Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Harcourt Children's Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Pages
262
Description
Fantasy. Suspense. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: The day Sacha found out he could see witches was the worst day of his life . . . Being an Inquisitor is no job for a nice Jewish boy. But when the police learn that Sacha Kessler can see witches, he's apprenticed to the department's star Inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf. Their mission is to stop magical crime. And New York at the beginning of the twentieth century is a magical melting pot where each ethnic group has its own brand of homegrown witchcraft, and magical gangs rule the streets from Hell's Kitchen to Chinatown. Soon Sacha has teamed up with fellow apprentice Lily Astral, daughter of one of the city's richest Wall Street Wizards�??and a spoiled snob, if you ask Sacha. Their first case is to find out who's trying to kill Thomas Edison. Edison has invented a mechanical witch detector that could unleash the worst witch-hunt in American history. Every magician in town has a motive to kill him. But as the investigation unfolds, all the clues lead back to the Lower East Side. And Sacha soon realizes that his own family could be accused of murder!… (more)
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011-10-03
Physical description
262 p.; 8.25 inches
ISBN
9780547581354
Similar in this library
Lexile
870L
User reviews
LibraryThing member TFS93
I don't really know what to say about this one. I enjoyed the beginning and was sucked into the world of "hidden" magic and those who can and can't "see". The ending fell apart for me. I grew bored and the story grew tedious. I think the author had too much going on in this novel. Maybe he should
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have saved some of his ideas for the sequel as it seems he is planning on one. This is a junior novel but I found it to most likely be too complicated for most younger readers. I did enjoy the history aspects of the novel and the "Rag and Bones man" was my favorite part of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member lilibrarian
In New York City 100 years ago, magic is illegal. But the wealthy families use magic to maintain and increase their power and wealth. A poor Jewish boy, son of immigrants, and the daughter of the wealthy Astral family become apprentice investigators trying to root out evil magic. Someone has set
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loose a golem and Thomas Edison is creating a machine that can record people's souls. Show Less
LibraryThing member CommunityBookstop
This book was rich in historical locations of New York and key characters, I found myself falling deep into the story of Sacha and Lily who become apprentice’s trying to battle mysteries and magic. It was great even the pictures in it were greatly detailed. Definitely a great book to read.
LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
An imaginative alternate history set in a turn-of-the-century New York City where magic is heavily regulated. When 13-year-old Sacha Kessler, son of Russian Jewish immigrants, discovers that he can see magic, he's recruited as an apprentice to the Inquisitors, New York's anti-magic police force.
My interest lagged in a couple of places, but overall this is a solid story with many parts that had me completely engrossed. The ending definitely leaves way for more books to come.
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But he doesn't expect to be caught up in a murder mystery involving one of the richest and most powerful men in New York. This genre-bender of a novel weaves together history, magic, and a detective mystery for a book that will please fans of creative fantasy like Philip Reeve's Mothstorm or Patricia Wrede's The Thirteenth Child. My interest lagged in a couple of places, but overall this is a solid story with many parts that had me completely engrossed. The ending definitely leaves way for more books to come.
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LibraryThing member themythicalcodfish
A fantastically entertaining YA read, loaded with historical references and allusions to the social climate of New York in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century. While the historical Jewish content might be confusing to some readers, and require outside research for full understanding, it in no
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way diminishes the storyline or the setting. I'll admit it, I'm already excited for the sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjpionke
Sacha is the son of Jewish Russian immigrants and one day while getting pastries with his mother, he sees magic appear over the baker's head. It's not that magic is uncommon, it's just illegal in New York. His ability lands him an apprenticeship in the Inquisitor's Department of the NYPD. Written
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with a strong sense of voice and place, readers will have a real sense of New York, albeit a slightly alternate version of it, at the turn of the century. Readers will definitely want to consult a dictionary for some Yiddish words, though there is often enough context to figure them out. There are a few illustrations sprinkled throughout the book, done in a pen and ink style. Aimed at Middle School aged children, they will be delighted by the details. Highly Recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member KristySP
I thought this was one of the better juvenile chapter books about magic that I have read. The author was not afraid to use colorful language and to dig into class differences and ignorance. The story focuses on a 13 year old Jewish boy who discovers he has the power to see magic happening and is
As a criticism, I would say that the author probably should have done a bit more world-building. She just throws you into the setting and doesn't provide a lot of background info on the various kinds of magic that exist in this world. Yet, the story is interesting enough that you want to know more.
Overall, a good recommendation for middle school boys and girls. Especially Harry Potter or Lightening Thief fans who enjoy a bit of humor with their fantasy.
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immediately drafted into the NYPD, as a magical inquisitor's apprentice. The setting is an alternate New York, around the turn of the century, where magic is real, but outlawed. Thomas Edison, J.P. "Morgaunt" and the "Astral" (read: Astor) family are characters. It was clever and funny and I thought the mixing of jewish humor and mysticism with more traditional magic stories was interesting. As a criticism, I would say that the author probably should have done a bit more world-building. She just throws you into the setting and doesn't provide a lot of background info on the various kinds of magic that exist in this world. Yet, the story is interesting enough that you want to know more.
Overall, a good recommendation for middle school boys and girls. Especially Harry Potter or Lightening Thief fans who enjoy a bit of humor with their fantasy.
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LibraryThing member KilmerMSLibrary
Sacha Kessler lives in New York in 1896, but this New York is filled with magic. When police learn that Sacha can see witches, he’s apprenticed to the department’s Inquisitor. With their mission to stop magical crime, Sacha and his fellow apprentice Lily Astral must use their wits and powers to
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stop the murder of Thomas Edison! Show Less
LibraryThing member TBE
Fantasy
Meet Sacha Kessler...the Jewish Harry Potter! The day Sacha Kessler discovers that he can see witches is one of the worst days of his life. Sacha's magical abilities get him apprenticed to the New York City Police Department's star Inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf. Their first case is to find
Meet Sacha Kessler...the Jewish Harry Potter! The day Sacha Kessler discovers that he can see witches is one of the worst days of his life. Sacha's magical abilities get him apprenticed to the New York City Police Department's star Inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf. Their first case is to find
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out who's trying to kill Thomas Edison! Show Less
LibraryThing member lkmuir
In early twentieth-century New York, Sacha Kessler's ability to see witches earns him an apprenticeship to the police department's star Inquisitor, Maximillian Wolf, to help stop magical crime and, with fellow apprentice Lily Astral, Sacha investigates who is trying to kill Thomas Edison, whose
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mechanical witch detector that could unleash the worst witch-hunt in American history. Show Less
LibraryThing member memccauley6
To be completely honest: I don’t know a kid who would want to read this. The witchcraft aspect, which is supposedly the major storyline, is very quickly buried in the history of New York. Fans of historical fiction (like the American Girls series) keep reading for characters they can identify
I think the book is trying to be too many things, and therefore does none of them well. The plot bumbles around and spins its wheels, the witchcraft is given very short shrift, the characters aren’t developed well enough for the reader to really care about them… but overall, it is the feeling of being force fed history that is the biggest turnoff.
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with and care about.I think the book is trying to be too many things, and therefore does none of them well. The plot bumbles around and spins its wheels, the witchcraft is given very short shrift, the characters aren’t developed well enough for the reader to really care about them… but overall, it is the feeling of being force fed history that is the biggest turnoff.
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Call number
J4A.Mor