69. Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C. Wrede (Children’s historical fantasy) 312 p.

Seventeen-year-old Kim survives on the streets of London by dressing as a boy and earning money any way she can. When she’s offered a whole five pounds to snoop around in a magician’s waggon, she takes the job even though she knows there’s something dodgy about it. She doesn’t expect to be caught by the owner, who turns out to be a real magician—and she certainly doesn’t expect him to offer her a job.

This book seems to be set just after the Napoleonic Wars, in the same time period as Sorcery & Cecilia, although aimed at a younger audience. The plot also has a lot in common with that book, with a number of characters caught up in the search for a magical artifact. Mairelon the Magician is an entirely enjoyable romp through Regency England, and I’m looking forward to picking up a copy of the sequel, The Magician’s Ward.

Pages read: 19,947

Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Magic and Malice, Patricia C. Wrede