The Curse of Madame ­Petrova

Gr 5 Up–Tarot reader Madame Petrova’s prediction frightens a family so terribly that they choose to exile twins Silke and Janis, separating them at birth to avoid realization of the prophecy. After the deaths of the sibling’s parents, greedy cousins take the kids in and hope to profit on their misfortune. Silke and Janis escape, embarking on a whirlwind quest to unravel the curse that brings them right to the enigmatic Madame Petrova herself. Hof establishes an empowering cross-generational tale that embeds wise life lessons subtly with mystery and intrigue. Old-fashioned vocabulary infuses Hof’s work, and illustrator Fienieg eerily opens each chapter with etched tarot images. While English teachers could use Hof’s text in lessons on figurative language, this title, originally written in Dutch, does not have a glossary to aid the translations.