Copper Magic    by Julia Mary Gibson Order:  USA  Can Starscape, 2014 (2014) Hardcover     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Julia Mary Gibson's Copper Magic is an engaging historical (set in 1906) with hints of Native American magic. Its heroine, twelve-year old Violet Blake, lives with her father on his farm outside the lakeside town of Pigeon Harbor. Violet is a practiced liar, which is just as well, given what's ahead of her. Violet badly misses her mother Georgia, who left some time ago with Violet's beloved younger brother Francis, whom she calls Fry. She does not know why they left or when they will return, and her father is uncommunicative. Preachers from Chicago had bought the strip of woods between the Blake farm and Blue Lake. Violet meets and befriends their canny daughter Mercy. Just before she meets Mercy, Violet (who has American Indian ancestry on her mother's side) has a vision of 'a wrinkled lady with long white braids in a cape of white swan feathers waving in wind' and finds an ancient copper hand. She's convinced that it has magical powers and begins to make wishes - for a new dress and her mother's return. The first wish comes true right after she returns home. Aunt Phyllis shows up, to drag Violet into town for new clothing and a job interview - Miss Zalzman, a talented artist/photographer, badly needs an assistant. Violet loves her new job and her employer. Her friendship with Mercy grows and she shares the secret of the Hand with her. But then everything goes wrong - the Hand is stolen and Native bones unearthed. When Violet tries to set things right, black bellboy Isaac is accused of theft - and worse follows. What should she do? Copper Magic is a well crafted tale about a young woman filled with questions and trying to find answers and do what is right. Enjoy the story, as well as the author's Afterword on its origins. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews