Reviews for Radical technology

The average rating for Radical technology based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-12-28 00:00:00 Shane Flood In this follow-up to their 2003 Zoe Sophia's Scrapbook: An Adventure in Venice , co-authors Claudia Mauner (also the illustrator) and Elisa Smalley continue the story of the precocious Zoe Sophia, a young Manhattanite with a taste for adventure, and her beloved Great-Aunt Dorothy Pomander. In town to attend a signing for her newest book, Aunt Dorothy embroils Zoe Sophia in her search for the secret of the Pink Phoenix, an ancient Egyptian scarab on view at the Metropolitan Museum, and the two travel all around the city, hunting down clues and doing research. Despite the premise, and the title, I found Zoe Sophia in New York: The Mystery of the Pink Phoenix Papers somewhat less than mysterious, and enjoyed it more as a picture-book travelogue of New York City, than as an actual story. The "signs" that Zoe Sophia and Aunt Dorothy find, throughout the book, didn't really make much sense, and, other than discovering a rare book (something I can definitely appreciate!), there was little in the way of conclusion. Still, as someone familiar with the island of Manhattan, I appreciated seeing some of the familiar sites. As with the first book, the watercolor and ink illustrations add a lot to the story, giving it real visual appeal. All in all, an enjoyable little book, although not the equal of the first.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-07-07 00:00:00 James Markham Well, it was almost a 5 star book for me but the reference at the end to the Twin Towers and the absence of any kind of hanging together of the “mystery” dropped it down a notch for me. However, I continue to enjoy Zoe Sophia and her aunt, a lot. Yes, this is a tad pretentious. But I didn’t care. There’s even a recipe for mango chutney (yum!) at the end of the book. I am a huge fan of the illustrations; they’re in a style I really love. I love all the New York City places shown here. There’s even a map illustration. Most of all I enjoy the humor. I love how Zoe goes to the “Wildendorf School for the Exceptionally Curious” and I love her dog Mickey even though, unlike in the Venice book that precedes this, he has a very small role. I yearn to go to New York when I read books such as this. I am delighted that it seems future books are planned. First Venice, now New York; I can’t wait to read the next book, whatever the destination. I hope these two characters meet all over the world.