  | City of magic Author: Avi | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
Mangus the Magician and his thirteen-year-old servant, Fabrizio, are commanded to go to Venice, on pain of death, to find a book by Friar Luca Pacioli that reportedly contains a magical means of making money; but Venice is a strange and dangerous city, and someone else is also after the book--then Mangus is arrested, and taken to the prison, and Fabrizio and Bianca, an orphan he has met, must find a way to secure the book, save Magnus, and themselves.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.60 Points: 8.0 Quiz: 515605 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (04/15/22)
Booklist (+) (05/15/22)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 05/15/2022 *Starred Review* Fabrizio is a kind but naive lad and a devoted servant of Mangus the Magician, who lives in an Italian kingdom in 1492. When King Claudio orders elderly Mangus to travel to Venice and procure a book explaining a secret of acquiring wealth (Claudio’s misunderstanding of double-entry bookkeeping), Mangus must go. Thirteen-year-old Fabrizio accompanies him and, when his frail master falls ill, takes charge. During the journey, the boy thoughtlessly shares information with strangers, endangering their mission and their lives. In Venice, Mangus is immediately imprisoned. Befriending a local girl and a friar, Fabrizio attempts to complete his master’s quest, despite mortal danger from a rival in Claudio’s court as well as Venetian authorities. In this companion book to Avi’s Midnight Magic and Murder at Midnight (2009), he transports readers to a series of vividly realized Italian Renaissance settings and continues the adventures of Fabrizio, a flawed but lovable character who means well, frequently acts on impulse, and stubbornly clings to his hope that Mangus can perform magic, despite the “magician’s” protests that he cannot. The novel’s pace is quick, and tension is often high, particularly during the chase scenes. Readers who have followed Fabrizio’s perilous journey will find the story’s ending completely satisfying.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Avi is a pillar of kid's historical fiction, and this companion to a beloved series is sure to attract his stalwart fans. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
