The Book of Blood and Shadow
Gr 7 Up-Robin Wasserman's novel (Knopf, 2012) focuses on an intricate centuries-old mystery, taking the book's characters from New England to historical Prague. Through her friend, Chris, and his roommate Max, Nora, a high school senior, is brought in to work for "The Hoff," a professor at the denouement of his career. She is assigned the seemingly unimportant task of translating the 16th-century letters of Elizabeth Weston, the adopted daughter of alchemist Edward Kelley, to whom Elizabeth dedicated her life. The boys are assigned the more significant translations to shed light on the mysterious 16th-century Voynich Manuscript-the professor's obsession. Nora and Max begin a romantic relationship. When Chris is murdered and the manuscripts are stolen, Nora sets out to vindicate Max, who is the prime suspect , and heads to Prague. She is convinced that a mysterious secret society-the Lumen Dei-is to blame for the murder. Emily Janice Card skillfully narrates all the characters, seamlessly moving between English, Latin, Czech, and Italian. Listeners will be caught up in the twists and turns of this fast-paced thriller.-Mary Medinsky, Red Deer College, Alberta, Canada  α(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.--This text refers to theAudio CDedition.