Come See the Fair - by Gavriel Savit

About the Book

"Twelve-year-old orphan Eva Root travels to the great World's Fair in Chicago where she discovers her magical abilities and becomes entangled in a sinister plan."--

Book Synopsis

An unforgettable story of magic, mediums, and séances set during the Chicago World's Fair from the author of the National Book Award finalist The Way Back.

Twelve-year-old orphan Eva Root travels the country pretending to channel spirits at séances. Her audiences swear their loved ones have spoken to them from beyond the grave. This, of course, is impossible.

But one day, Eva experiences another impossibility: she hears a voice in her head telling her to come to the World's Fair in Chicago. There, she meets a mysterious magician who needs her help to bring magic to life. But as their work progresses, Eva begins to suspect that the project's goals may not be as noble as they seem. And when tragedy strikes, Eva will have to reach beyond death itself to unravel the mystery of the magician's plan--before it's too late.

From the author of the National Book Award finalist The Way Back comes a story of what to do when you get burned by the magic you've been looking for all your life.

"Gavriel Savit is an alchemist. Fusing history and magic with the shimmering ghost light of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, he has conjured a perfect potion of adventure and suspense. I was spellbound from the first page." --Candace Fleming, award-winning author of The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh and Murder Among Friends

Review Quotes

"There is something of Wonderland in Magister's Pavilion of Magic, and also something of the White Witch's Narnia. . . . This tone is the book's great accomplishment. Come See the Fair is intense and imaginative, and the prose draws us in, line by line. . . the details are sumptuous." --New York Times

"[T]he perfect concoction of adventure and suspense." --Bookstr

"Savit layers the fantasy elements onto real-world historical details....in a thrilling chase sequence the author uses almost endless sentences to convey speed, action, and surprise." --The Horn Book

"[Savit] skillfully entwines magic with filaments of science." --The Bulletin

"Those who enjoy magic mixed in with their history will be rewarded with a remarkable visit to this World's Fair." --Booklist

"The characters and setting is alluring and feels perfectly surreal, which will keep readers engaged." --School Library Journal

"Interweaving Chicago's fiery history with a sinister world's fair setting and a memorable heroine, Savit sketches a complex, high-stakes take on magic's underpinnings and seductive powers." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Gavriel Savit is the author of The Way Back, a National Book Award finalist, and Anna and the Swallow Man, which the New York Times called "a splendid debut." His books have been translated into nineteen languages. He lives in Springfield, Illinois, with his wife and children.