Zoe Sophia in New York The Mystery of the Pink Phoenix Papers [Hardcover]

Claudia Mauner (Author), Elisa Smalley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2006 | Grade Level: P and up

When Zoe Sophia's favorite person in the world, her great aunt Dorothy Pomander, comes to New York, she and Zoe Sophia quickly become embroiled in a mystery as they do research for Dorothy Pomander's new book. Their hunt takes them to many of the sights of New York, including the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Penguin House in Central Park, the New York Public Library, and Lincoln Center. And as clues are revealed one by one, the excitement really begins!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-This picture book might attract young detectives who are in the mood for a little intrigue as well as readers who want to discover a little something about New York City. Unfortunately, they may feel let down by its mystery aspect and be completely overloaded on Big Apple factoids. Zoe Sophia's great aunt is coming to do research for her new book, Enchanted Nile: Egyptian Magic in Victorian England (1837-1901). The mystery involves a scarab with supposed magical powers, now on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although the child and her aunt find the missing diary of the Pink Phoenix's former owner, they don't reveal its contents, so readers never discover the scarab's secret. The bright, cartoon-style illustrations resemble a scrapbook and make for an engaging visual experience, but do not make up for the jumbled nature of the story. While the Manhattan references may appeal to adults, there are so many details jammed into the frame of the story that children may feel left in the dust. Add this only if Zoe Sophia's Scrapbook: An Adventure in Venice (Chronicle, 2003) is popular.-Genevieve Gallagher, Murray Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. In Zoe Sophia's Scrapbook (2003), the eponymous, sprout-haired nine-year-old traveled from her Manhattan home to Venice, where she had adventures with her beloved great-aunt Dorothy. In this title, it's Dorothy's turn to visit, and Zoe Sophia is delighted to show her the sights. A subplot about the search for a rare diary isn't well integrated. Even so, the charming, detailed watercolor-and-ink illustrations, inventive scrapbook layouts, and Zoe Sophia's tour of her privileged life (including her classroom at the Wildendorf School for the Exceptionally Curious) will draw some interest, as will the view of Manhattan landmarks--from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Empire State Building. Many kids will envy the adoration Zoe Sophia shares with her energetic, free-spirited great-aunt Dorothy.^B This isn't a necessary purchase, but it's a visually rich picture book for reading alone or aloud, and teachers may want to share it with kids as a starting point for scrapbook projects about their daily lives and favorite relatives. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811848779
• ISBN-13: 978-0811848770
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,673,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Claudia Mauner is an author, graphic designer and illustrator who has published internationally and won many awards. Aside from her lovable characters from the popular "Zoe Sophia" series, (Chronicle Books), her quirky illustrations have graced the pages of many international magazines. Claudia has taught Graphic Design at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Penn State University and Art Center Europe. She resides in New York and Pennsylvania, and manages her own studio for Graphic Design: artbox studios. Check out her work at www.zoesophia.com and www.artboxstudios.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventure, friendship, mystery!, May 25, 2006

By 

Maria Fisher "avid reader" (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoe Sophia in New York The Mystery of the Pink Phoenix Papers (Hardcover)

I loved this book, as did my daughetr (9). Zoe Sophia is an original, independent girl with a sense of adventure, sense of humor (and great outfits)!
Both my daughter and her friends (boys and girls) can really relate to the character.
It conveys the flavor of New York City, with clues driving the story from location to location. This book can be read on many levels and enjoyed by all ages!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful series for girls: boys allowed, December 30, 2007

By 

Judy K. Polhemus "Book Collector" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zoe Sophia in New York The Mystery of the Pink Phoenix Papers (Hardcover)

You have to watch those children's writers! Right there on the front end page begins this second adventure for Zoe Sophia and her wonderful great-aunt, Dorothy Pomander, a writer who lives in Venice, setting for the first book in the series.

End pages are those two pages just inside the covers, both in front and in back. They are often the same, may be plain white, colored, or have patterns that tie in with the story. In this case two parts of the story are found here: a letter from Aunt Dorothy and the map of their adventures. Flip to the back covers and find the two scrapbook pages that Zoe Sophia creates after her aunt returns home. I am a children's librarian: I am privy to these things.

When reading a children's book, always begin with the cover. Sometimes the story begins there. Then look at every single page because story parts can be placed there. Now turn the end page and find two pairs of glasses--a small thing but look at the next picture on the title page and see a photograph of the two characters and Zoe's dog Mickey. Ah, yes, the glasses. Make sense?

Zoe Sophia's room is a surprise: colorful including bold stripes, but not as cluttered as I imagined. Yet no surprise with her school--Zoe attends a school for the gifted, "exceptionally curious" for "thirsty little minds." This book shows why Zoe Sophia loves her aunt so much. Dorothy Pomander focuses totally on her niece, unlike Zoe's parents who flit about in their social lives.

A number of things make this series so special and dare-I-say educational: local color by way of famous places to visit, cultural tidbits that daily surround the characters, love and a close relationship between the girl and her very special aunt, and always a mystery unique to the story.

Here are things inherent in New York: a Russian ballet mistress (in Shreveport she would be a ballet teacher), a Jamaican housekeeper for their apartment and her jerk chicken and mango chutney (recipe on a back end page), a neighbor, once a tightrope walker, who reads Tarot cards after dinner, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (of course), the Penguin House, dinner in a fine restaurant with a live pianist, friend to Dorothy who previously lived in New York, the New York Public Library, where they do research together, the Lincoln Center, where they attend a ballet (of course), a quaint bookstore, a place that turns up the very book they seek, and the top of the Empire State Building, a place neither had ever visited.

The mystery for this story involves the pink phoenix, a naturally pink stone used in creating this scarab for Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, a missing book, a phoenix, the jack of clubs, a fire, and so on. Together Zoe Sophia and Dorothy Pomander solve the mystery, and in doing so, create new memories which will fill two more pages in Zoe's scrapbook. The reader takes this brief trip with them through colorful illustrations and fantastic things to learn and see and perhaps visit one day with their special person.

This is a very highly recommended series.