The Apothecary (The Apothecary Series)

Okay, so it's not just me. I've been watching the reviews on this one over the last couple of days and they keep dropping little by little. Weird way to start a review, I know. But I was just really confused when I finished this book. I was really looking forward to reading it, and it just didn't

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live up to my expectations. I feel like I have been a broken record lately with my last five or so reviews, but I am just having a run of bad luck with the books I have been reading lately. The Apothecary was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was frustrated when it didn't do for me what I had hoped it would.

I guess I was looking for a book full of mystery, potions, and intrigue. Look at the cover. Look at the summary! I don't know what happened exactly, but I found it really boring. Honestly. There were some memorable parts, but for the most part I just wanted it to be over. The characters were flat, the plot and history in the were way too advanced and in-depth for middle-grade readers, and I almost felt like the book was trying too hard. Like it was a book written for adults shoved into a middle-grade package. And then, come to find out that this is the first young-adult book this author has written and I think that makes a lot of sense. There's no denying that she is a great writer, but perhaps she should stick with what she knows? This book just totally didn't work for me.

The illustrations were gorgeous. My copy of the book didn't have all the completed sketches, but the ones that were there were beautiful and really helped to create an atmosphere of mystery around the book, but the story itself was just..flat. The writing was beautiful, but again, way too advanced for a middle-grade reader. I don't read a ton of middle-grade, but when I compare it to say, Harry Potter and The Emerald Atlas, the topic of this book (nuclear war, cold war, etc.) just doesn't seem like something kids would know all that much about. I remember in middle school like spending one week on the Cold War and when the unit was over, I still didn't know anything about it. Totally just my opinion, I know. But it was something I couldn't help but think about the entire time I was reading the book. Then again, it's been a long, long time since I have been in middle-school.

I've been done with The Apothecary for a couple of days, and there's not a whole lot that I remember about it. It was severely lacking in character development, and I missed the emotional connection that I usually get when reading again. It was just an event, followed by an event, followed by an event, which I know is how most books really go, but there needs to be more. And there just wasn't. And if after reading this review you are just as lost as I am, then I guess I accomplished my goal of writing a completely nonsensical review. What else is new?

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The Apothecary was one of the better young adult novels I've read this year. Intelligent, emotional, and thrilling, the story drew me in and kept hold of me from the very beginning.

It's set in Cold War-era London, where everyone's suspicious of the Soviet Union, where the school thinks hiding the

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children under tables is suitable protection from bombs, where rations and fear make life hard. But beyond this is a hidden, magical world that Janie discovers with friends Benjamin and Pip--beginning with the kidnapping of Benjamin's father.

Pros:
Well written, moving story with three-dimensional characters and a plot that makes it hard to put the book down.
Fans of J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, and Eion Colfer will love it.

Cons:
At times, it feels a bit more like a children's book than young adult, in that the characters are very naive and the thoughts are pretty juvenile. However, I'm going to attribute this to "it was a simpler time." The illustrations also contribute to the children's-book-feel, but they were pretty, so whatever.

Anyway, it was a damn good read, and I'll definitely read it again before the year's out.

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Read this in an ARC I was given at Book Expo America. Absolutely fabulous book, start to finish. I was raving about it to my 11-year-old and she was sort of putting me off, and then I read her the first two chapters. She was hooked! She took it and read in a day. I highly recommend this upcoming

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title. We passed it on to a close friend of hers and I recommended it to her parents as well. If you have an eager reader to buy for, this is a top pick for the fall/holiday season this year.

Well-written, intelligent "fantasy" thriller that sets the time and place very well, featuring two likable teen protagonists who take on forces much bigger than they can imagine, including the Soviet Union and the Cold War Arms race. There are fantastic elements, but they are well placed in an otherwise straightforward mid-20th century milieu that will seem as long ago and faraway as any other work of historical fiction. I think kids who enjoy Harry Potter and Rick Riordan will be easily engaged.

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This was such a delightfully fun read! The story begins with a note from Janie to the reader, dated 2011. She reveals that she is ready to tell the story of when she was 14 years old in 1952. I enjoyed the historical aspects of this book. Janie is forced to leave Los Angeles with her parents. They

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must flee to London in order for her parents to avoid questioning, as suspected communists. Janie develops an interest in Benjamin after seeing him stand up for what he believes in. Janie and Benjamin are such lovable characters. There was such great characterization. I adored them both along with others. I had a smile on my face or was laughing out loud numerous times throughout the book. When I wasn’t smiling, my heart was pacing. There are lots of suspenseful moments, where they get themselves into trouble. Or does trouble find them? Either way, there’s plenty of action. Janie helps Benjamin to find his kidnapped father, the apothecary. His father left behind the Pharmacopoeia, a book filled with magical recipes. They must protect this book, and keep it from getting into the wrong hands of the soviet spies. They’re not sure who they can trust, besides each other.

Maile Meloy has created a magical story that was a joy to be pulled into. It was a pretty quick read. I read the whole book in one day. Even though it’s a middle grade read, I wouldn’t hesitate recommending this to all ages. I’m 23 and enjoyed it immensely. After reading, I love this cover so much more. It depicts one of my favorite scenes from the book, with the message, allow for the possibilities. Watch out for this one in October, 2011.

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This is a very enjoyable and fun read. The story provides a great mix of history combined with magic and adventure. Janie, the main character, is forced to move to London with her parents which she is not happy about. However, she ends up meeting a boy named Benjamin and embarking on a dangerous

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mission to stop destruction from the testing of an atomic bomb with the help of a little magic. I would definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy books with adventure and magic like Harry Potter and others in that genre.

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"The Apothecary" is an easy young adult novel to read, and quickly captures the attention of the reader into wanting to learn more and more of Janie's adventures in London in 1952. The magical happenings of the characters never seem out of place, and as eccentric as some of the ideas and characters

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seem to be, everything fits together extremely well. I would especially recommend this novel to anyone who has ever felt out-of-place: whether because of a far-away move like Janie's, or if in their everyday life they feel slightly removed from those around them. This is, in essence, a book for those misfits. Janie is easy to relate to, and the book is amusing without being laugh-out-loud funny. Special praise for the artist Ian Schoenherr for the wonderful sketches at the start of each chapter (I wished that every sketch was complete in this advanced edition!).
My biggest issue with this book is that I feel like there are tons of loose ends that never got a tidy finish. Even if Maile Meloy is intentionally leaving things open-ended for a sequel, there are still some questions that remain unanswered that I feel even a 13 year old reader will still be wondering about, especially concerning Janie's future with Benjamin. When combining the questions that arise at the end of the book with the letter to the reader at the start, these wonderings about Janie & Benjamin's future together feel like they need to be answered.
The only other issue I have with this book is that some descriptions of characters and settings seem lacking. I know that this is a young adult novel and it doesn't need descriptions like Dickens, but the imagery could definitely be stronger in certain parts.

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The Apothecary is a refreshing YA novel set in post-WWII London. Janie Scott is a 14-year-old American girl unhappy to move to London due to the activities of her parents, who have drawn the attention of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. She tries to adapt to her new school, making

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friends and acquaintances, and gets drawn into mysterious happenings. Meloy skillfully weaves Cold War spies and double agents, the atomic bomb fears and arms race, scientific research, and pharmeceutical potion-making into a seamless whole. Definitely not a typical fantasy adventure; much more set directly in 1950s Britain. It was an engrossing read, with well-drawn characters who frequently have both good and bad aspects.

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I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from Librarything's Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.

From the back of the book:

"It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. There, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and becomes

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fascinated by his son, Benjamin Burrows -- a boy who isn't afraid to stand up to authority and who dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping those secrets out of the hands of Russian spies. Discovering transformative elixirs they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending nuclear disaster."

What I liked about the book: Janie! She's a very likable character. I loved how she practiced walking like Katherine Hepburn. The time period. I love books that take place during or shortly after WWII. I also love fantasy and The Apothecary is a nice mix of historical fiction and fantasy. The fantasy elements really have more of a scientific bent. Granted, the transformative elixirs are total fantasy, but they really don't feel magical. The characters that mix up/use these wonderful elixirs do so as scientists (or rather as I expect scientists would) approach scientific experiments/research.

What I didn't like about the book: The ending. It ends with many questions unanswered and it is not clear if this will be a series. I sure hope it will be a series, there is a lot more I would like to know about these characters and their endeavors.

This is a good read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or fantasy or both. I will be adding this to the book order for the Chinook library. Anticipated release date is October 2011.

Mrs. Archer's Rating: 5 of 5

Recommended for 5th grade an up.

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The problem with a fantasy novel that does not, as mandated by genre, kill off the parents, is that the tedious issue of parents dealing with their young children's adventures (or the children's disbelief-suspending avoidance of discovery) must be addressed. While Meloy's resolution to this

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quandary is not the most satisfying, the magic she brings to a 1952 London in which alchemy is alive and well offsets that small annoyance. Janie and her family move from Los Angeles (where the McCarthy hearings are in full force) to London under a certain amount of duress. Janie meets Benjamin, the son of the apothecary, who confesses an infatuation with the mean girl at school and an ambition to become a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin team up with Pip, a local pickpocket, and Sergei, a fellow student, to protect the book with which the apothecary has entrusted his son. Without giving up too many plot points, I will say that I wasn't entirely satisfied with the level of involvement of either Pip or Sergei. While they play key roles, they seemed a bit neglected and shoved out of the way during the main plot (which involves using alchemy to avert a nuclear disaster).

The setting of this novel was fantastic. In post-war London, shortages are still in effect, nuclear power is a major issue, and across the Atlantic, anti-Communist paranoia and unbelievable abridgments of First Amendment rights are affecting families. Alchemy is more science than magic, and the distillation of herbs into wonderful potions is great fun. The ending left me uncertain as to whether this book begins a series or not. If it does, the ending is pointlessly expositional, but if it does not, there are unanswered questions that make it deeply unsatisfying. I found the combination of alchemy with the historical setting highly readable, so I hope the first is the case. Although it has its flaws, THE APOTHECARY was an enjoyable read.

Source disclosure: I received this book compliments of the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

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First off, if you didn't know what an Apothecary is, it's another name for a Pharmacist or a person who prepares and sells medicine/drugs.
I was going to rate The Apothecary 3 1/2 stars in the beginning because the story drags on and is some what monotonous, but you get use to the writing style and

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towards the end it started to get really good. And the ending was just perfect.

Jane Scott, aka Janie which she prefers to be called, is a 14 year old who lives in Los Angeles with her parents. They soon secretively leave and move to London when Janie gets followed home from school by the government. The government believes that Jane's parents are communists, so they are placed on a list with other people who needs to be "watched."
On arriving to London, Janie dislikes everything from her new home, her new school, the uniform, and the "populars" of St. Beden's School. But soon all that changes when a simple Bomb Drill happens during lunch and a defiant boy who doesn't see the point to comply with hiding under the table catches her eye and draws her attention.
On her way home from school she hears the familiar voice of the boy and realizes that he is the Apothecary's son, Benjamin. Janie eavesdrops on their conversation and over hears their argument on how Benjamin does not want to take on the family business. Benjamin's decision gets put into question after his father gets kidnapped and the only one he can turn to is Janie.
Benjamin and Janie then go head on into a world of secrets, lies, danger, and things that you would never believe was possible, alchemy.

I enjoyed Janie so much because she is very mature for a fourteen year old. She's witty and smart and not at all needy, juvenile, or the damsel in distress. Maile Meloy did very well to make Janie relatable and a great narrator in the story.

Benjamin, the male protagonist, was really plain. That's not to say it was a bad thing. He was very refreshing to read because he didn't right off the bat fall "love at first sight" fancied Janie like most YAs produce. He was not so much as a bad boy persona but a driven and outspoken character. With all the trials and tribulations Benjamin and Janie went through, it left no room for a romantic relationship, however, there was room to blossom.

Pip is such a character!! I love him! Pip plays the sidekick roll to the two, but he brought such a critical roll that without him the story would lack luster. He is very distinct, cocky, and comical that he made the most nerve wrecking of times enjoyable and humorous.

I couldn't help but see The Apothecary side by side with The Chronicles of Narnia and The Golden Compass. The Apothecary is written whimsically and fairy tale like. A story I would love to be read to, and a story I will read to my son at bed time.

The ending had me in tears and ended in a good note, some what as a stand alone. I can only wish The Apothecary is the beginning of a series and that there will be more adventures with Benjamin and Janie with Pip at the tow.

Thank you Putnam Juvenile for this well liked ARC treat!!

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Very thrilling, which surprised me because I dont normally read books about 14 yr-olds anymore. It is, however, a fantasy/sci-fi, which appeals to me very much. I enjoyed the storyline very much, with the story being set in London, which meant I got to use my English accent. Janie's attitude

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reminds me of my own, Benjamin is a very well written character in that he is stubborn, but doesn't want to be seen as a coward in any way and together they make a great pair.

As has been said before, fans of Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, and and Riordan book will love and adore. Its a great book to read before going to bed if you're not really tired but you need to wind down.

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I feel horrible that it took me so long to get to this book. It has been on my currently reading list but I kept getting stolen away from it. This is a spectacular book!!! (that's why I feel so bad.)

The Apothecary is written for young readers but the suspense and story line is so compelling I

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couldn't put it down. The story starts a little bit slow with Janie moving from California to London with her mom and dad, she starts at a new school and meets a boy named Benjamin, who wants to be a spy. In going along with him on his spying missions Janie and Benjamin find that the Apothecary (Bens dad) is in trouble and is kidnapped...

The story from there gets even better with suspense, secrets, danger, and more.

Great read for young adults, early readers, and anyone who loves an easy yet exciting young read.

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What a fun read!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and found the writing delightful. The author was particularly good at sketching characters, and the whole story was full of vibrant images. I definitely recommend this title to anyone looking for a great book to while away a couple of hours!

With the end of World War II came the Cold War and the beginning of the Nuclear Arms Race. In 1952, fourteen-year-old Janie Scott lives in Los Angeles with her parents who are television writers. When Janie is followed home one day by government agents, her parents swiftly pack up and move the

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family to London. The government suspects her parents may be communists, and this move will help protect them.

Janie hates everything about her new city. London is still recovering after WWII and isn’t at all what Janie is used to. The worst part is that the families new flat has no hot water or heat, so Janie and her father head down to the local Apothecary shop to pick up a few hot water bottles. Mr. Burrows, the owner, is a kind man, and Janie immediately takes to him.

The next day, during a “duck and cover” bomb drill at school, Janie meets a defiant boy named Benjamin. He doesn’t see the point in these drills, and refuses to get under the tables like all the other boys and girls. This boy turns out to be Mr. Burrows son, and he and Janie become fast friends. When his father is kidnapped, Benjamin is left in control of an old book titled The Pharmacopoeia, which is filled with magical potions, handed down for centuries by the Burrows family. It’s up to Janie and Benjamin to protect the book so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands as they search for his missing father.

The Apothecary is a fun, exciting and often-funny adventure that I very much enjoyed. The story is engaging and exciting, and the characters are all realistic and a lot of fun. All qualities that will definitely appeal to middle-graders and young adults alike. It’s fun to see a book set in this time period for younger readers since many of them probably have no clue what the Cold War even is. This book is out in October, and I highly recommend putting it on your child’s (or your) reading list.

(I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program)

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A brilliantly written novel set in 1950’s, after World War II. That was never my type of book, but something about the cover caught my eye. Probably the best judged cover I’ve ever picked up. It was exciting and full of magical adventure that could rival Harry Potter. It kept me entertained

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with it's action on every page. Janie and Benjamin are great characters too. Definitely a book worth picking up.

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THE APOTHECARY is the kind of middle-grade historical thriller that younger audiences or readers who are interested more in the actions rather than the thoughts and motivations of characters will enjoy best. I couldn't help feeling like it relied a little too much on old-fashioned attitudes toward

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WWII-era enemies and allies in its portrayal of foreign characters. It was disconcerting to see Jin Lo, the Chinese chemist, portrayed as a beautiful, poised, elegant, and a little snooty woman who casually swoops in to save the clumsy citizens with her stunning brain and, oh, just so happens to be good at kung fu as well. She is like the MG historical fiction equivalent of the perfect--and perfectly exoticized--Asian female kung fu master character that seems like a necessity in martial arts films and is the stuff of socially awkward, anime-loving teenage boys' wet dreams. Ick.

Janie was a pretty decent protagonist who didn't degenerate into pity-me helplessness no matter how hard the story tried to force its characters into cardboard roles. Janie's parents' and their friends are the kind of nerdy, intelligent, and wacky-humored adults that I want more of, both in literature and in real life. Unfortunately, the story's determination to let its nonstop fast pace slip and slide around without regarding for natural character development meant that, despite how potentially awesome the characters were, I never connected to the characters or the story.

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Not many authors of literary fiction take a turn at writing young adult novels. Maile Meloy's Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It was one of the best short story collections I've read (I haven't read either of her previous novels). Now she has written The Apothecary, an adventure novel about a trio

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of fourteen year-olds who fall into a magical world of an apothecary and the ancient art/science/magic of alchemy. It is very good, although falls short of outstanding.

The most interesting aspect of the novel is its setting in postwar Britain in 1952, with a backdrop of a city still scared by bombs, suffering through rationing, and living in fear of a nuclear war. Although these themes are highlighted by the contrast with sunny California, where the narrator is from before following her blacklisted parents to London. It also does a good job capturing British public schools, a magical cockney boy named "Pip", and the world of fourteen year old children.

The magic itself is somewhere between imaginatively magical and a somewhat annoying deus ex machina that always makes books like this suffer to some degree from a combination of the improbable and the inevitable. If anything, the parts before the magic starts to reveal itself are more interesting. The adventure too moves along quickly with a series of short chapters. But it too is somewhat hackneyed and not fully satisfying, but never boring.

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What is the genre for british kids who use potions to help solve crimes and foil the plottings of stupid and selfish adults? If you're thinking Harry Potter, you're close but Meloy has a distinct voice and more than enough skill to keep it interesting. The plot moves along and displays a fun

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familiarity without feeling stale.

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This is a spy story of sorts, set in 1952 England, with some very impressive teenagers as the heroes. It is fast paced and magical and reminds me very much of the Harry Potter's books without whisking you away to a whole other world, but with the threat of atom bombs looming large every day.

Janie

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is an American teen forced to move to England with her parents to get away from the blackballing of the "Red Scare" in Hollywood (they are script writers). She meets Benjamin, who is not afraid to state his mind to anyone about anything, at her new school. He is the son of the local apothecary, but is refusing to learn what in his eyes is the boring family business. That is until his father is kidnapped by the Russians, and the teens find an ancient book of his that contains spells that will help them find and save his father (and much, much more).

Though meant for middle grades and teens, once you pick up this book you won't want to put it down, no matter what your age. It moves quickly with all sorts of surprises along the race to the very satisfying conclusion that makes the way for this to be a series. I, for one, very much hope so!

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Writing unbelievable things in a way that convinces a reader is tough! Meloy does just that by whisking her heroine into a non-stop world of spies, traitors, atomic scientists, and ... pharmacists. This one's set in the McCarthy era/Commie Scare era and centered around a girl whose show-biz parents

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leave Los Angeles a step ahead of the Feds who want to grill them about their ties to Communism. The book is really solid through the middle and I couldn't put it down. The second half rushes too much and lacks some of the development that would have made the story rock solid. Then the writer succumbs to one of those "leave room for a sequel" unresolved endings. Still, the book left me wanting more and I'm guessing this is a writer to watch.

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Janie and her parents move from Los Angeles to London after her parents manage to get on the notorious list in the 1950's. They write for the BBC and Janie meets an apothecary and his son, who is her age. This is a fun YA read that covers quite a bit of history, the cold war with the Duck and Cover

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song, Russian spies as Janie and Benjamin find themselves attempting to save a sacred book of Pharmacopoeia.

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It is a very interesting story. It has a good number of magical like things but not an unnesesary number. The characters and setting are well thought out and work together well. Q4P4 AHS/Connor M

The Apothecary follows an American girl named Janie and an English boy named Benjamin on a wild and crazy adventure. Janie has moved to England with her screenwriter parents and finds fitting in with the locals a challenge. Then she meets Benjamin and hopes she has found a friend in the boy who

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spends his time playing spy and longing for a life full of adventure. Benjamin is the son of the local Apothecary and seems dead set on not following in his father's boring footsteps. Benjamin can't begin to imagine the secrets his father is keeping. Janie and Benjamin are soon immersed in a world of danger and magic that neither could have ever imagined as real.

This book was so much fun! I loved all the characters. Janie, Benjamin, and Pip especially. The storyline was extremely intriguing and had me longing to find out what happened next. I loved that alchemy played a huge role in the plot. This book was 100% engaging and entertaining. I believe this is more MG than YA, but I feel it can easily appeal to readers of all ages.

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It's 1952 and Janie Scott has great parents, an interesting life in L.A. - she's happy. All of that changes because of The House of Un-American Activities Committee's interest in Janie's parents who are television writers in Hollywood. They say they're not Communists but the government is having

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them followed and is ready to arrest them soon. So the Scotts flee to England to write for a BBC Robin Hood tv show under assumed names. Janie is miserable to be leaving all she's ever known and not helping matters is the fact that England isn't as fully recovered from the destruction and rationing of the war as America is. Plus, Janie starts at a grammar school where she is out of place and made fun of by the other kids, especially popular and rich Sarah Jane Pennington. But the apothecary around the corner from their apartment is kind to her, giving her a potion for homesickness. She visits him after school one day and becomes involved in intrigue with his son Benjamin Burrows, who goes to her school. It turns out that Ben's Father is involved in a covert plot to stop the detonation and/or testing of an atomic bomb by the Russians near Norway. He plans to help three other scientists using a book called the Pharmocopeia that uses science to perform magical feats like invisibility, truth-telling and transforming into a bird. Will Janie and Benjamin be able to save Benjamin's father after he's kidnapped by rival spies? What is their Latin teacher Mr. Danby's connection? Are their classmate Sergei Shiskin and his father friend or foe, and can they trust the juvenile delinquent Pip? Also, there is romance brewing between Janie and Benjamin. This book was extremely well-written and it almost read like an autobiography most of the time. The Cold War and spies in general normally bore the tar out of me, but Maile Meloy kept me at the edge of my seat for the entire book. For a young adult debut it is very polished and has wonderful characters that are relatable and you can sympathize with easily. It is a must read for anyone who likes fish-out-of-water, high flying adventure stories.

VERDICT: 5/5 Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*

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