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A painter, a dream, a book of magic passed from mother to daughter through the centuries.
At age fourteen, all Emilia Serafini wants is to learn to paint so that she can become an artist. But painters' apprenticeships for young women do not exist in the Florence of Renaissance Italy. The odds appear stacked against her until she receives a fascinating book, A Manual to the Science of Alchemy. It once was her grandmother's and Emilia turns again and again to the Manual for guidance.
Chicago Sun-Times 2010 Summer Reading Recommendation
Grand Prize Winner of the 2010 Paris Book Festival
San Francisco Book Festival Best Teen Book 2010
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I loved Nonna's Book of Mysteries! It's a wonder of a book—exciting mysterious, and wise… I can't wait for another from Mary Osborne
—Karen Cushman, Newberry Award winner, author of the Midwife's Apprentice
Coming next year: Alchemy's Daughter, Book Two of the Alchemy Series
How far would you go to reach your destiny?
Santina Pietra, the original owner of the Book of Mysteries, is a girl of twelve when she is introduced to the world of alchemy and herbal remedies by Friar Calandrino. She is urged to set aside her fascination with the ancient science as well as her talent for midwifery when she comes of age. Though she strives to fulfill her father's expectations, she cannot easily deny her passion for alchemy or those who seek her skill as a healer. When the plague strikes, Santina faces an impossible choice.
Alchemy's Daughter is a delightful and intriguing adventure, an absolute reading pleasure.
—Caroline Myss, bestselling author of Sacred Contracts, Anatomy of the Spirit, and Why People Don't Heal.