Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
It’s 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows—a fascinating boy who’s not afraid to stand up to authority, and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin’s father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary’s sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.
Is The Apothecary (The Apothecary #1) appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
Set during the Cold War, this middle grade fantasy adventure features kidnapping and espionage themes with Russian spies and nuclear weapons as plot elements, but action remains age-appropriate with mild peril rather than graphic violence.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include kidnapping.
Who'll love this
Two teens race to rescue a kidnapped apothecary by discovering magical potions and outsmarting Cold War spies in 1952 London.