Madeline Koch Reading-Roche

3 5-11-12

The Alchemist’s DaughterBy: Eileen Kernaghan

Biography

http://home.portal.ca/~lonewolf/kernaghan.html (the website may not come up on your computer, it did not for me, but this is defiantly her official website)

Eileen Kernaghan- Eileen was born in British Columbia, Canada. Her mother taught her to read at age five and she started writing stories not long after. When she was twelve she wrote a story that the newspaper bought for $12.65 (that was a lot of money then).In the next twenty years she went to collage, got married, and had three kids. After her last kid was in kindergarten she started writing again. Eileen wrote many books like: “Gray Isles”, “Songs from the Drowned Lands”, “Dance of the Snow Dragon”, “the Snow Queen”, “Wild Talent”, “the Alchemist’s Daughter”, and even more.

Summary“The Alchemist’s Daughter” is about a girl named Sidonie whose father is an Alchemist. Her father is trying to make an elixir which will turn common metals to gold. He tells this to the queen saying he has almost perfected it when really he is far from it. On the other hand Sidonie is the country’s newest scryier which means she can look into the crystal ball, a mirror, or something like those two objects and see things to either help her, help someone else, or see into the future. Sidonie does not think her father will perfect the elixir in time and he will be hanged. She comes up with a plan that when her father leaves to see the queen she and Kit, her neighbor and friend (he is a boy), will go to Glastonbury to find the elixir known as the “Red Lion” which turns metal into gold. When they get this and start heading home they are attacked by fake beggars. Kit is severely hurt and the thieves ran off with their money and the elixir. Soon a rich man goes by on a horse and brings them back to his house. His name is Adrian Gilbert and he brings them to Lady Mary who helps kit back to health. Soon after Kit recovers Sidonie becomes sick with the sweating sickness which causes you to hurt a lot to move, sweat a lot, have hallucinations, faint after not long of being awake, and get exhausted from doing simple things like sitting up. It takes days for her to recover but when she does she and kit look in the abbey pond in Glastonbury. Kit leaves Sidonie alone for a while for her to scry, but when he leaves she gets captured by a man whom Sidonie thinks wants the elixir. Sidonie is trying hard to outsmart, scare, or confuse the man into letting her go. Eventually he drops something. When he goes to pick it up Sidonie Runs away as fast as she can. When she Finds Kit he was managing to stay calm but was still searching for her. He is happy to find her unharmed. They go back to the Wilton house and Sidonie tells Lady Mary that under lots of mud, and about waist deep water there is the hidden treasure of the Abbey. Adrian Gilbert leads men to the pond in Glastonbury and gets the treasure out. This treasure helps the queen immensely, because Spain is posing a threat. If they were to go to war England, would not have enough money to pay for it, so the gold helps build more things if they were to go to war. Soon Sidonie and Kit head home. After they return they stay for a month or two then receive an invitation from the Queen. Soon Sidonie and Kit are heading to the palace and when the festivities begin Sidonie senses that the queen is in danger she looks into the crystal and what she sees surprises her. What happens to the queen? What happens to England? Do the Spanish attack? Is Sidonie mistaken and the queen is not in danger? All of these you can find out by reading the book.

Characters† Main Characters1. Sidonie- a dark haired, intelligent, adult-like, teenager who goes

on a long journey to help her father and ends up saving England from a threat from the Spanish.

2. Kit- a teenaged boy, a friend and neighbor of Sidonie who enjoys botany (study of plants) and who helps Sidonie in a time of need.

3. Simon Quince- Sidonie’s father whom is an alchemist, which is kind-of like a scientist but is in more renaissance times, who often believes that he can do anything without knowing how to.

† Supporting Characters1. Queen- the queen is a thinking person who wants peace

therefor avoids war in any way she can2. Lady Mary- a women who helps Kit come back to health from his

cut and who has a dark secret, she can see her dead brother. Lady Mary also helps out with problems Sidonie and Kit are facing

3. Adrian Gilbert- The man who stops to help Sidonie and Kit when Kit is hurt and who nurses Sidonie back to health. He makes “potions” which work like medicine.

Plot† Introduction-(at house)Sidonie’s father is trying to create something that turns simple metal into

gold. He tells Sidonie that she has the gift, like her mother, to scry. Scrying is to look into crystal ball, mirror, clouds etc. and see objects to either help you with something, see into past, or see into the future. Her Father soon goes to the queen, with Sidonie, to tell her that he has almost perfected the elixir, and for Sidonie to look into the crystal ball for her.† Rising action-

Sidonie’s father will be killed if he does not fulfill his promise, so Sidonie asks her neighbor and friend, Kit, to go on a trip to Glastonbury to find this elixir (her father does not know she is leaving because he is out of town also). After they find it, with a little help from scrying, Sidonie stops to help a man with the falling sickness, a disease that makes you fall to the ground and have a spasm, but he is a traitor and pushes her to the ground . The woman with him grabs her money and the elixir, which looks like reddish dirt. While this is happening another person cuts Kits forehead severely with a knife. A rich man on a horse goes by and helps them; his name is Adrian Gilbert and he takes them back to his house and Lady Mary who helps Kit get well again. soon after he is better Sidonie falls ill with a terrible sickness. Its days before she is well enough to even leave the house. After Sidonie has fully recovered she and Kit go back to Glastonbury for gold said to be in a place hidden in this riddle “Seek where fish keep silence.” Kit leaves Sidonie alone to scry but someone captures her. Eventually she escapes. Soon she goes back to Wilton house for a day or two then goes home. † Climax-

when Sidonie goes home she prepares for winter. In December a message comes from the queen inviting her to a play and feast at the palace but the queen is in danger who could it be and why?† Falling action-

Sidonie and kit head home.† Conclusion- The conclusion is the Epilogue. It tells the reader what happens after the

story is over it made me really happy that the author included this, but this is the end of the book and I do not want to give away the ending.

Vocabulary• Rhapsodize-v. to speak or write with an extravagantly enthusiastic

manner.Pg. 61 as soon as they were out of earshot Kit remarked, “he may rhapsodize as he likes, but his true faith brought little enough peace to England.”

• Avail- to he of use, help, worth, or advantage.Pg.62 “It’s of no Avail,” Sidonie said finally looking up. “the crystal speaks in symbols.”

• Rushlights- a candle made by dipping the pith of a rush in tallow Pg. 134 “Squinting into a long, low-ceilinged, smoky room, filled with the flickering glow of rushlights”

• Pewter- a gray alloy of tin with copper Pg. 104 “He was smiling broadly, and carrying a pewter posset cup on a tray.”

• Grottoes-A small picturesque cave, esp. an artificial one in a park or garden

Pg. 159 “Here were undiscovered grottoes, fountains, mazes, walkways…..”

Actors

Sidonie played by Lily Collins

Kit played by Lucas Till

Actors

The Queen is played by: Helena Bonham Carter

Simon Quince (Sidonie’s father) is played by: Robert Downey Jr.

Actors

Master Adrian Gilbert played by: Cris Pine

Lady Mary is played by: Julia Roberts

Music

Rondeau by BachI would use this song for the opening when you see the set or a person walking and it has some

credits popping upIt is the third song in this video (the backgrounds change for each song) it does not have any words

My other song is also by Bach and it is for when Sidonie and Kit are traveling.

(it is the fourth and last song on the same video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kvWClaJKd8

I rated this novel four and a half out of five stars because it was well written organized and kept me reading the only problems were that it was written like they talk in the renaissance so sometimes it was hard to understand and the beginning was a little slow but the rest of it almost completely made up for that. I highly recommend this book.

Ratings

Recommended booksother books by Eileen Kernaghan

“the Snow Queen”“Wild Talent” “Gray Isles”“Dance of the Snow Dragon”“the Snow Queen”

All by Eileen Kernaghan

Recommendations