Egg & Spoon

Reviewed by: Nina Sachs - MLIS, Portland, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 10, 2014

Review

Elena and Ekaterina are two Russian girls living in the waning days of the Tsar. Elena is poor, with a dying mother for whom she is the sole support, her brothers having been conscripted by the army or taken as a servant. Ekaterina is from a noble family. When the train on which Ekaterina and her family are traveling is forced to stop in Elena's village, the two girls meet, and, through a series of wonderfully improbable circumstances, switch places in classic prince and the pauper fashion. Then, the fun starts. Through the voices of the girls, an imprisoned monk, and a string-theory Baba Yaga, Maguire weaves a fabulous tale with a modernist edge. Absolute CREAM.

Overall Book Score: excellent