The Elixir by Lindsay Galvin
When a witchfinder arrives in town, young Ann Storer’s life is turned upside down.
When my daughter reached the end of the epilogue, she turned back to Chapter One and started all over again!
She must be under a spell…
Ann is an apprentice herbalist working in her father’s shop. She’s known for her particularly effective tinctures. Unlike the rest of her family, Ann doesn’t follow traditional recipes. Instead, she concocts her own variants, using ingredients gathered under a full moon and bottles engraved with an unusual left-swirling spiral.
She’s aided by young Isaac Newton, the family lodger, and works to heal those in her community. But when a witchfinder comes to town, Ann’s world is upended. Last time a witch-hunter was here, Grandmother was imprisoned for witchcraft . . . Will Ann suffer the same fate? Will Isaac Newton help her? Will the townsfolk betray her?
With short chapters and high drama, The Elixir is intended for middle grade readers with a slightly lower reading level.
As a family, we raced through this one, and immediately turned back to the beginning and read it again. I particulary enjoyed the dramatic ending, and my daughter loved the revelations in the epilogue. Ann’s fate caught her imagination.
Many thanks to Barrington Stoke, NetGalley, and Lindsay Galvin for my advanced reader copy.
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