The Star of Kazan

Amazing book! One of the Best! 2010-07-25

Reviewer:

GREAT BOOK! My mom brought home this book from the library for me. I asked why she brought it because I normally pick out my own books. She was in the childrens section looking for books for my brother and then the librian came up to her and asked if she had any older children. She said yes. The lady gave her the book for me insisting that it was one of the most phenomenal books she, herself, had ever read.

Let me just say, she couldn't be more accurate.

It was a great book, and when my mom normally brings me home books about war and stuff that I hate, I am SOOOOO glad that I picked up this one and read it for a change. It was for sure one of the most amazing books I have ever read.

Don't hesitate, order it NOW!

<3

Excellent suspenseful read! 2010-06-10

Reviewer: Naomi B. Gross

I worked as a school librarian for 8 years. During that time, I screened hundreds of childrens books, before purchasing them and/or reading them aloud to the students.
The Star of Kazan received rave reviews at a wonderful conference I attended, which was presented by a librarian who had served on the Newberry committee. I bought the book for my school library, read it and loved it, and happily recommended it to scores of students, who enjoyed it as well.
My family recently moved abroad, and my children have been clamoring for reading material. I eagerly purchased the Star of Kazan for my 10 year old daughter. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did. In fact, I am anxious to reread it myself, and share it with her!

Frustrating and depressing 2010-05-22

Reviewer: Dancer Irene

I loved Ibbotson's "Company of Swans" and "Countess Below Stairs" and started out loving this one as well. However, as soon as Annike's mother showed up, the book took a dark and depressing turn that made it hard for me to even continue, even though I knew it would all end happily. The cruelty of many the characters was way overdone. Mostly, however, I could not swallow the plot conceit that the spunky heroine was so idiotically able to discard her spunk when it came to her supposed family. Anyone with half a brain would have realized that she was in a nest of vipers and where her true loyalties lay; in fact Annike never realizes this and is ready to forgive her mother (oh, come on!) and jump right back into the snake pit, forcing her friends to come to her rescue for a *second* time.

The writing is excellent, and the scenes in Vienna brim with love and life. Readers should be warned that the brilliance of the first few chapters is quickly eclipsed by the dark machinations and cruelties of a sadistic family of brutal faded aristocrats.

Wonderful surprise for an Ibbotson neophyte 2009-07-27

Reviewer: Heidi Dewey

My 7-year-old son and I have listened to many, many great classic books over the years. I recently picked up this title from the library shelf, a little trepidatious considering the author and story were completely unfamiliar to me. What a wonderful surprise we had in store! The tale is well-crafted, full of rich detail and interesting characters, with the luscious yet unexpected flavor of mystery! We love to stop the CD and try to make guesses about the future of the story, which we haven't finished reading yet. I recommend it for family enjoyment, especially during long rides in the car. It makes me look forward to our next drive into town!

Richly Textured story, a full cast of characters and great fun read 2009-05-01

Reviewer: A. Woodley

An excellent page turning read, which is about more than just the Star of Kazan which is the feature of the title. This is the story of courage and finding yourself - and in the end, it seems that is exactly what seems to happen - all the characters find out exactly what they are - good, bad, or brave.

Annika is a baby when is abandoned at a mountain chapel - and found by two servants who look after a trio of professors. Raised with love and affection in household, Annika is content, cooking with Sigrid, who found her, and playing with the other children in the square. However Annika dreams of what her mother really is - and has dreams that one day she will try to find her and take her away to her castle.

Reality is less romantic - the snobby girl from the across the square cannot bear to read or listen to her great aunt who has been shoved away to die in the attic she starts paying Annika to read to her instead. However Annika listens as the old lady talks of her life, as a perforner in Paris Music Hall, and of her happy marriage in Italy, and she shows her the photos. When she fell on hard times she pawned in the beautiful jewels she was given and had paste ones made instead. Now with no money she is forced to live with her only relative in the attic, dying slowly left mostly to herself. Annika adores the stories she tells of her life and is heartbroken when she dies.

Annika's life changes when the old lady dies, first she is left the Old Lady's belongings and secondly her mother finally comes to claim - just as Annika imagined, in a coach. Her Mother, the wonderfullly named Edeltraut Von Tannenburg from Spittal takes her back to the castle (there has always been a Von Tannenburg at Spittal) is her constant refrain to her son. There is very little food, and what food there is is very bad. However Annika is not allowed to help or be a servant. At Spittal she meets the gypsy boy one of two servants left - he is the groom, but has only stayed to care for the horse he brought with him from Hungary. As soon as the old woman servant of the house leaves he has also vowed to leave. But there is a growing affection between Annika and himself and he realises that there is more to protect in the house.

Annika remains unaffected by the grandiose indifference of the Von Tannenburgs but all isn't as it seems. In fact when she finds a picture floating in the nearby lake that she remembers from the Old Lady's trunk she doesn't understand. What could it be doing floating in a lake in Spittal. When she asks her mother everything changes, The Gypsy groom is sent away, and Annika herself is sent to a school for Young Ladies. A school where they are all known by numbers rather than name and where cruelty seems to be associated with education.

Family and friends are not too far away and through extraodinary feats of courage Annika's true fate is realised.

A wonderful story where each character has its own real story, not simply a back story to enhance Annika's own. There are some very big leaps of faith in accidental meetings, however, in life we have to recognise that these happenstance events can be very real.

Ibbotson writes wonderful tales, full of detail and characterisation. YOu can smell the cooking in this one - the Christmas carp so loving prepared with just a pinch of Nutmeg, the Kipferl's baking and candles burning on the pine tree.

A highly recommended read.