City of Ships

City of Ships by Mary Hoffman, 2010 Bloomsbury

    Most of her friends have become withdrawn over the last few months when Isabel finds a small pouch of mosaic stones. The tesserae transport her into Classe, a coastal town in Talia. 

     Isabel befriends the prosperous merchant and secret Stravagante, Flavia. The kind woman helps Isabel find her feet and connect with other Stravagante both in Talia and at home in England. 

     As she's getting used to nightly adventures, Isabel discovers her beloved Classe is under threat from the Gate People and their fleet. While she is shadowed by her twin brother at home, in Classe she has purpose and feels important. She helps Flavia prepare for the coming invasion, but her plans are thrown out of sync when her brother, Charlie, takes her talisman and accidentally stravigates too. 

     Charlie is caught in the invasion and Isabel faces the chance that her plans in Classe will fail and her secret will be revealed putting her adventures on indefinite hold. But her new friends from school help Charlie see that Isabel and the people of Classe have much to do to save their beloved city from attack - both by land and sea. 

     Much like Italy's Ravenna, Classe has a deep connection with the art of mosaic. The beauty draws Isabel as the drama and political instability give her purpose. With one more member of their Stravagante club the teens begin to notice a pattern in who is chosen. The mystery of how and why remain unsolved, but their mission in Talia continues. 

     City of Ships is the fifth in the Stravaganza series following City of Secrets and preceding City of Swords. Classe has a new element: International trade; and the Di Chimi family have opened a door they cannot hope to close alone. Teen and young adult readers will enjoy this story independently or as an installment in the series. 

City of Secrets

City of Secrets by Mary Hoffman, 2008 Bloomsbury

   Matt Wood follows his friends, Nick and Georgia, into an antique store where he finds a book which somehow speaks to him. Matt rarely finds a connection with books as he is dyslexic, but this book is different. When he falls into a stress-induced sleep holding the book, Matt awakens in the scriptorium at the university in Padavia; a city much like Renaissance Padua.
     The man who introduces him to this strange world is Professor Constantin. Constantin explains the Scriptorium to Matt and describes Stravagation. The professor believes Matt is meant to help him print outlawed anatomy manuscripts and disperse them throughout Talia. Nick and Georgia are Stravagante too--they help Matt balance the two parts of his life and to grow with his responsibilities in Talia.
     At the Scriptorium Matt meets Lucien, a fellow classmate who has transferred into Talia and is studying at the university. Luciano's fiancee is Arianna, the Duchessa of Bellezza, and Matt struggles to deal with the rediscovery. Meanwhile, Arianna's enemies and the enemies of the Stravagante, the di Chimici, continue to use social unrest in an attempt to unite Talia and gain both the political power and ability to travel between worlds which is unavailable to them.
     When danger strikes his newfound friends, Matt finds he is the only one who can assist. He finds faith in himself enough to stand up to the di Chimici and risk his life for his beliefs. Matt struggles with his abilities and trying to be like others; early teen readers will relate to his experience in balancing the adventure and the responsibility of growing up.

City of Flowers

City of Flowers by Mary Hoffman, 2005 Bloomsbury

     A perfume bottle is the talisman which draws Skye Meadows across the veil between modern London and Renaissance Talia. Skye lands in Giglia, much like Italy's Florence. There he meets and is embroiled in a feud between the two ruling families: the di Chimici and Nucci.      At home Skye is shy and withdrawn--intent on protecting his mother as she recovers from a longtime illness. When he arrives in Talia he is linked with Friar Sulien -- also a pharmacist for the rich and Stravagante.
     When Arianna, Duchessa of Bellezza, and Lucien Mulholland, a transfer Stravagante from London, arrive Skye (known in Talia as Celestino) is drawn into the preparation for four di Chimici weddings. He learns to trust the people around him and also himself. Will his new-found strength be enough when the floodgates open in Talian nobility?
     Skye learns trust, he learns to change with his changing world, he learns skills in Talia which help him to become the young man he wants to be in London. The high intrigue and adventure adds to the fantasy of royal families. Older elementary school readers will enjoy the espionage which brings familiar characters back into play.

City of Stars

City of Stars by Mary Hoffman, 2003 Bloomsbury

   At home, Georgia is the younger sister with an annoying step-brother. All she wants to do is escape the pressures and go horseback riding. When she buys a small figurine of a winged horse Georgia discovers the secret world of the stravagante.
     When she sleeps, the Pegasus figurine transports Georgia to Talia a place like sixteenth century Italy. Georgia finds herself in Remora, Siena's counterpart, where she joins an annual horse race which includes delegations from throughout the country.
     Stravagante from around Talia converge in Remora and Georgia meets Lucien, a classmate from England who transferred to Talia when his illness got the better of him. Lucien shows Georgia the forces surrounding the Stravagante and their enemies.
     Georgia finds her escape in Remora complete with a legendary horse race and the magical appearance of a real winged horse. In finding her escape, she also discovers they way back home, to where she wants to be.

City of Masks

City of Masks by Mary Hoffman, 2002 Bloomsbury

     Lucien Mulholland is a young man living in Islington, North London in modern time. When he falls asleep clutching a marbled notebook from his father, he wakes in Renaissance Italy. Only it isn't our Italy. In Talia Lucien wakes in a Venice-like Bellezza and meets Rodolfo Rossi. Rodolfo is a Stravagante--a traveler between worlds.
     In Bellezza Lucien is simply a student, he learns the magic of Stravigation by apprenticing himself to the Duchessa's counselor Rodolfo. On his first stravigation he meets Arianna Gasparini, who saves him from execution on the Forbidden Day--a day non-citizens are forbidden from the city. The Duchessa, Sylvia, is battling the powerful di Chimci family to keep Bellezza independent from their Talian Republic. She is worried at the portents surrounding Arianna, Lucien and their adventures through the city.
     Lucien finds himself surrounded by intrigue and adventure in Talia while his life in London revolves around his treatment for cancer. The more time he spends in Talia the more of his body that follows his mind to the new world and with every trip he risks leaving London forever.
     Lucien's friendship with Arianna and his apprenticeship with Rodolfo lure him away from the pain and frustration of his life at home. The friendships he creates and the role he plays in Talia's politics are in bright contrast to the normal life Lucien leads in London, but are they worth leaving the only life he's ever known and his family? Readers as young as middle school will enjoy the action and adventure of Lucien's straviagtion to and from Talia.