‘’Our hats are a bit like books,’’ Cordelia began. ‘’They contain magic, but it’s up to the person reading the book to bring the magic to life. Without the reader, the magic just sits there. Same as a hat.’’

Cordelia and her friends are fighting against time and a ruthless enemy to stop the destruction of all magic places as ashes throttle London’s skies. Meanwhile, the enmity among the Makers threatens the girl’s plans to overcome pure Evil. And let us not forget that Prospero is still missing, presumed dead.

Let me tell you why the second volume of Cordelia’s exciting adventures created by the wonderful Tamzin Merchant is an enchanting perfection…

‘’Cordelia Hatmaker was following a star. The North Star hung above the dark jostle of night-time London - just out of reach but never out of sight. Even the smudges of smoke rising from the city’s chimneys could not dim Polaris’s brightness.’’

‘’As if on cue in a Drury Lane drama, chimes sounded beneath their feet. From way up in the air, they heard all the voices of London’s bells, ringing deep and silvery across the city.’’

London is the perfect setting for a perfect story. The capital with its unique atmosphere becomes a character that both guides and confuses. Father Thames, Drury Lane, Guildhall, Blackfriars Bridge. The haunting ringing of the bells, the grey sky, the alleys, every odour and sound, every dark corner, every street. Along with beautiful references to Britain’s vast lore and legends, from Stonehenge to the Arthurian cycle, we follow Cordelia on an exciting journey within the heart of a glorious, mystical tradition.

‘’Magic brings joy - but it goes deeper than that, deeper than clothes. It goes right to our souls. It’s what we’re made of.’’

‘’Because Makers have the power to create. Witloof only has the power to destroy.’’

Cordelia’s story is a song dedicated to friendship, companionship, courage, an ode to the power we all have to create and evolve. And yet, all we do is destroy the gifts we have been given since times immemorial. All we care about is how to be ‘’powerful’’, how to control, how to deny what we cannot understand, how to mould what does not conform to our idea of how things SHOULD be. Cordelia, her family and her friends show how strong we can be when we are united, how we can overcome the hurdles while staying true to ourselves. And this is the most significant message we can communicate to the young members of our society.

Books like this one make our world a better, brighter place. They bring back the magic we all need, they restore our determination, our persistence and, ultimately, our conviction that Evil does not win in the end…

And! I can’t wait for Volume 3!

‘’We’re never really lost when we can see the stars in front of our eyes.’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/… (mehr)

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AmaliaGavea | 1 weitere Rezension | Jun 25, 2022 |

The Mapmakers von Tamzin Merchant

This is such a wonderful story and I cannot wait to read Tamzin's future books.

It is hard to know what to write about the book because I don't want to let any spoilers slip. I will say that this book brings us back into the world of Makers, there is still a serious threat, and Cordelia seems to be the only person who ever sees the threat.

I teared up a couple of time while reading this book. I absolutely loved the ending; Jelly! (you will understand this when you read it).

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Shauna_Morrison | 1 weitere Rezension | May 26, 2022 |

Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the… von Angela Burke Kunkel

This book is about two Jose's who have a love for reading. One of the Jose's is young and the other Jose collects garbage while searching for books. When he finds books on his route, he shares them with the children in the community including little Jose. The book also contains words and phrases in Spanish. I would definitely recommend this book because it demonstrates the impact books can have. This is a good book for 2nd and 3rd graders to read and a read aloud for 3rd graders.

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Sandra_Montes | 9 weitere Rezensionen | Mar 18, 2022 |

Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the… von Angela Burke Kunkel

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is about a garbage man who searches for books in the trash in order to take them to a building where children can look at them, creating his own library for the children in La Nueva Gloria barrio. This would be a good book for primary students, though maybe upper primary or in a dual language class because there are some words in the book that are in Spanish, so it may be confusing for younger students.

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Makenzie-Thatch | 9 weitere Rezensionen | Mar 15, 2022 |

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