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Title details for Alchemy by Margaret Mahy - Available

Alchemy

by Margaret Mahy
ebook
2 of 3 copies available
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2 of 3 copies available
Mindblowing novel from multi-awardwinning author, Margaret Mahy. Roland has everything a young man could wish for – good looks, enough money, a cool relationship with his mother, ready wit, intelligence, a sexy girlfriend, a perfect school record. So the fact that he committed a petty crime and that, somehow, one of his teachers knows about it is something he can hardly explain to himself, let alone anyone else.The teacher, Mr Hudson, uses this knowledge to blackmail Roland into befriending the school misfit – Jess Ferret. The reason he gives is concern for her wellbeing, but even Roland finds this rather far-fetched. And when Jess doesn't respond to his confident advances, he becomes intrigued with the girl for his own reasons.Roland discovers Jess's dark secret and also finds that he has one of his own...

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 27, 2014

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780007406760

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780007406760
      • File size: 921 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 870
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 7, 2003
      Veteran author Mahy (The Changeover; The Tricksters) again displays her knack for expressing family tensions via supernatural events in this uneven but often gripping novel. Seventeen-year-old Roland, one of the "top guys" at school, finds his carefully controlled life taking some surprising turns, beginning when he uncharacteristically (and inexplicably) shoplifts at the local store. Although Roland isn't caught, his English teacher knows about the incident and uses it to blackmail him into cozying up to a classmate, the loner Jess Ferret. As Roland slowly learns of Jess's interest in alchemy, he becomes reacquainted with his own magical powers and also must face his feelings about his father, who left the family seven years previously. Like a fairytale prince (albeit in a contemporary New Zealand setting), Roland rushes to Jess's aid, rescuing her from a greedy mage as well as a familial disaster she herself created. While some readers may chafe at the lengthy set-up and the disproportionately hasty wrap-up, many will find sufficient payoff in watching Roland's slick, painstakingly constructed persona melt in a blaze of real feeling. Mahy's fans will relish the combination of realistic, full-bodied characters and elaborately plotted fantasy. Ages 12-up.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from August 23, 2004
      A teacher discovers that Roland, one of the "top guys" at school, is shoplifting; the man uses the incident to blackmail the teen into cozying up to a loner student, whose interest in alchemy prompts Roland's awareness of his own magical powers. "Fans of this author will relish the combination of realistic, full-bodied characters and elaborately plotted fantasy," PW
      said. Ages 12-up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:870
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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