The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy has been on my bookshelf for quite some time. Meloy is married to Colin Meloy who wrote Wildwood as well as the Decemberists. It looked interesting in an old world-follow a character-get into a storyline type of way. The book sat because a newborn happened, and there really isn't as much time as there used to be!

The story revolves around Janie, an American who has parents that may or may not believe in Communism during the building of the first nuclear weapons. This forces them to leave LA for London, living in a small flat. Upon arrival they see the apothecary, and the intrigue starts to build. The apothecary is a cross between a pharmacist and a magician, making the unbelievable possible.

As the story unfolds Janie becomes enamored with the apothecary's son Benjamin. Together they start spying on people in the park, and are pulled into a world of espionage and counterterroism. As the apothecary vanishes Janie and Benjamin go in search of him, a journey that involves changing shape (think aviary!), befriending a jailed pickpocket, escaping detectives from Scotland Yard, and stowing away on a ship.

I really enjoyed the story. I found the story to be believable, and not to bog down in minor plot lines. Meloy kept the main thing the main thing- the apothecary, what he was doing, and finding him. The other story lines all fit neatly within the main plot and are not overly distracting. I'm excited to push some of my more advanced readers into this over the course of the next school year.

Rating: 4 out of 5- really good, and I don't typically like historical-esque fiction. 

Wildwood by Colin Meloy

My school just had a book fair hosted by the University Bookstore. It was well done, and had many quality books. One of the books I picked up was Wildwood by Colin Meloy. Yep, it is the same Colin Meloy who is the lead singer for the Decemberists. Let me tell you this: it is 500+ pages of wonderful.

The story is about Prue McKeel and her journey to find her brother. You see, her brother Mac was swooped up by crows and taken to a wooden area called the Impassable Wilderness. Those familiar with Portland OR (where the book is set) will recognize this as much like Forest Park. Along the way she runs into a boy in her class named Curtis who follows her into the wilderness, thus beginning a long and weird sequence of events.
In the wilderness they meet a band of talking coyote soldiers, a postman delivering mail to different parts of the "wood" and other assorted talking animals. What Prue doesn't realize is that 1) she is special and connected to the wilderness somehow, and 2) she needs to save her brother before the former ruler of the Wood, the Dowager Governess, feeds Mac to the ivy (yep, I said it was weird!).

While a relatively large book, I think kids will identify with the characters. They will enjoy Prue and her quirkiness, as well as her determination to find her brother. They'll also like how Meloy weaves the animals in the story. The animals bring a different dimension, embodying many of the traits of humans while as maintaining their animal qualities. I'm excited for my kids to read it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Long but well written with threads that ensure the story moves along.