The Apothecary by Maile Meloy -- Age 12+

I'm not sure how we were introduced to  "The Apothecary" series by Maile Meloy. Pretty sure Doug randomly brought the Book-on-CD home from the library. {We get hooked on a lot of great books by grabbing whatever looks good at the library before a road trip. Yes, we often judge books by the cover and this series has great cover art!}

Whatever the case may be, I listened to it in the car  and got hooked pretty fast.  We got all three books on CD from the library and we all listened to them. (The series didn't particularly hold the attention of Gabe and Gray but there is nothing you would be overly worried about younger kids hearing either. Not like when I tried to listen to "The Fault In Our Stars" in the car...)

This series does have a good narrator, Cristin Milioti, but I feel like it would be just as enjoyable in book form. These can also be found on Audible and I ended up buying the first one for future road trips.

The first book takes place in London in 1952. The main character in this book is a 14 year old girl. I appreciate that she was portrayed as strong and smart but also a normal young teen girl with insecurities and crushes and a vivid imagination. The other main character is a teenage boy. Also smart and (bonus) British.

Adventure, magic, and a little romance makes this appeal to everyone and Max (14 at the time), Sam (11), and Doug enjoyed it as much as I did.

The Apprentices is the second book and The After Room is the third and final book in the series.

If you read this series, please come back and tell me what you think!! :)

Happy Reading--

Emily

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The publisher recommends these for ages 9-12. I would personally say 12+. (Feels a little mature for younger kids, especially as the series moves along.)

Common Sense Media rates this as ages 11+ and says:
"Parents need to know that The Apothecary is an engaging, well-written story by an award-winning  adult author who has successfully turned to a younger audience without simply dumbing down adult themes. Some social and ethical complexities may be a bit much for younger kids, e.g., the casual ruthlesslessness with which Janie and Benjamin are willing to try out a potion on their hapless classmate Sergei, the quandary of Sergei's father with his wife and daughter in the hands of his Soviet employers, and Pip's cheerfully thieving nature. Janie's parents are blacklisted Hollywood writers, and Meloy's excellent, evenhanded treatment of the subject might serve as an good introduction to the McCarthy era."
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P.S. The links attached to book titles used above are mostly "Amazon Affiliate Links". They give me a tiny percentage of the purchase price if you use my link to buy a book. However, if you go to Amazon on your own, it won't hurt my feelings! ;) We usually like to check things out at the library before we decide to buy.

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