It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows - a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies - Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.
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"This was a surprising fun read! I snatched it off the library shelf where they review books. Loved the characters and I really hope they come together again in a book two :) " — Melanie (4 out of 5 stars)
"This was a surprising fun read! I snatched it off the library shelf where they review books. Loved the characters and I really hope they come together again in a book two :) "
“[Meloy] brings to her first book for young readers the same emotional resonance that has won acclaim for her adult fiction, grounding her story in the intricacies of family love, friendship, and loyalty blended here with the complicated fluctuations of adolescence.”
“Maile Meloy’s sly commingling of the real and the imaginary make this a witty and entertaining Cold War romp—with a touch of age-appropriate romance.”
“Smartly written…It’s for curious readers who, like Meloy’s characters, can make room in their imaginations and ‘allow for the possibilities.’”
“Even those with a vague understanding of the times will be quickly swept up in this thoroughly enjoyable adventure, filled with magic, humor, memorable characters, and just a bit of sweet romance. With evocative, confident prose…adult author Meloy’s first book for young readers is an auspicious one.”
“Meloy offers a strong narrator in Janie and an intriguing mix of history and mystery.”
" The liked the setting of London during the Cold War with an American girl and a British boy. Good friendships and real trust. "
" Mediocre magic at best. I was un-dazzled. "
" I really enjoyed reading this book. It was well-written, and I really liked the story, in particular the parts about alchemy, which were fascinating. "
" seems well enough, just isn't standing out, so I am moving on to the next Mock-Newbery book. "
Maile Meloy is the author of the novels Liars and Saints and A Family Daughter, the short-story collections Half in Love and Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It (named one of the 10 Best Books of 2009 by the New York Times Book Review), and a bestselling middle-grade trilogy. Her fiction has won the Paris Review‘s Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award, and the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, she was shortlisted for the UK’s Orange Prize and has been chosen as one of Granta‘s Best Young American Novelists.
Cristin Milioti is an actress and audiobook narrator. Her film and television credits include The Wolf of Wall Street, A to Z, and How I Met Your Mother. She originated the role of Girl in the Broadway hit musical Once, for which she won a Grammy Award and was nominated for a Tony Award.
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