Vanishing Act

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Jennifer and Maggie are 13-year-old twins. Although they are nearly
identical in appearance, they have very different personalities. Maggie
is thoughtful, likes school, and keeps out of trouble. Jennifer, a risk
taker, hates school, cleaning up her room, and being told what to do.
The twins’ grandmother invites them and their friend, Sam, to go on a
Mediterranean cruise. Maggie views the cruise as a wonderful educational
opportunity; Jennifer and Sam spend their time spying on the ship’s
passengers. Jennifer believes that someone on the ship knows why their
father disappeared while working as a pilot in the Middle East. To help
her with her sleuthing, Jennifer has discovered a magic spell that lets
her turn invisible. Despite this special power, her impulsive nature
attracts the notice of a pair of sinister characters who might be
foreign agents.

Cora Taylor’s 6th novel is elegantly written and spiced with
intelligent humor. Her characters tend to be deeper and more complex
that those in most other works of juvenile fiction. For example,
although Jennifer often comes across as a self-absorbed little bully,
Taylor deftly explores how Maggie’s refusal to make waves or ask hard
questions can also be hurtful and selfish. Despite a preponderance of
popular components like antithetical twins, junior detectives, and magic
spells, this is a book with substance. Highly recommended.