Gr 4–7—Twelve-year-old Phoebe has a secret. While on an antiquing trip in Paris with her family in
My Secret Guide to Paris, she discovered a beautiful antique compact. Phoebe has worked with her dad in his antiques shop since she was a little girl, and she suspects the compact might be valuable enough to help send her sister Alice to college. Things get a bit more complicated when Phoebe opens it and finds a World War II-era letter containing a mysterious spell to bring people closer together "in more ways than one." Following the steps of the spell leads Phoebe on a scavenger hunt around London. Schroeder is at her best when bringing the city of London to life and depicting the complex relationships between siblings.
VERDICT Though the dialogue can be a bit clunky at times, the pacing and setting development should satisfy young fans of Wendy Mass's "Willow Falls" series and other magic-laced middle grade romps.
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