THE PRINCESS IN THE PIGPEN

Elizabeth, nine, close friend of the queen for whom she was named, is suddenly transported from her sickbed in 1600 England to a pigpen on the McCormicks' farm in 1988. She is no more astonished to find herself among ""peasants"" than these Iowans are at her elaborate attire and insistence that she has lately been at Court. Thomas develops her story with logic and gentle, compassionate humor. Though naturally incredulous of her story, Kathy and Joe McCormick treat her kindly, take her to a doctor (dark-skinned and female, two surprises) for her fever, and notify the sheriff, who tries to identify her by calling the British Embassy. The McCormicks' daughter Ann has less patience with this snooty, uninvited guest; yet it's Ann who is finally convinced (with the aid of books belonging to her mother Kathy, a history professor) by Elizabeth's story. Though brief and easily read, this reversal of the standard travel-into-history story carries a rich dose of historical detail given immediacy by Elizabeth's impassioned need to find someone to believe it, neatly integrated with the realistic, wholesome, contemporary response to her presence. Going home at last, Elizabeth takes with her some new ideas, some sobering facts about her own future, and a souvenir that proves conclusively that it all really happened. An excellent venture into new territory by a fine author (Saying Goodbye to Grandma, 1988).