The Alchemyst: The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott

So, after finishing The Magicians Land by Lev Grossman on April 16, I started reading The Alchemyst: The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott.  Reading this book was a bit of a fluke.  My nephew, Alex, turned 12 at the end of April, and on his birthday wish list, he asked for the 2nd book in this series by Michael Scott.  The Husband and I got him that book, along with a few other books and some hot wheels cars, and when we gave the package of gifts to Alex, he was so excited.  We got to talking about the book series, and Alex was so excited about them, and proclaimed he loved these books.  So, I asked if I could borrow the first one to read.  Unbeknownst to me at that time, The Husband had this book in his Amazon Prime wishlist...

So, off I went, diving into this book on April 16.  The book was COOL!  It is about a high-school aged set of twins (a boy and a girl) who live in San Francisco.  The boy works in a bookstore, and the girl works in a coffee shop across the street.  One day, strange things happened at the bookstore.  A mysterious and ominous man showed up, and as the twin girl - Sophie - watched through the window across the street, a fight ensued, sparks flew, and the air smelled of rotten eggs and mint.

Fast forward a bit, and the reader (and the twins) learn that the owner of the book shop, Nicholas Flamel, is an ancient, and sort of immortal person (born in 1330), and also an alchemyst (among other things).  The twins become wrapped up in the crazy happenings with Nicholas.  It turns out that he and his wife have an ancient codex that has a recipe / spell for a serum that keeps them young.  They have to make it each month or if they don't - they will age each day and within 30 days, they will die.  The ominous man was seeking the codex for the Dark Elders, whom he works for, in order to bring the Dark Elders back into power over the world as we know it.

Far fetched?  Of course.  Interesting to read?  Yes.

We encounter an ancient vegetarian vampire in a secret dojo in Chinatown, all-seeing rats, killer crows, shadowrealms, magic, golems, a sphynx, Alcatraz Island, Marin, Paris, Sacre Coeur, Niccolò Machiavelli, Ojai, Witches, the walking dead, and a host of other interesting things.

"Are you not going to come in?" Sophie asked.

"You have to invite me," Scatty said, with a peculiarly shy smile.

"Invite you in?" Sophie turned to her twin, eyebrows raised in a question.

"You have to invite me in," Scatty repeated, "else I'll not be able to cross the threshold."

"Just like vampires," Josh said, abruptly feeling as if his tongue were too think for his mouth.  After today, he was quite prepared to believe in vampires, though he really didn't want to run into one.

... Scathach surged to her feet and two stops brought her directly in front of Josh.  She was not quite as tall as he was, but in that moment, she seemed huge.  "There are many types of vampires, many clans, just as there are many Were clans.  Some of my race are blood drinkers, it is true...  Those of my clan... well, we feed in...other ways," Scatty said with a wry smile.

..."Trust no one," Scathach repeated, and the twins realized that she was not answering the question.  She turned toward the door.  "I think that's the dinner bell."

"Can we eat the food?" Josh asked.

"Depends on what it is, of course.  I don't eat the meat myself... I'm a vegetarian," Scatty answered.

And, like any good series book, you have to read the series.  The Alchemyst ends, but doesn't really end.  You need to pick up the 2nd book in the series to find out what happens - thank you Palo Alto Public Library for having it!  So far there are six books in this series.  And 2 others with catchy titles - The Death of Joan of Arc, and Billy The Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas.  Hmmm...  I'm a sucker for vampire books - Loved Jane Bites Back: A Novel by Michael Thomas Ford - this one follows Jane Austen in modern times - she's alive now because she is a vampire.  There are 3 books in this series - all worth a read.

If you are looking for a Harry Potter-like book - this might fit the bill.  I'm working on the 2nd book now - The Magician.