New adventure about Nicholas FlamelThe Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

by Michael Scott

Delacorte
Ages 10 - up
375 pages

This book is about the end. The world's, that is. Unless Nicholas Flamel, a centuries old magician, and two fraternal twins, Josh and Sophie Newman, can save it. How? By stealing back the book that holds the secret of the elixier of life that keeps Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, alive all these centuries. About 7, to be exact.

What drives this story more than the plot is the characters. We first met (or heard about) Nicholas Flamel and his wife Perenelle in Harry Potter. This book defines their characters further, based on legend and the author's imagination. Flamel has a secret and it is hidden within a book — the Book of Abraham the Mage, but nefarious Dr. John Dee has plans: First on the list, to steal it, of course.

To be sure, Flamel is powerful, but even the powerful need help sometimes. Enter Sophie and Josh. While they don't exactly have Nancy Drew's all-knowing style, their inexperience helps them in this story that seems to make itself up as it goes along.

This first book in the series called The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, also gives us a peek at the forthcoming sequel, The Magician.

Review by D.

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