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THE ALCHEMYST Michael Scott Hardcover | Delacorte Books for Young Readers | 978-0-385-73357-1 (0-385-73357-7) | May 2007 | $16.99 | Ages 12 up Hardcover Library Binding | Delacorte Books for Young Readers | 978-0-385-90372-1 (0-385-90372-3) | May 2007 | $19.99 | Ages 12 up

Josh and Sophie, 15-year-old twins, take summer jobs across the street from one another, one in a bookstore and one in a coffee shop. But the arrival of a sinister man in a sleek, dark car changes their lives when he turns the bookstore to rubble using powerful magic. The bookstore owner turns out to be Nicholas Flamel, a 14th century alchemist, who, with his wife Perenelle, guards the secret to immortal life . . . and the sinister man is Dr. John Dee, a magician/astrologer from the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who has been chasing the Flamels across time and space, determined to steal the book that gives them their powers. Josh and Sophie are immediately caught up in an epic battle between these powerful magicians and the ancient beings of myth and legend that they call upon. With Perenelle held captive and Flamel’s powers waning, the safety of the entire human race may depend on Josh and Sophie learning to use their own latent powers, but can they survive their “awakening?”

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Prepared by Connie Rockman, children's literature consultant, adjunct professor of children's and young adult literature, and editor of the H.W. Wilson Junior Book of Authors and Illustrators series.

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