All Maya really wants is for her mother to be well again. But when her baby brother James goes missing, 12-year-old Maya has to take on the magical...
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Feb 11, 2012
Alan
rated it: 
An interesting story about people who can live forever. The process of making them immortal produces a small vial of "earth" which needs to be kept save and sealed or "earths" will find them and a rapid aging will occur. These vials are kept in a special cabinet, the Cabinet of Earths, controlled by one person from the part of the family with magical powers. The keeper of this cabinet has become uncooperative to those who want to continue to make "immortals". He's o
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Dec 13, 2011
Pam
rated it: 
I really dislike the current 'cartoonish' bookcover. It makes "The Cabinet of Earths" look like fluffy juvenile market stuff, which it's not.
I say this because Nesbet's story is nuanced, with subtle tensions and issues. It isn't a variation of Goose Bumps, or even an adventure like the Percy Jackson series. This is a sorta-creepy Steampunk-ish mystery book for people who like well written stories!
:::POSSIBLY SOME SPOILERS:::
Backstory begins the book. We a More...
I say this because Nesbet's story is nuanced, with subtle tensions and issues. It isn't a variation of Goose Bumps, or even an adventure like the Percy Jackson series. This is a sorta-creepy Steampunk-ish mystery book for people who like well written stories!
:::POSSIBLY SOME SPOILERS:::
Backstory begins the book. We a More...
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Nov 30, 2011
D.J.
rated it:
I really wanted to like this book, and it has some cool stuff in -- a family cursed to betray each other, a cabinet that stores the mortality of chosen people, rendering them immortal, and a keep of great secrets who has rebelled. For those virtues, and to reward a first time author generally, three stars.
But I can't give it more than that, because the book is kind of boring and really slow.
First of all, stuff happening is not a plot. A plot is a character who has a problem, More...
But I can't give it more than that, because the book is kind of boring and really slow.
First of all, stuff happening is not a plot. A plot is a character who has a problem, More...
Dec 08, 2011
Ronald
rated it:
When a young girl, named Maya, has to move from California with her family to Paris, France, she is devastated. Her mom is just recovering from a bout with cancer. Her dad has been offered a job in Paris. Maya and her younger brother must leave all their friends and learn to speak French, while trying to fit in at a new school. The wonderful sights and sounds of Paris are not totally lost on Maya. She makes a new friend named Valko, who speaks English better than she speaks French. He is the son
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Jan 29, 2012
April
rated it: 
Originally reviewed here
The Cabinet Of Earths, Anne Nesbet’s debut middle grade novel examines larger ideas. What would you sacrifice to live forever? What would you give for your sick mom to get better? These are the questions Maya Davidson, 12 year old protagonist of The Cabinet Of Earths grapples with.
Maya Davidson is out of her element. After receiving a sizable fellowship, Maya’s father uproots the family from the US to Paris, France. Maya is not thrilled and m More...
The Cabinet Of Earths, Anne Nesbet’s debut middle grade novel examines larger ideas. What would you sacrifice to live forever? What would you give for your sick mom to get better? These are the questions Maya Davidson, 12 year old protagonist of The Cabinet Of Earths grapples with.
Maya Davidson is out of her element. After receiving a sizable fellowship, Maya’s father uproots the family from the US to Paris, France. Maya is not thrilled and m More...
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Dec 05, 2011
Ramie
rated it:
I wish I could give this book more stars as the concept is nice. It's just too slow, too repetitive, and the real story doesn't get going until at least half way into the book. Still, it does have its charms.
Maya's mother has always wanted to go to Paris. A lucky opportunity to do just that lands in the family's lap. No one can say no, given the mother's recent battle with cancer. She deserves to have her dreams come true.
Still we've all heard the good ol' saying -- if s More...
Maya's mother has always wanted to go to Paris. A lucky opportunity to do just that lands in the family's lap. No one can say no, given the mother's recent battle with cancer. She deserves to have her dreams come true.
Still we've all heard the good ol' saying -- if s More...
Feb 20, 2012
Karissa
rated it:
I got an advanced copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This sounded like a fun and magical middle grade read. There were some neat concepts in this story but it takes a long time for the story to get moving. By the time things are really starting to get interesting the book is over. I had an absolutely awful time with this book keeping my attention; I am not sure why but my attention just kept wandering off.
Maya just wants her mother to recover from cancer a More...
Maya just wants her mother to recover from cancer a More...
Jan 29, 2012
Laura
rated it:
What a fun, interesting twist on the idea of immortality and the marriage between magic and science. Maya is the bookish, normal daughter in the Davidson family; her mother is recovering from cancer, her father is a scientist and her younger brother, James, is one of those naturally charming, gregarious kids everyone loves. The family moves to Paris for a year while her father works with the Society of Philosophical Chemistry, and she's thrown into a school where she must speak French and is a
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Jan 23, 2012
Snail in Danger (Sid)
rated it:
Okay. I have now re-read this. It holds up pretty well. It is more like a 3.5. It is maybe not the most original thing thematically (Immortality Immorality being fairly well-covered ground), but it is still imaginative and entertaining.
Maya is a kickass big sister, and Valko is an awesome sidekick. Cousin Louise, oh my god, Cousin Louise. I like her more every time I re-read this. Maya's parents are somewhat oblivious, as parents in these sorts of stories often are, but Cousin More...
Maya is a kickass big sister, and Valko is an awesome sidekick. Cousin Louise, oh my god, Cousin Louise. I like her more every time I re-read this. Maya's parents are somewhat oblivious, as parents in these sorts of stories often are, but Cousin More...
Jan 10, 2012
Kit
rated it: 
You know those books that are vaguely interesting for the first three-quarters and then suddenly pick up a burst of energy in the final quarter? The Cabinet of Earths is one of those.
That’s not to say I disliked the book, not at all. I enjoyed the premise, the characters were likeable enough, and it’s rather fun to pick out locations if you’ve ever been to Paris. Unfortunately, there was also a mild pacing problem.
The first part of Cabinet introduces us to both the mys More...
That’s not to say I disliked the book, not at all. I enjoyed the premise, the characters were likeable enough, and it’s rather fun to pick out locations if you’ve ever been to Paris. Unfortunately, there was also a mild pacing problem.
The first part of Cabinet introduces us to both the mys More...
Nov 30, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
It's been a long time since I've found a middle grade novel that I could parallel with THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER, but this title is it. Anne Nesbet does a fantastic job of weaving the protagonist’s touching personal development as a daughter, sister, and friend, with a fantastic, surreal adventure that is both heartwarming and non-stop exciting. It’s hard to stay fresh in the paranormal saturated book world we live in, but Nesbet does a great job of finding a premise that i
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Feb 13, 2012
Ryan
rated it:
A lovely story of magic, temptation and choice. Maya's family has moved to Paris for a year, leaving behind good friends, familiar surroundings and the family dog. She is sad, scared and perhaps a bit frustrated that she always has to be a good sport. She quickly discovers that she is in Paris for reasons that are difficult to understand and perhaps scarier than her mom's illness ever was.
The story touched close to home. It is hard to know someone you love will die and that you can' More...
The story touched close to home. It is hard to know someone you love will die and that you can' More...
Jan 19, 2012
Ariel
rated it:
I love fantasies and I read so many of them that it's always surprising and exciting to find a really original vision like this one. For one thing the magic is French and it's set in Paris, which is a refreshing change from the English magic trope. For another, the "earths" themselves and how they work represent such a interesting reworking of a classic theme. Then there are the themes of the delicious anbar and the colorless cousins. AND the book is beautifully, whimsically, even deli
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Feb 02, 2012
Kara
rated it:
Blurb:
On their first day in Paris, Maya and her little brother, James, find themselves caught up in some very old magic. Houses with bronze salamanders for door handles, statues that look too much like Mayas own worried face, a man wearing sunglasses to hide his radiant purple eyes . . . nothing is what it seems. And what does all that magic want from Maya?
With the help of a friendly boy named Valko, Maya discovers surprises hidden in her family trees brother. And now the More...
On their first day in Paris, Maya and her little brother, James, find themselves caught up in some very old magic. Houses with bronze salamanders for door handles, statues that look too much like Mayas own worried face, a man wearing sunglasses to hide his radiant purple eyes . . . nothing is what it seems. And what does all that magic want from Maya?
With the help of a friendly boy named Valko, Maya discovers surprises hidden in her family trees brother. And now the More...
Jan 23, 2012
Diana
rated it:
I was thoroughly enchanted by the story of Maya Davidson and her family. When the story opens, the Davidsons have just moved to Paris, to take advantage of a fellowship Maya's dad has been offered by the intriguingly mysterious "Society of Philosophical Chemistry." But as the story unfolds, we learn something deeper seems to have summoned the Davidson family there, including complicated ancestral ties, a tangled history of bad luck and betrayals, and a beautiful, magical cabinet. This
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Jan 26, 2012
Sonya
rated it:
Moving to Paris we see her character struggling with her own unhappiness and making her sick mother happy. A lot of good elements for a great adventure there is an underline anxiety that simmers in the background through out, but the pacing is slow. So much so that even on chapter 4, I was still waiting for the pace to pick up but towards the end the story is off like a bullet.
--http://sonythebooklover.com/2012/01/the-cabinet-of-earths-review/#more-3118
--http://sonythebooklover.com/2012/01/the-cabinet-of-earths-review/#more-3118
Jan 26, 2012
Bekki
rated it:
My full review can be found in the link below, but just as an overview, it was a good book! Maybe a little slow, but some really cool characters(Cousin Louise being the best!), although the parents are not very strong; the mother isn't bad but I expected a character like that, set up as a "thoughtful mother" to be more receptive to what her daughter was telling her.
I would rate it more like 3 1/2 stars and would totally recommend the read. It was a good book with some important More...
I would rate it more like 3 1/2 stars and would totally recommend the read. It was a good book with some important More...
Feb 03, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
This is the middle-grade novel everybody's going to be talking about next year. It's *wonderful*. Here's the blurb I gave it (the author and I share the same publisher):
Reading this book is like discovering a treasure box full of rare and wonderful things. If you open it, you'll find a brave and good-hearted girl hero, the mysterious streets of Paris, and a magical cabinet full of life itself. The writing is luminous and absolutely compelling. It's the best thing I've read in a More...
Reading this book is like discovering a treasure box full of rare and wonderful things. If you open it, you'll find a brave and good-hearted girl hero, the mysterious streets of Paris, and a magical cabinet full of life itself. The writing is luminous and absolutely compelling. It's the best thing I've read in a More...
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Feb 16, 2012
Susan
rated it:
Some neat concepts in this book (the cabinet of earths, life vs change, anbar...). Ultimately it left me a bit flat by the end, but it was engaging. I really wanted to know more about the magic involved, more about the hourglass, and to have a better understanding of the villain who really was not developed in any significant way.
Aug 04, 2011
Secret societies, a Parisian setting, a mysterious cabinet and children missing from long ago--all woven into an original and lyric story. Fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society will love this!
Feb 21, 2012
Alexa
rated it:
Loved Maya, France and the Society of Philosophical Chemistry. Not usre how I felt about the actual Cabinet. It didn't draw me in as much as I wanted but I would not hesitate to recommend to others.
Feb 12, 2012
Lena
rated it:
Deliciously strange.
The Paris Maya moves to is new to her...and more than a little out-of-the-ordinary. At turns creepy, fun, tender, and deeply thought-provoking, this story is filled with descriptions you want to read two or three times before continuing on. To be savored, not rushed through. An engrossing story for the middle grade set (and older!).
FABULOUS!
The Paris Maya moves to is new to her...and more than a little out-of-the-ordinary. At turns creepy, fun, tender, and deeply thought-provoking, this story is filled with descriptions you want to read two or three times before continuing on. To be savored, not rushed through. An engrossing story for the middle grade set (and older!).
FABULOUS!
Jan 22, 2012
Linda
rated it:
Charming story. Loved Maya, and especially loved the cabinet of earths.
Feb 13, 2012
Angela
rated it:
Really neat and slightly creepy. A good example of the temptations of power--to misuse it for good. A dangling plot point paves the way for a sequel.
Aug 13, 2011
Sarvenaz
rated it:
I adored this book: it reminded me of The Secret Garden sprinkled with the magic of Narnia and yet was throughly original. I think it will become an instant favorite for many readers.
Feb 13, 2012
Anne Nesbet reveals a magical Paris to the middle-grade reader. I was completely enchanted by her beautiful tale-spinning and three-dimensional characters.
Feb 07, 2012
Casey
rated it:
Enjoyable story. I fell in love with the characters and I enjoyed the few bits of truth.
Dec 19, 2011
Marissa
rated it:
Great setting. Intriguing premise. Brave heroine. Fun fantasy definitely worth a read.
