About the Author

ANGIE SAGE was born in London and grew up in the Thames Valley, London, and Kent. She loves the sea, spooky old houses, and time traveling (the easy way, by reading history books). Angie has created many books for children, including the New York Times bestselling series Septimus Heap and Araminta Spookie. She lives in England. Visit her online at www.angiesage.com and on Twitter @AngieSageAuthor.

Mark Zug has illustrated many collectible card games, including Magic: The Gathering and Dune, as well as books and magazines. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

"Readers will be indubitably hooked--worrying, laughing, and gasping over the nonstop adventures of this engaging troupe." - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)"Readers will quickly warm up to the stars of the book, all back in top form." - School Library Journal"Physik [is] a fitting title for an adventure in which the hero travels back in time to serve as apprentice for an alchemist. How he gets there is nearly as interesting as the mission itself." - Publishers Weekly"Quirky storytelling, marked by a sprawling, omnisicent purview and plenty of entertaining tangents." - ALA Booklist"Readers will quickly warm up to the stars of the book, all back in top form." - School Library Journal"Few fans of the best-selling Septimus Heap series will be disappointed." - ALA Booklist"Physik is a fitting title for an adventure." - Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-6-In the third title (Katherine Tegen Books, 2007) in Angie Sage's series, Septimus Heap, the young ExtraOrdinary Apprentice, is literally dragged through a mirror of time to 500 years in the past where he works for and learns from his abductor, the alchemist Marcellus Pye. Meanwhile, in the castle's present time, the ghost of the evil Queen Etheldredda has escaped 500 years imprisonment (in a portrait) and has brought a dread sickness to the land. Septimus's friends join forces, enlist the help of his dragon, and set off to bring him back to their present. In the process, most characters find their lives altered. When Septimus returns, he brings knowledge learned from Pye of a healing art, physik, that can cure the dread sickness. Sage leaves enough loose ends to ensure a sequel. The wide-ranging plot, the many characters, and the assumption of familiarity with the previous books make this a challenging audiobook for young listeners to follow. British actor Gerard Doyle's narration greatly aids comprehension. His versatile voice deftly conveys personalities as diverse as those of a rat, the megalomaniacal ghost queen, and the halting English of a teenage female Norse trader. Doyle's pacing is excellent, and his reading elicits the range of emotions in the text, from the humorous whimsy of the food-focused dragon to the dread emanating from the evil ghost. Each CD is labeled with chapters and corresponding tracks. A priority purchase where the previous books and audiobooks are popular.-Louise L. Sherman, formerly Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

"Few fans of the best-selling Septimus Heap series will be disappointed." -- ALA Booklist"Physik is a fitting title for an adventure." -- Publishers Weekly"Readers will be indubitably hooked--worrying, laughing, and gasping over the nonstop adventures of this engaging troupe." -- Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)"Readers will quickly warm up to the stars of the book, all back in top form." -- School Library Journal