Noooo, it can't be just the first book in a trilogy. I hope others are out there for me to read. Another wonderfully imaginative fantasy for young adults, this one given to me by my Children's lit specialist colleague, Maria. The setting - Venice, an integral part of the story with it's canals, bridges, and buildings along the waters. (Maria showed me a tour book of Venice and I had to read up on the basic history of Venice - why would anyone build a whole city on a series of islands. But trade was a biggie in earlier centuries. This is a nice tie-in to the Olympics in Torino.) Though set in the late 1800's, the global situation is such that the Egyptians rule a good part of the world, but can't get at Venice, because the Flowing Queen protects it. (Makes me think about the ebb and flow of powers throughout history - the big powers always get cocky and fall, and I've had the feeling that the U.S. will soon get its wings clipped.) The main characters are two orphan girls: Junipa is blind, Merle has connections to the Flowing Queen, a spirit in the waters of Venice, and Serafin, a homeless boy turned thief, turned apprentice. They live in the Canal of the Expelled with two rival craftsmen - a weaver and a mirror-maker. And then there is the magic - mermaids, stone lions that are used as horses, magic mirrors, magic cloth, etc. All rolled up in a wonderful adventure. This is the second book in a couple of weeks with "mirror" in the title and an important part of the story.
(Finished reading 2/1/06.)
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