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If you are familiar with the other books in this series, especially Clint Twist's Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure, then you need read no further. You know how exhaustive and author Twist is and how engaging and intriguing these books are. As I said in a previous review, the scrapbook format of this book, made popular by Candlewick Press's Ology series of books, is what makes Marco Polo: History's Great Adventurer, Being an Account of His Travels 1270 - 1295 so easy to pick up and fall into.

Every page is filled with easy to digest bites of information surrounded by wonderful illustrations and an assortment of flaps, maps and envelopes to open, unfold and explore. Twist begins the story of Marco Polo in a prison cell in Genoa, Italy in 1298. Polo and his cellmate Rustichello da Pisa, a professional soldier who also wrote poems for nobles, are prisoners of war in the ongoing battle between Venice and Genoa. During their months of captivity, Polo tells da Pisa of his travels. The two eventually produced a book titled A Description of the World, later known as The Travels of Marco Polo.

"The yellow hills rose and fell in sunny tops and valleys. The Bohemian countryside on this August morning looked almost like a golden ocean with huge, swelling waves." These are the opening lines of  The Cabinet of Wonders and this golden plant, the brassica plant, is as central to the story as it is to the world Rutkoski has built around it. The brassica plant, which has a distinctive smell that some love and others find nauseating, provides the oil that greases the world of Bohemia and of Master Mikal Kronos, metalworker and father of the twelve year old Petra. Master Kronos has made what has to be one of the coolest sidekicks in the world of kid's fantasy since Philip Pullman paired Lyra Belaqua with her dæmon, Pantalaimon. Astrophil, a tiny metalwork spider, is the constant companion of Petra, most often hidden in the tangles of her hair, and the voice of reason. He is also a constant pursuer of knowledge, especially since he has never been known to sleep like the rest of the menagerie of tin animals Master Kronos crafted. Astrophil spends his nights reading in the library of the Sign of the Compass, Master Krono's storefront and home. It seems that Master Kronos' skill with metal comes from more than just his superior craftsmanship. Master Kronos has a magical way with the metal - he can speak to it, move it with his mind and even craft invisible objects from a very special kind of metal. However, in Bohemia magical ability, outside of the nobility, is extremely rare and occasionally dangerous.

When The Cabinet of Wonders begins, we find Master Kronos being returned to Okno after spending six months in Prague. Having been commissioned by the young prince of Bohemia to build the world's finest astronomical clock, Master Kronos has been banished from Prague and the clock remains incomplete, as does Master Kronos. Before he could finish the heart of the clock, the magical piece that would allow the prince to control the weather and destroy his enemies, Prince Rodolfo removed Master Kronos' eyes and sent him home, intent on completing the work himself with the help Master Kronos' bewitched eyes. Master Kronos accepts his fate with a calm that Petra is not even remotely capable of, especially when she learns that the reason her father took the job in the first place (as if one could say "no" to the prince) was to secure a place for her at Karlov University, the magical academy attended only by the children of the wealthiest Bohemians. Petra is so sure that none of her father's magical talents have been passed on to her that she has not bothered to learn any of the properties of the metals that he works with, convinced that she will not continue on his trade. And, in light of this, she has never once felt the desire to attend the stuffy Academy with a bunch of stuck up rich kids. Distraught thinking that her father has lost his livelihood trying to obtain a position for her that she never wanted, Petra impetuously heads for Prague and the Salamander Castle where Prince Rudolfo and her father's eyes reside.

The plot of The Cabinet of Wonders itself follows the common quest theme. What Rutkoski brings to this story is the rich imagery, the unique (for this genre) setting and the wonderful characters that populate Bohemia.  Petra's best friend in Okno, Tomik, is an apprentice to his father, Master Stakan who runs the Sign of Fire, the glassblower's establishment. Although most magical abilities begin to show themselves when a child is fourteen, Tomik's are already revealing themselves. He has invented three glass balls, each filled with something that will multiply one hundred times when broken. Tomik gives these Marvels - one filled with lightning, one with water and one with an angry wasp - to Petra as she sets off on her journey. Once in Prague, Petra has the good fortune to have her purse stolen by a Gypsy named Indraneel, or Neel. Catching him out and keeping him from being sent to jail builds a bond between the two and and proves helpful when the time comes to enter the castle. The gypsies also provide another interesting branch of magical abilities and mythology that weaves nicely into the story. With the help of Neel's sister, Petra obtains a job in the castle, first as a kitchen maid and, when she is fired from her job after only a matter of hours, she is sent to the Dye Works. In yet another fascinating wrinkle to her story, Rutkoski creates Irenka Grisetta December, the sixth Countess of Krumlov, Iris for short. A crotchety old crone, Iris is also an absentminded genius who runs the Dye Works, which is part of the Thinker's Wing of the castle, which is a series of laboratories where the prince's magicians experiment and create. Iris is plagued by the odd affliction of becoming acidic when emotional and melting everything that surrounds her. Because of this, she is feared by almost everyone in the castle, but Petra has a respect for her that allows them to become fast friends - even though Iris never thinks to ask Petra her name.

The goings on at the castle and the wickedness of Prince Rodolfo and Petra's inevitable theft (or reclaiming) of her father's eyes from the prince's Cabinet of Wonders make up most of the story. But, the details of life in the castle (especially the magical doors to the prince's room - AMAZING! I would love to see them illustrated) are so intriguing that you almost forget that Petra is there for a reason. The little ways that Rutkoski introduces magic into the story are also a treat. Like the Worry Vials created by Master Stakan that are made to contain and relieve the owner of his or her troubles. However, Tomik has discovered a flaw in the design that could be the end of his father's business or might be the key to Petra's success at the palace. In addition to a magnificent imagination, Rutkoski is a truly wonderful writer and passages will make you stop and think, then read them again. Here is one of my favorites:

Petra had not cried once since the day her father was brought home in the cart, and she refused to do so in front of this lithe and untrustworthy thief. She had to get out of the tavern. Right then she felt like a sheet of thin paper soaked with dirty water, and just one more drop would make her disintegrate into shreds.

Another wonderful piece of writing occurs again, when exploring the Thinker's Wing Petra encounters the polite and welcoming painter Kristof, working studiously on what appears to be a blank canvas, a canvas she later learns has the magical ability to make people disappear. Rutkoski writes,


Petra thought about Kristof, about his unlocked door and sweet manner. She thought about how the prince had tricked her father into thinking he was a friend. If you would like to know how easy it is to overlook evil, to see it for something else, Petra could tell you: it is the easiest thing in the world.

Rutkoski continues her Kronos Chronicles with  second book, The Celestial Globe, which has just been released in paperback. The third book in the series (or trilogy?) is due out this fall! 

With the pace of a Dr Seuss story, minus the made-up-words, Stein's rhymes fly by like some of the cars in Staake's kooky illustrations. Staake really runs with the story here, as his playful pictures show us bizarre cars (with wings, an umbrella, a Viking helmet and a jack-in-the-box) junky cars, sleeping cars and more. My favorite is the 100 foot Centipede car, below. 

You will find yourself practically singing the text as you read out loud about these cars that come in all shapes and sizes and even smells. However, I must warn parents - this book ends on a VERY frightening note when the narrator tells the listeners, "Someday YOU'LL drive!"