are hoping will start to read more, Nancy Kunhardt Lodge really knows what she is doing. Lucy is an engaging little girl who could easily be any child today. Her imagination is wonderful and the adventure she has in seeking to speak with the painters is amazing and truly fantastic. I am making sure that my nephew reads this one and would highly recommend any parent who wants to encourage their child to read to take a look at it too.