While most of Norton's work is science fiction, she has written several fantasy novels that focus upon journeys in time and the use of magic. Octagon Magic, Dragon Magic, and Red Hart Magic all contain a magical talisman that transports the characters to the past. In Octagon Magic young Lorrie Mallard travels back to the Civil War era; in Dragon Magic each of the four boys visits a different time in ancient history and myth, each time relating to the boy's own ethnic heritage. In Red Hart Magic a new stepbrother and stepsister find themselves in a situation in the past where their actions may mean life or death for others. In these stories the journey back in time allows the characters to fill new roles and to try other identities. This does not remove them from the problems of their own lives but instead gives...