The Star of Kazan

Some children's books read like your standard kiddie fare. A mystery here, an intriguing character there, mix it altogether and phoomp! One piece of child fiction for general consumption. There are other children's books in the world, however, that resemble nothing so much as sumptuous feasts. Books that you'd swear had more in common with three act plays and bewitching flights of fancy than you'd find in something like, "How To Eat Fried Worms". You read one of these books, you finish it, and you scratch your head wondering how the English-speaking/reading children of the world lucked out to have THIS kind of book on their library and bookstore shelves. Prior to this title, Eva Ibbotson was a kind of British pre-J.K. Rowling fantasy author. Her books (like "The Island of the Aunts" and "Which Witch") were sweet but not particularly entrancing. She treated her fantasy in an offhand kind of way. As if ghosts and mermaids and selkies were only vaguely interesting characters to come and go as they pleased. It seems obvious now that she's been toiling in the wrong genre. "The Star of Kazan" marks yet another Ibbotson foray into a fantastical world that's almost too interesting to call historical fiction, but too informative to be relegated as anything else. It is, without a doubt, her finest work put to paper. Annika has a daydream that's been hers and hers alone for years. Found as an orphan in a deserted church, Annika dreams of someday meeting her real mother. A mother who's rich and elegant and smells nice. Not that the girl has a bad life of it. She was adopted early on by a pair of servants who work for three neurotic professors in the heart of Vienna. Annika loves her life, and has grown to be quite an accomplished cook. She even befriends the dying great-aunt of the snobby little girl across the street and learns to deal with death. Then, everything changes. Like something out of a dream, Annika's mother (Edeltraut von Tannenberg) arrives and is just as glamorous and beautiful as her daughter could have wanted. Without further ado she whisks her newfound child back with her to a drafty old mansion in Spittal, Germany. Once there, Annika has a difficult time adjusting to her new life. She makes friends with the local gypsy boy who tends the horses, but her half-brother is cold, the rooms are always freezing, there's very little food, and objects keep disappearing from the mansion. It isn't long before Annika discovers a mystery that lies at the heart of her arrival in Spittal. A mystery that will be difficult for her to unravel without friends. When I mentioned before that this book was like nothing so much as a three act play, I wasn't kidding. I envy the schoolchildren of this world who may get a chapter a day from their teachers. There'd be no better way to appreciate the trials of Annika and her quest to find love. Stretching her literary muscles as far as they dare go, Ibbotson conjures up a Vienna that Ame

My name is Miranda and I'm seven years old. My mom reads me tons of books and we listen to lots of books on tape, and this book is defenitely one of my favorites. My mom read this book to me and we both absolutely loved it. Now my older sister is reading it and so far she loves it as well. All the characters are people you can relate to. Each one of them is so different and unique from the others. At the end of the book you feel as if the characters are real live people you know. The characters are what makes the book five stars. Other favorite books of mine that I reccomend are: "Dragon Rider", "A Single Shard", and "Montmorency". Thanks! (Hope you enjoy the book!)

This book stands far above most of what I've lately read. It shines with intelligence and wit--I laughed aloud often. Who could resist a story that includes a hymn called "Slay and Smite If God Demands It"? Or an aristocratic family whose motto is "Stand Aside Ye Vermin Who Oppose Us!"? There's a luscious setting replete with good food, endearing characters, delightfully horrid characters, and a splendidly entwined, compelling, and satisfying plot. It's the first book by Ibbotson I've read; I plan to read more.

I'm an adult - a really old adult! - and I loved this book. A children's librarian told me it was the best book written in the last year and I was skeptical. But she wasn't wrong about Harry Potter so she has a good track record with me. This book was the best book that I've read in a long time. Thrills, danger, love, family. I think you'll love this book. I was shocked that there were only 2 reviews, though both were 5 stars so I wrote this one very quickly. Don't wait - get it!

A story with jewels, horses, and fantastic food--a triple treat! Ellie and Sigrid find an abandoned baby in a church and raise her with love in the household of three brilliant but dotty professors where they work as servants. Though happy in her life, Annika dreams the dream of all foundlings, that one day her missing mother will arrive and explain why she deserted her little daughter. She has many friends including a lonely old lady who shares the story of her life through beautiful but seemingly worthless costume jewelry. Annika has a gift for cooking and food is deliciously described in this story. One day Annika's mysterious mother does show up. She seems to be everything Annika ever dreamed of and she sweeps her daughter off to a decaying and crumbling estate in Germany. Compared to her simple life in Vienna where she was always warm and well fed, here the rooms are unheated and the food is served cold. Annika happily offers to help out but she is reminded she is now an aristocrat and may not cook or clean. Her only joy is working with the gifted stable boy who cares for the one remaining horse on the estate. Old Vienna is wonderfully described from the Lipizzaner horses to the Sachar tortes! Kevin Hawkes is the illustrator of choice now for Ibbotson's books. His fine detailed drawings throughout the story are a treat for the reader. Like "River to the Sea," this story is rich in atmosphere with great characters and a very exciting crisis and escape that satisfies completely, sort of like a bite of rich, chocolaty Sachar torte!