by Julie Berry
Part of Wishes and Wellingtons, book 3
First published 2022
Maeve Merritt has a djinni named Mermeros living in a sardine can. She knows magic well, but magic cannot solve her real problem. In 1897, girls face strict limits on what they can do with their lives. Maeve wants to pursue daring adventures that society forbids her. She travels to Oxford for a summer field trip with her friend Alice. There they witness something remarkable. Women attend college as students and even participate in sports. Maeve begins to believe her dreams might become reality someday. Then thieves arrive seeking to steal Mermeros. They put Maeve and her friends in serious danger. Maeve has two enchanted silver mirrors that help her outsmart most burglars. But she realizes magic will keep creating problems for her. She faces an impossible choice. Should she give up her djinni forever? Can Maeve sacrifice all her wishes to protect the people she cares about?
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy, 19th-century
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Oxford, 1897
Period: 1897
352 pages · Paperback · Sourcebooks Young Readers