Review: Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman

Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 2010. Alchemy and Meggy Swann. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780547231846

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Margret Swann, Meggy to her friends, is sent to London with her pet goose Louise at the request of her (until now) absent father Master Ambrose. He is an alchemist and in need of a new apprentice, because his current apprentice, Roger, is leaving to become an actor in a famous acting troupe. Meggy has many strikes against her, the first being that her father expected a son to arrive and the second being that Meggy is crippled and must walk with crutches. Although Meggy is scared and lonely at first, she begins helping her father in his experiments as well as befriending Roger and the rest of the acting troupe. As she wanders London, she befriends many others, and blossoms into a confident young lady. When she discovers her father may be involved in an assassination plot, Meggy has to decide how she can use her own talents to save him from arrest and possible execution.

      
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Alchemy and Meggy Swann takes place in 1573 London, after Elizabeth I became queen but before Shakespeare became a famous playwright. If it were not for the time period or London setting, Meggy would be just another young girl struggling to fit in with her peers while navigating a new city.  Cushman uses her extensive vocabulary to make Elizabethan London come alive through vivid imagery. This is also partly due to the book being written in authentic Elizabethan language with a teen’s often surly attitude. Although this is a book for young adults, Cushman does not sugar coat the hardships Meggy faces on a daily basis. Meggy often goes hungry, is tormented by townspeople who believe her disabilities are a curse, and faces the fear of her father’s head being on a spike at London Bridge.

    Cushman provides a city map at the beginning of the book, so readers can follow along with Meggy’s ramblings back and forth across old London. She also includes an author’s note on the Elizabethan era, alchemy, printing presses and Meggy’s handicap. A bibliography is provided for further reading on the Elizabethan era and details in the book. This is a short, slim book that young adults will enjoy reading.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in School Library Journal: “Cushman adds another intrepid, resourceful, courageous girl to her repertoire in this tale set in 16th-century London. The astounding sights, sounds, and smells of the city accost her, and readers see and hear them all through Cushman's deft descriptive and cinematic prose.”

Starred review in Booklist: “Writing with admirable economy and a lively ability to re-create the past believably, Cushman creates a memorable portrayal of a troubled, rather mulish girl who begins to use her strong will in positive ways.”

Starred review in Kirkus: “Cushman has the uncanny ability to take a time and place so remote and make it live. Readers can hear and see and smell it all as if they are right beside Meggy.”


5. CONNECTIONS (This would be appropriate for middle school ages and older)
* Use this book in a discussion of science and transmutation. Is it possible to create gold using alchemy?

* Other historical novels by Karen Cushman:

The Loud Silence of Francine Green. ISBN 9780618504558

The Midwife’s Apprentice. ISBN 9780547722177

Catherine, Called Birdy. ISBN 9780547722184

Will Sparrow’s Road. ISBN 9780547739625