The Amaranth Enchantment

by Julie Gardner Berry

Overview

When a mysterious piece of jewelry and a strange visitor arrive in the jewelry shop where she works for her evil aunt, Lucinda's course takes a surprising turn. With the help of the Amaranth Witch, a young (and harmless) con-artist, and a prince, Lucinda uncovers secrets about her own royal past. A strong seller in hardcover, this original fairytale marks an exciting debut from a lyrical new voice

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599905754
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	131,912
File size:	651 KB
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Julie Berry grew up in western New York. She holds a BS in communications from Rensselaer and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College. She now lives in eastern Massachusetts with her husband and four young sons, and works as a director of software sales and marketing for a technology startup. This is her first book.

www.julieberrybooks.com

JULIE BERRY grew up in western New York. She holds a BS in communications from Rensselaer and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College. She now lives in eastern Massachusetts with her husband and four young sons. The Amaranth Enchantment was her first book. www.julieberrybooks.com

Editorial Reviews

Berry's enticing debut novel teems with romance, danger and suspense. Lucinda, a 15-year-old orphan, leads a miserable existence as a servant until she gains possession of an unusual stone belonging to Beryl, a reputed witch. As luck would have it, the gem is stolen and sold to a prince before Lucinda even realizes it is gone. Most of the plot centers on Lucinda's adventures trying to retrieve the stone from the prince, with whom she predictably falls in love. Fantasy buffs will delight in the author's playful use of fairy tale conventions-unlike Cinderella, Lucinda has the good sense to retrieve her lost slipper after attending a ball ("I considered leaving it there, but one footfall in my stocking feet on the cold granite changed my mind"). But the book's main appeal comes from the revelations of many secrets and unexpected twists, including the truth about Beryl. Lucinda has to work harder than most such heroines to acquire her happily-ever-after ending, but her efforts eventually pay off, while leaving readers with enough unanswered questions to set imaginations spinning. Ages 10-14. (Mar.)

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Publishers Weekly

As a child, Lucinda Chapdelaine was left orphaned after her parents died in a terrible accident. Taken in by her uncle, a goldsmith, and his wife, who is her step aunt, she grows up penniless as an unpaid servant. When the dreaded Amaranth Witch visits the small shop, Lucinda comes into possession of a stone that will send her world spinning. She is offered the chance to reclaim her family's possessions and takes up the task determined to succeed. It will take every bit of her strength and wit, along with the help of her faithful goat named Dog and a street thief named Peter, to overcome the obstacles that stand between her and happily ever after. Berry crafts a beautiful fairy tale in her debut novel. Readers will find themselves swept away by the action and captivated by the suspense, while the many twists advance the plot superbly and keep the reader's imagination spinning. Lucinda is an enchanting young woman with a charming wit and inspiring determination—a refreshing fairy-tale heroine willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve her much deserved goals. Like a blooming flower, her story is delightfully surprising novel. Reviewer: Susan Hampe

VOYA - Susan Hampe

Gr 5-8

In a fairy-tale kingdom, orphaned 15-year-old Lucinda toils for her uncle and his spiteful wife in their jewelry shop. During the opening chapters, the shop is visited by a mysterious woman wanting an enormous gem reset, the prince of the kingdom searching for a suitable gift for his betrothed, and a common street urchin who is an accomplished thief. These characters play significant roles in the breakneck adventure cum romance that ensues as the gem changes hands and Lucinda is almost hanged. Berry plays with elements of traditional folklore-the poor orphan deprived of her birthright, the desirable woman who flees the prince after a few bewitching dances, royals disguised as indigents, and greed run amok. Romantics and fantasy lovers will happily devour this debut novel.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

A lively, quick, stylish, engaging first novel with some lovely, familiar fairy-tale elements. Lucinda lives with her uncle and step-aunt, her parents having been killed horribly in a coach accident after a royal ball. Her aunt is downright vicious, and when her uncle dies, Lucinda is on her own. Beryl, an otherworldly customer of her uncle's jewel shop, leads her to the house that belonged to her parents. She needs to return the large, pale jewel Beryl had brought to be set, but finds it missing from her pocket. Beryl, the jewel, an outrageous young pickpocket known all too well to the prince of the kingdom and all the wild threads that connect them to one other and to Lucinda's parents and past will enthrall young readers-who probably won't care that some of the magic is a little wobbly or that the elysian flower of the title comes from Milton. There's also a goat named Dog, who figures mightily in the action and may or may not have a few magicks himself. (Fantasy. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews