Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Sharing: The Apprentices

The Apprentices is Maile Meloy's follw-up to her stunning first book for middle grades, The Apothecary.

The book picks up two years after the Janie Scott and Benjamin Burrows part ways, with the help of some memory-erasing elixir. Janie is a student at a boarding school in New England. Ben has been traveling the world, helping his disillusioned father, the apothecary, care for people in war stricken areas, such as Vietnam. The entire crew who saved the world in the first installment has splintered and gone their separate ways with differing priorities.

Ben tries to remind his father of their larger purpose, which is attempting to save the world from the possibility of an atomic bomb, but a series of failures leads his father down a different path. All the while, Ben can't stop thinking of Janie and finds a way to connect them over thousands of miles and dozens of months.

Meanwhile, Janie is dealing the repercussions of her own scientific success, doled out by a vindictive roommate and the roommate's ambitious, malicious father. She is also confused by feelings for a boy who is kind, but is not Ben. Eventually, Janie and the Burrows are brought together again in circumstances just as dire and exciting as the first time.

This book is an incredible sequel to the The Apothecary and is one middle grades title that you won't want to miss!

Who Should Read It?
This book is a solid MG title with the ability to interest emerging YA readers, as well.

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