City of Secrets (Stravaganza, Book 4)
Grade 9 Up—In this addition to the popular series, 17-year-old Nick discovers that he has the power to travel between his home in contemporary London and 16th-century Talia, a country in which some magic and sorcery is possible. In his own time, Nick struggles with dyslexia and is insecure about his relationship with popular, beautiful Ayesha. In Talia, he reads effortlessly and is apprenticed to a printmaker in the city-state of Padavia, where he befriends Luciano, a teenager from his own time and the protagonist in the first book in the series,Stravaganza: City of Masks(Bloomsbury, 2002). Together, the two young men and Luciano's betrothed must find a way to stop a plot by the powerful de Chimici family to take over Talia.Secretsstands on its own, though teen fantasy and history buffs will likely clamor for the first three books in this wonderful series. The author's richly detailed, fully imagined world of Talia comes alive for her characters who "stravagate" there, and for readers as well. The action moves seamlessly from present to past as Nick struggles to maintain a balance between the two worlds while becoming stronger and more secure in both.—Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MDCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.