The Star Of Kazan By Eva Ibbotson

The Star of Kazan is about a baby that gets found in a little church in the mountains by two servants. They take him back to where they work. The professors s said that the baby had to go to the Scarid Heart with was a nuns convert but on the day Ellie and Sigrid the two servants went to take the baby away but the professors said she could stay. Then twelve years later Annika was a very helpful girl. One day a family across the road called the Egghart's great aunt arrived, none of the Eggharts wanted to look after there great ant so Annika did. The great aunt and Annika became good friends then the great aunt died. Then very soon after this happened a lady arrived at the professor’s house she was Annika’s Mum. Her mother took her to her house which was called Spittal. At Spittal Annika wasn't allowed to help around the house and kitchen like she did at the professor’s house. When she arrived she had a brother called Hermann who was just younger than her. Annika accepting her mother she was also accepting the name Annika von T           which was the sort of name rich people in Germany had.

One day Annika went down to the farm at spittal and met a boy called Zed. Zed was just older than Annika. He was the farm boy he looked after the horse called Rocco he looked after Hector the dog. But Hector was no normal he was missing one leg and an eye. Annika found out from her mother that they were short of money although there house was enormous and Annika thought they had lots of money the reason they were short of money was Edelraut (Annika’s mother) husband was a gambler.

Annika’s Mum, Uncle Oswald and Aunt Mathilda had to go some where on a business. When they came back they seemed happy and Annika wondered why it was because Edelraut’s godfather had died and left her lots of money. Then one day Annika and Edelraut went and visited Elderauts uncle at the biggest spar in Europe. While Edelraut is having treatment Annika and her cousin Gudrun and brother Hermann went to a café. While they were there the Egghart’s daughter arrived Lorrmarie and she shouted at Annika about stealing one of her great aunts possessions. But she hadn’t. When she got home because they had now come into money her mother was sending Hermann of to St Xavier which was a military school. Annika told her mum about Lorrmarie shouting at her. They worked out that the great aunt had left in her will a box of her possessions to Annika. The next day Zed and Annika took Hector for a walk and hector found a photo it was a ohoto from the box of Annika knew this because the great aunt showed it to her. But how did it get there?

Annika showed her mum and her mum said it was zed who took it because his mother was a gypsy. She phoned the police and they were going to get zed in the morning.  But zed found out and rode away to Vienna on Rocco the horse. While he was in Vienna he went to see the professors and tell them about the box and tell them that he thinks it was the mum and he had evidence. Meanwhile back at spittal Edelraut was sending Annika to a boarding school which would teach her how to not do always want help around the house. She was given a number which was number 127 after a few days she realized that number 216 was missing she asked people if they knew what had happened but they were not allowed to tell. She hated it there at the school it was called ‘The Palace of Grossenfluss’. After a bit longer the professors had decided that they needed to speak to Annika’s mother. When they got to Spittal she was not there nor was Annika. So they asked the maid where Annika was the maid said at The Palace of Grossenfluss. So they went and asked if they could see her but they weren’t allowed but the lady did tell them that she would be out on a walk soon. They saw her and Ellie and the professors knew she was unhappy so got a plan hitched. One of the professors played the harp so they decided that she would go and play a concert they managed to get a message to Annika saying that in the interval she had to pretend to feel sick and go to the clock room to meet one of the professors but does it work……

I would give it a 8/10