Title: Sorcery and Cecelia Author: Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer Pages: 336 Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books ISBN: 0152046151 Genre: Fantasy Synopsis: Kate's first season in London is marred by leaving her cousin and best friend Cecelia behind in the country. Kate expects she won't have much too look forward to, after all, her Aunt's plans to present Kate to society are more an excuse to present her younger sister Georgina at the same time. And as Georgina is the blonde beauty of the family, Kate expects very little from Society. Until she stumbles into trouble at the Royal College of Wizards. Now for reasons unknown to her, she is being pursued relentlessly by a witch and a marquee. Cecelia is having her own troubles back home trying to protect a new friend from her vicious step-mother and the attentions of every single young man in the country. As the two girls write to keep the other informed of the increasingly odd events in their lives, it becomes clear that though seperated, they've stumbled into trouble together. And if they don't figure out how the events relate, they and their loved ones could meet an unpleasant end. Review: Patricia C. Wrede is probably my favorite author, and I was not at all disappointed with this book. I was quite astonished to discover they wrote this by playing the letter game. In other words, this book flows from start to finish with neither knowing what the other will add to the story. It comes together remarkably well and the combination of their two writing styles makes for excellent characterization for the two main characters. The target audience for this book is definately teen females, though women of all ages should love it, and men who find female interactions amusing will also thoroughly enjoy this. Stevermer and Wrede's cousins may be from the Victorian era, but the dialog at times makes them seem like very modern teens. While I normally wouldn't enjoy reading about this type of female behavior, the authors pull it togther so that it's clever and entertaining. I particularly like the way the cousins are a combination of the quintessential young adult female, and yet slightly more down to earth than their peers. A favorite moment is when Kate is writing to Cecilia about an annoying event and notes that she's never fainted in her life, but really, really wanted to at that moment. The dialog between the girls is so much fun. As for the story, remember again that this story is developed by what each author adds to each letter. That makes it pretty much brilliant. It's incredible how each author picks up on the little details of each letter and develops that a bit further each time. I couldn't put this book down. Overall, this book is a tribute to my favorite author and an excellent read. Copywrite 2006. If you have problems with this site, please contact the webmaster. Posted 08 August 2006.