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Stravaganza City of Masks (Stravaganza)
by Mary Hoffman
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books (2002-09-21)
ISBN: 1582347913
EAN: 9781582347912
Hardcover: 256 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
SKU: 070701202
Condition: Very Good Like New
Comments: First Edition First Printing. Hardback in like new condition with no markings. Slight yellowing - else like new. Dust jacket in like new condition with minor shelf wear. Tight binding and clear crisp text. Beautiful book.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
During the day, Lucien battles cancer in his modern, normal life. But at night, he becomes a Stravagante, a time-traveler of sorts who finds himself in Belleza, a city parallel to old Venice. Befriended by a local girl and protected by an older Stravagante, Lucien uncovers a plot to murder the city's beloved ruler, the Duchessa. But to save the Duchessa and the city Lucien risks losing his only chance to return home to his family and his real life.
The well-paced, thick-with-plot story will hook the reader immediately and not let go until the superb, unexpected end. City of Masks is the first in a three-book arc from the gifted Mary Hoffman.
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Customer Reviews
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City of Masks
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-05-16
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
My son was assigned this book for a 6th grade reading group and I came to amazon.com to find out more about it.
I am writing this review in response to E. R. Bird's review. That review made me question the appropriateness of "City of Masks" for 6th grade group discussion. My concerns came from a)the use of the word "sexual predator" for the Duchessa and b)describing the Duchessa as the moral equivalent of Mrs. Coulter in Philp Pullman's "His Dark Materials" books.
After reading "Stravaganza, City of Masks" I believe this book is indeed a young adult book (grades 5-7) and the content is appropriate for 6th grade group discussions. The Duchessa is characterized as typical of her historical period without too much detail. The book explores a 15-16 year old boy's struggle with cancer. The setting isn't perfect and the characters aren't perfect. It isn't a literary masterpiece but it is a fun read for a 12 year old.
"City of Masks" is an action book that tries to gently discuss dealing with cancer. I think the author is good intentioned and the Duchessa is an unrefined tool of the plot. I liked this book, it presents some interesting topics for young adult group discussion.
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City of Masks
Rating  (3)
Date: 2007-04-03
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
How would you like it if you could travel to a different world? In the book City of Masks a young boy named Lucien does. Lucien lives in London, England and is very sick with cancer. One day when his father brings him home a diary, he learns that he can travel to a different world. This other world is still in the sixteenth century, and is now known as Venice, Italy. The citizens there called it Belezza. Lucien is very confused when he first gets there, but soon he realizes that he isn't sick in Belezza. He meets a man named Rodolfo, and learns that he is a "Stravaganti" (which means that he can travel from Belezza to England). After many attacks in Belezza, he learns that being a Stravaganti isn't as fun as he thought it would be. I didn't like this book very much, but just because I don't like it, that doesn't mean you won't.
This book was written for people ten and up. It switched around from one part to another, and younger children would have a harder time understanding it. "He began to dream of a city floating on the water, laced with canals, and full of domes and spires..." (in England) "Adrianna watched the whole procession from her brother's boat." (In Belezza)
The book included many characters. Some examples would be Lucien, Adrianna, and Rodolfo. There where many times were you would have to closely pay attention in order to understand who was speaking.
The book was written in second person, and was easier to understand that way. "Much to her surprise, Adrianna was bored."
Although I didn't like this book very much, you might like to read it.
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Awesome Book!
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-03-31
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I loved this book. It was given to me by a friend and I felt like it was one of those books you could read agian and agian even if you already read it. After I just finished it I wanted to read it again and I didn't wand to read anything else. This is a great book for 5-7 or 8 grade.
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Stravaganza: City of Masks is awesome!
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-12-18
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary Hoffman is the first of three books in a wonderful fantasy series.
Lucien is sick with cancer; he cannot go to school or even get out of his bed, but when he receives an Italian journal from his father, his whole life changes. If Lucien holds the journal while he sleeps, his mind is taken to the city of Bellezza. When he is there, he is completely well, and the more he visits Bellezza the more real it seems. Lucien then finds out that he is able to travel between two worlds; he is a Stravaganza. The problem is, the more he travels to this extraordinary city, the more he seems to vanish from his own world and his family. Will Lucien continue to travel between the two worlds or will he be stuck in a world that he barely knows forever?
I loved this book and can't wait to read the next in the series. Once you start reading, Stravaganza: City of Masks draws you in and you just can't wait to see what happens. You can fall in love with all of the characters and you really start to care about them. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to escape into another world; people of all ages can enjoy a book like this!
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City of Masks
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-11-27
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
City of Masks is a book about Lucien and his friend Arianna. Lucien is a boy with cancer who just had chemotherapy. When the chemotherapy was so bad that Lucien could not talk, Lucien's dad found and gave him a red and purple swirled notebook to write in instead of talking. When Lucien first received the book, he fell asleep with it in his hands and suddenly found himself in a city similar to Venice, Italy. Lucien looked around at the marble colonnade and thought he was dreaming. That thought changed when a boy about Lucien's age pulled him fiercely into the shadows and hissed, "Are you mad? You could be killed!" Normally a touch like that would have Lucien screaming in pain, but this was a different universe where Lucien was healthy. To confirm that this wasn't a dream, Lucien reached up and touched a head full of curly locks when just a minute ago all he could feel was a bald head from the chemotherapy. The boy that had pulled him into the shadow was taking off his clothes and mumbling to Lucien about how Lucien had ruined his plans that had taken almost a year to come up with. The boy was now stripped down to his underclothes and gave his clothes to Lucien. Lucien took off his changed into the boy's clothes and watched as the boy slipped on a dress and took off his hat. The boy was a girl! Lucien and Arianna introduced themselves and Arianna led Lucien down to a café. There Arianna explained to Lucien that today was the forbidden day to be on the island of Bellezza and they could be killed if the pair didn't blend in. That was why Lucien had to change into different clothes. After eating two crumbly pastries and two cups of chocolate, the pair headed down to a river and watched as the Duchessa picked new mandoliers. The Duchessa rules all of Bellezza and picks mandoliers to attend her school and eventually drive the boat the Duchessa rides in. When the Duchessa turns around and picks out a boy in the crowd, Arianna storms away. The boy the Duchessa picked was Lucien, the person who ruined Arianna's plans of becoming a mandolier. Every day, Lucien returns to his sick body and falls asleep to visit Bellezza. This book takes you through the journey of Lucien a sick and healthy boy at the same time.
Mary Hoffman's style of writing is full of analogies and "juicy" words. She keeps the pace of the book at a comfortable speed and loves to switch scenes very quickly. This book jumps around a lot without losing the reader. I loved reading this book because it kept me wanting to read more the whole time. The characters were very credible and their actions were understandable. I also enjoyed reading this book because the plot kept on making exciting turns while keeping it easy to follow. I would recommend this book to people who love fantasies and like to keep reading the whole afternoon because they can't put the book down.
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