AdventureinIstanbulAdventure in Istanbul, by Cora Taylor • Coteau Books, 2005. 257 pages.

Twins Maggie and Jennifer couldn’t be more different. Maggie is quiet and careful, loves school, and isn’t likely to do something rash like trying an invisibility spell found stuck inside a book she snuck from the library. Jennifer, on the other hand, is liable to do exactly that. But Jennifer’s intermittent invisibility comes in handy when the two girls team up with their friend Sam and their paternal grandmother (aka Grand) to solve the mystery of their father’s disappearance.

Full of action, adventure, mistaken identity and even a smattering of Classical myth & history, Adventure in Istanbul is a fast paced and well-told adventure, even if it lacks the lyricism of, say, Madeline L’Engle’s books (which Taylor name-checks, and with which Adventure in Istanbul does share some common themes, particularly lost fathers and children who must take an active role in facilitating their return).

I enjoyed the book, though I was a bit put off by its obviously juvenile cover (”That’s just embarrassing,” said Brian, as we settled into our reading at the coffee shop this morning). Readers at the 3rd – 6th grade reading level should enjoy it too, though Jennifer and Maggie seem younger than their thirteen years, and older teens might find little to relate to (and be put off by the girls’ assiduously-chronicled fashion choices. A sparkly vest? A purple hat? Really?).