Alchemy and Meggy Swann

Fans of Karen Cushman's witty novels will welcome Meggy Swann, newly come to London with her only friend, a goose named Louise. Meggy's mother was glad to be rid of her; her father, who sent for her, doesn't want her after all. Meggy is appalled by London, dirty and noisy, full of rogues and thieves, and difficult to get around in—not that getting around is ever easy for someone who walks with the help of two sticks. Just as her alchemist father pursues his great work of transforming base metal into gold, Meggy finds herself pursuing her own transformation. Elizabethan London has its dark side, but it also has gifts in store for Meggy Swann.


What must a girl overcome to find her own power in a city that doesn’t want her?

• An Unlikely Heroine: Scorned for her crooked legs and sharp tongue, Meggy Swann must learn that her greatest strengths have nothing to do with her two walking sticks.
• A Mysterious Father: Her father is a secretive alchemist obsessed with turning lead into gold, but he doesn’t seem to want a daughter at all.
• Rich Historical Setting: Explore the noisy, dirty, and dangerous streets of sixteenth-century London, a world of rogues, traitors, and unexpected kindness.
• A Heartwarming Coming of Age Story: While her father chases a magical transformation, Meggy discovers her own, finding her voice and her place in a world determined to cast her out.