The Apothecary

Meloy, Maile. The Apothecary. G.P. Putnam’s Sons New York, 12012. 353 pages.  Tr. $16.99 ISBN 9780399256271

Plot Description:

The Apothecary is a historical fantasy that takes place at the height of McCarthyism in America.  Janie and her parents, who are both screen writers, are forced to move from Hollywood to rainy London, in order to avoid being blacklisted.  Janie finds it difficult to adjust to life in England until she meets Benjamin, the local apothecary’s son and Janie’s schoolmate.  Benjamin teaches Janie the intricacies of chess and tells her about his aspirations to work for MI-5 as a spy.  Soon, Janie is drawn into Benjamin’s amateur spying, but things become serious when they spy Benjamin’s father with a suspected Russian spy.  Soon after Benjamin’s father disappears and the apothecary is ransacked by Communist soldiers.  Before he disappeared, Benjamin’s father entrusted him with a strange book full of recipes for spells and charms.  It does not take long for Janie and Benjamin to realize the Russians are after a lot more than government secrets and that Benjamin’s father is intimately involved. 

Review:

Meloy’s first children’s novel is a wonderfully imaginative adventure and take on history.  Meloy recreated the terror of the Cold War, but in Meloy’s world there is not only the threat of nuclear weapons to worry about, but magic as well.  Meloy develops her characters carefully and builds the tension of the Cold War gradually before picking up the pace of the adventure.  The Apothecary is a novel like no other and readers will be left in anticipation of a sequel. 

Genre:

Fantasy

Historical Fiction

Reading Level/Interest Level:

Grades 5-8

Similar Books:

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

Awards/Honors:

YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012

Author’s Website:

http://www.mailemeloy.com/mailemeloy/Home.html

Bridge to Terabithia

Paterson, Katherine.  Bridge to Terabithia. Scholastic, Inc., New York, 1977. 128 pages.  Tr. Pb. ISBN 0590132008

Plot Description:

Jess has spent his summer running, trying to build u speed so he can be the fastest kid in the fifth grade.  On the first day of school all the boys lined up to race, but then the new girl, Leslie Burke asks to race too.  The boys let her, thinking she won’t stand a chance, but then she beats all of them, assuring her place as an outcast among her classmates.  Despite their rough start, Jess and Leslie become best friends, sharing their hopes, dreams, and an imaginary kingdom of Terabithia.  In Terabithia, Jess can be brave and indulge in his imagination.  However, when tragedy strikes Jess is at a loss of how to deal with his emotions, until he realizes that Leslie and their imaginary kingdom of Terabithia have given him all the needs to be brave and face life’s challenges. 

Review:

Bridge to Terabithia is a classic novel about the power of friendship.  Jess is determined not to like Leslie because she is strange and beat him at the recess races, but Leslie is just as determined to have a friend and soon she and Jess are inseparable.  When Leslie dies, Jess is overwhelmed with emotions of grief.  At first Jess is angry and then in denial and then he blames himself, wondering if he had invited her to the city that day would Leslie still be alive?  Paterson’s novel is brief in length, but presents a myriad of powerful emotions.  This is an important novel for any child to read, but certainly any child who is trying to come to terms with losing someone important to them will find themselves in Jess. 

Genre:

Realistic Fiction

Reading Level/Interest Level:

Grades 4-6

Similar Books:

Each Little Bird that Sings by Deborah Wiles

Awards/Honors:

ALA Notable Children’s Book 1978

Newberry Award 1978

Author’s Website:

http://www.terabithia.com/about.html

Ice! The Amazing History of the Ice Business

Pringle, Laurence. Ice! The Amazing History of the Ice Business. Calkins Creek, Honesdale, PA, 2012. 74 pages.  Tr. $17.95 ISBN 9781590788011

Plot Description:

In the 21^st century we take refrigeration for granted, but it was not that long ago that people relied on iceboxes and ice to keep their food fresh.  An icebox was a wooden cabinet insulated with porcelain and cooled with a block of ice.  Throughout most of history, ice was a luxury only available to the wealthy and elite.  It was not until the early nineteenth century that Frederic Tudor developed a plan for transporting and selling ice that the ice business was born.  Ice was harvested from lakes, rivers, and ponds during January and February in the Northern states.  Hundreds of mean worked to harvest the ice, cutting it into blocks and storing it in huge ice houses.  Ice houses were divided into rooms, in which the ice blocks were layered, insulated with sawdust to prevent melting.  Ice houses stored ice for the coming year, however ice shortages due to warm winters led to the need for other forms of refrigeration and thus the decline of the ice business.

Review:

Laurence Pringle’s Ice! Is an interesting and informative book about a short-lived, but influential industry.  While informative, Ice! Is a succinct history, which a fast reader could easily finish in an afternoon.  Pringle’s narrative is enhanced by the inclusion of several photographs and images illustrating the process of harvesting the ice to the business of transporting and delivering the ice. 

Genre:

Nonfiction

Reading Level/Interest Level:

Grades 4-6

Author’s Website:

http://www.laurencepringle.com/

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea

Weiner, Ellis. The Templeton Twins Have an Idea. Chronicle Books, San Francisco. 2012. 227 pages.  Tr. $16.99 ISBN 9780811866798

Plot Description:

Twelve year old twins Abigail and John Templeton and their dog Cassie have moved with their father so Professor Templeton could accept a job at Tick Tock Tech.  Soon after arriving at Tick Tock Tech a disgruntled former student of Professor Templeton’s named Dean D. Dean, surfaces, claiming the Professor has stolen the idea for his latest invention.  In an attempt to get the Professor to turn over his invention Dean D. Dean and his twin brother Dan D. Dean kidnap Abigail and John.  The Templeton twins must use all their cunning and skills to escape their kidnappers and find their father. 

Review:

Weiner’s The Templeton Twins Have an Idea is a fast-paced, plot driven novel, that while humorous, the story lacks substance and the characters lack depth.  Questions for Review at the end of each chapter is a cheap attempt at humor and becomes trite quickly.  Overall, Weiner’s The Templeton Twins Get an Idea is a fast and funny read with a humor similar to the wit of Lemony Snicket, but lacking Snicket’s ability to weave a truly intriguing story.

Genre:

Humorous

Reading Level/Interest Level:

Grades 4-6

Similar Books:

Who Could That Be at This Hour? By Lemony Snicket

Author’s Website:

http://www.ellisweiner.com/