As a former educator, I have always
had an appreciation for children’s literature. Okay, I can’t honestly claim
that as my defense. I am a wildly imaginative person who loves world of
outlandish fantasy and adventure; children’s literature speaks to me because no
idea is too absurd or silly, and as I passed through my teenage years into
young adulthood I continued to read children’s fantasy. Maile Meloy’s (pronounced
My-lee Meloy) first novel for young readers, The Apothecary, has interested me since the first time I saw it on
my store’s shelves but for some reason I always put off reading it. When The Apothecary appeared on the strip
shelf, I felt compelled to save the poor novel from the horrible fate of being
recycled. I am so happy that I did.
Set in the Cold War era, The Apothecary follows a fourteen year-old
named Janie Scott, a typical American girl who stresses over her algebra
problems and practices walking like Katharine Hepburn. When Janie’s parents are
accused of being Communists they flee from Los Angeles to London, where she
meets an apothecary and his rebellious son, Benjamin. Intrigued by his defiance
towards authority, Janie strikes up a friendship with Benjamin and his
curiosity quickly draws them into a dangerous plot that has roots in all levels
of government and across nations. At the center of it all is the apothecary’s mysterious
book, the Pharmacopoeia, which contains secrets that can either save the world
or destroy it. When Benjamin’s father is kidnapped, he and Janie embark on a
desperate quest to master the Pharmacopoeia’s secrets and rescue the apothecary
before their enemies catch up to them and all is lost.
Meloy’s portrayal of 1950’s London
quickly draws the reader in with its fantastical charms while the details she
includes make it realistic and believable. In the aftermath of World War II,
London was still the grand city we know today but she was also scarred and
recovering from the horrors of war. Meloy includes references to the hardships
of the times such as rationed food and clothing, coin-operated heating units,
and bomb drills in school. Her Londoners are friendly and warm at heart but
this warmth is buried under Communist fear, suspicion and distrust prevent
people from growing close to one another.
At the same time, Meloy’s whimsy manages to captivate in a way that rivals the world of—wait for it—Harry Potter. The Apothecary is littered with moments that are clearly inspired by Rowling’s series but have charms of their own, such as a scene where the children are using an invisibility potion. In order for it to work they must shed their clothes and bathe in the solution, and even after the invisibility has set in the children continue to panic any time one of them is looking at another; the innocence captured in moments such as this is the book’s greatest asset. I can’t wait to read the sequel. I would recommend The Apothecary to readers who enjoyed the Harry Potter series, P.B. Kerr’s Children of the Lamp series, or Colin Meloy’s Wildwood.
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