The Cabinet of Earths

Anne Nesbet

Paris may be a wonderful place to live, but 12-year-old Maya Davidson would rather be back in California. Her father had received an offer for a special research fellowship in France. It included an offer to move his family with him. Her mother had been very ill and wanted to see Paris. So here the family is, including her 5-year-old brother James.

Their first visitor is the head of the society that sponsored the fellowship. M. Fourney is a beautiful looking man wearing sunglasses. They had passed his home with its fancy decoration on the outside and a large bronze salamander door handle. There is a statue on the outside of the home that looks eerily like Maya. When the man visits them, he looks at Maya and James like he knows them. Or is he especially glad to see them?

When their nearly invisible Aunt Louise starts working with Maya to improve her French, things started getting stranger than they already felt. What Maya slowly learns is that magic is real in Paris. When combined with science, it is very powerful. She also learns that she and James are somehow involved. Hopefully she and her new friend from school figure out what is happening before they are sucked in.

Anne Nesbet's book is excellent. The Cabinet of Earths uses a small twist in our beliefs. Magic was believed for centuries in our world. Then science took over, banishing magic. But we still want to believe in magic. Nesbet takes both and combines them in a believable story.

Maya is a likeable, real character. She's a real girl fighting all the self confidence feelings that's common during those years. She's the new kid in a school where she only understand the basics of the language. Her odd aunt insists she take over when they are out studying. She has one friend who is helpful and helps keep her grounded.

The Cabinet of Earths is a magical tale that can be appreciated by adults as well as the tween age group.