The book I have just finished reading is The Star Of Kazan. This 388-page classic adventure book is by Eva Ibbotson, and is extremely absorbing. Once you have started to read it, it seems impossible to put down. The cover is nice and eye-catching, with a flashy boarder and jewel that will entice the reader to pick it up. Don't be put off by the length of the book, as it is easy reading, and flows naturally.

The Star Of Kazan is set in Austria in the early 1900s, with visits to Switzerland and Germany. The story is written in third-person perspective, mostly following a young girl named Annika through the beginning of her life, but also has the occasional chapter from the perspective of another main character. The descriptions in this book are phenomenal, and everything is easily pictured in the mind. Eva Ibbotson seems to have the ability of making very boring subjects into interesting and attractive topics to read about.

This book seems to be about nothing though. That is why I found it so interesting, as the author has made this 'nothing' into an enthralling tale. The story is made up of several minor plots, becoming one big plot. Annika is an orphan found in a church that grows up in the lovely Vienna. Day after day, she dreams about her real mother coming to see her. Then, servant girl Annika finds out what actually happened on the day of her birth and goes off on an adventure. Readers will learn about the beautiful Vienna, cooking, the Imperial Riding School, gypsies, Bad Haxenfield, and the horrible school of Grossenfluss.

"'What have you done?' she asked, aghast. 'What have you done, Annika? My mother would turn in her grave.'
She took another mouthful. An awful silence fell.
Then Sigrid said, 'Just taste, Ellie, just taste, don't lecture.'
Ellie speared another piece of fish in its dark sauce ... and another ... she closed her eyes. She still did not speak, but when the first course was finished she got up and fetched the black book from the dresser and with it a pen and a bottle of ink.
Then, 'You can write it in,' she said to Annika. 'Don't smudge it.'
Annika took the pen. 'What do I write? she asked, bewildered.
Ellie pointed to the instructions for cooking the Christmas carp. 'Here ... under the last line write: "A pinch of nutmeg will improve the flavour of the sauce"'

I think this book will appeal to audiences young and old. It is a very grand book, and I recommend it to you. Bravo!