Now a television star in England, he's got a posher accent than before, but he's still the same short, cheeky lad. Pip doesn't spend much time on screen (on page?) in The Apprentices, but he still manages to steal the show. He, too, is incredibly clever, becoming the heir to his father in apothecral (this does not appear to be a word, but I shall make it so) talents. In fact, Benjamin actually spends more of his time thinking about her, worrying that she might have found another boy in his absence. Though she does have fond memories of Benjamin, who left her alone for two years, and another potential suitor in the handsom Raffaello, romance stuff really isn't at the top of her mind. Janie is brilliant and determined, more concerned with figuring out how to desalinate water than boys. I love how she weaves the historical elements in, without beating the reader over the head with them. In fact, Meloy even touches on tensions in Vietnam, China and North Korea. The Cold War is still going strong in The Apprentices. In the first book, Janie's parents had moved to England to escape the Red Scare, as they worked in the entertainment industry. On top of that, The Apprentices is also historical fiction. For example, they can become birds, much like in The Sword in the Stone. Using a book called the Pharmacopoeia, they can create potions that make the improbable possible. Once again, evil forces are at work, attempting to do evil things involving atomic bombs and it's up to the apothecary, his son Benjamin, and Benjamin's friends to save the day. Janie, Benjamin, and Pip have all grown up in the gap between the two novels, still their charming selves but a bit wiser.ĭespite the maturer tone, The Apprentices retains the magic of The Apothecary.

Two years have passed since the ending of The Apothecary, bringing Janie from fourteen years old to sixteen. Where The Apothecary was very much a middle grade novel, clearly skewing to a younger audience, The Apprentices could really have been published for either middle graders or young adults. Well, lucky me, The Apprentices is an even better read than The Apothecary, maturer in plot, writing and characterization. However, since I did like the first, I was excited to discover what would transpire in this installment. Prior to the arrival of this book on my doorstep, I had no idea that there would be a sequel to The Apothecary, nor did I have a specific hankering for one. Oh, the joys of an unsolicited ARC that turns out to be the sequel to a book you enjoyed.

Benjamin burrows the apothecary