The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (Book #1) by Michael Scott (375 pages)

Like most children - and some adults- I was disappointed when the Harry Potter series ended. But now there is a new young adult series that feels like an addition to the world of Harry Potter: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Nicholas Flamel - the 14th-century alchemist who could turn base metal into gold, and make a potion that ensures immortality - was mentioned in several of the Potter books

In The Alchemyst, Sophie and Josh Newman are 15-year-old twins who take summer jobs in San Francisco: Sophie at a coffee shop and Josh at a bookstore owned by Nick and Perry Flamel. In the vey first chapter, armed robbers storm the bookshop, take Perry hostage and steal a rare book of magical wisdom, The Codex.

The siblings, lead by Flamel are drawn into a mythology world to stage a battle between the Dark Elders and a necromancer named Dr. John Dee. This book is a fast read and is populated by the likes of werewolves and vampires. It ends with a cliff-hanger I'm sure will be picked up in the next book, The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.


The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (Book #2) by Michael Scott (464 pages)

In this exciting sequel to The Alchemyst, Sophie and Josh Newman are in Paris with Nicholas Flamel, when they come up against the villian Dr. John Dee and his accomplice, Niccolò Machiavelli. Dee has learned that Josh and Sophie are phophesised in The Codex - the magical book stolen in The Alchemyst - so he seeks to win them over to his side.

The twins are coming into more of their power and Flamel is teaching the children how to control and use these powers. We also get to meet Joan of Arc, several Greek gods and goddesses, as well as the gargolyes of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

This is a great installment in what is supposed to be a six book series. The next book, The Sorceress: The Secrets Of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel (Book #3) will be released on May 26, 2009.



Both of these books are great fun to read with children!