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Magical Venice #4
The Girl of Glass
An enchanting tale of magic, friendship and adventure for readers aged 9 and up - from bestselling author, Holly Webb.
Mariana lives with her family on the Venetian island of Murano - famed for its artists who create masterpieces from glass. But when Mariana's little sister, Eliza, dies their father decides to use his glassmaking skill - and a dash of magic - to create a girl of glass in Eliza's image.
The remarkable glass doll, who sings, dances and talks, draws attention wherever she goes, and soon Mariana is famous for having the magical glass sister. But as the glass girl takes on more and more of Eliza's personality, Mariana begins to suspect that there is more than just magic at play. Could the girl of glass be her sister's ghost made real?
Mariana lives with her family on the Venetian island of Murano - famed for its artists who create masterpieces from glass. But when Mariana's little sister, Eliza, dies their father decides to use his glassmaking skill - and a dash of magic - to create a girl of glass in Eliza's image.
The remarkable glass doll, who sings, dances and talks, draws attention wherever she goes, and soon Mariana is famous for having the magical glass sister. But as the glass girl takes on more and more of Eliza's personality, Mariana begins to suspect that there is more than just magic at play. Could the girl of glass be her sister's ghost made real?
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
7 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Holly Webb
299 books405 followersHolly Webb is one of Britain's best-loved children's writers. She has written over a hundred books for children, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages. Holly lives in Tilehurst, just outside of Reading, Berkshire, with her husband, three children and several cats.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 27, 2017
Mariana's father is one of the most revered glassblowers in Murano, he has magic as well as skill. When her little sister, Eliza, dies, he makes a living glass doll in her likeness, but it seems to have more than a little of Eliza in it.
This book is full of lovely imagery of Venice and Murano, and the magical things the magicians can make. This is book 4 but you don't need to have read the others in the series as it is more like a standalone book. I will definitely be going back and reading the others though as I enjoyed this one.
This book is full of lovely imagery of Venice and Murano, and the magical things the magicians can make. This is book 4 but you don't need to have read the others in the series as it is more like a standalone book. I will definitely be going back and reading the others though as I enjoyed this one.
March 30, 2017
Another magical read! Although this is the forth book in the series, the story reads perfectly fine as a standalone and will enchant readers from eight years and upward.
Once again the reader is taken into the beautiful streets of Venice where skilled craftsmen use magic to create the most delicate fancies imaginable. But when Marina’s little sister, Eliza, dies - their glass maker father loses himself in his grief, and creates a living doll of glass - a miniature version of Eliza.
Yet as news of the glass girl spreads, people fight for the right to “buy” her - but she is not for sale. Now Mariana will do anything to ensure her glass sister stays safe, even if it means leaving home and finding work on the mainland…
There is a lot of emotion packed into this story. Mariana’s relationship with both the real Eliza, and the glass Eliza, is truly touching. Their bond as sisters helps them get through many tasks and ordeals - although I must admit, I found the idea of a glass child a little creepy.
With that in mind, this has been my least favourite book of the series so far. Also while the emotional journey was there, I felt this book lacked the action and suspense of the other books. I also guessed very early on who the villain was, and the ending left me feeling just a little bit… empty.
Like the previous books though I throughly enjoyed the magical elements. I adored watching Mariana grow into her powers and unravel the secrets of her abilities. The old man with his magical potions was also an asset to the story - I really liked his shop of wonders - as well as the glimpses given into the bustling life of old Venice.
This book also doesn't shy away from the grimmer side of the past, subtly acknowledging that death was a common-day occurrence at the time, due to the sickness and poverty that plagued the city.
All in all though, this was a nice book to while away an afternoon with. I will definitely be continuing this series - not to mention the covers for these books are gorgeous!
3 stars!
Once again the reader is taken into the beautiful streets of Venice where skilled craftsmen use magic to create the most delicate fancies imaginable. But when Marina’s little sister, Eliza, dies - their glass maker father loses himself in his grief, and creates a living doll of glass - a miniature version of Eliza.
Yet as news of the glass girl spreads, people fight for the right to “buy” her - but she is not for sale. Now Mariana will do anything to ensure her glass sister stays safe, even if it means leaving home and finding work on the mainland…
There is a lot of emotion packed into this story. Mariana’s relationship with both the real Eliza, and the glass Eliza, is truly touching. Their bond as sisters helps them get through many tasks and ordeals - although I must admit, I found the idea of a glass child a little creepy.
With that in mind, this has been my least favourite book of the series so far. Also while the emotional journey was there, I felt this book lacked the action and suspense of the other books. I also guessed very early on who the villain was, and the ending left me feeling just a little bit… empty.
Like the previous books though I throughly enjoyed the magical elements. I adored watching Mariana grow into her powers and unravel the secrets of her abilities. The old man with his magical potions was also an asset to the story - I really liked his shop of wonders - as well as the glimpses given into the bustling life of old Venice.
This book also doesn't shy away from the grimmer side of the past, subtly acknowledging that death was a common-day occurrence at the time, due to the sickness and poverty that plagued the city.
All in all though, this was a nice book to while away an afternoon with. I will definitely be continuing this series - not to mention the covers for these books are gorgeous!
3 stars!
April 28, 2021
DNF który powinnam zrobić już dawno temu
Read
July 9, 2024Ta to nadal moja ulubiona.
Robimy super ranking tej jakże cudownej serii (satyra)
1. Dziewczynka ze szkla
2. Corka wytworcy masek
3. Wodny rumak
4. Syrenia siostra
Umowmy sie te ksiazki sa dla dzieci. Styl pisania i w sumie wszystko jest takie zeby sie szybko czytalo, zeby dzieci sie nie zniechecily. Chociaz redakcja.. zazwyczaj nie zwracam na to uwagi, wiec pewnie cos pominelam, ale tu na pewno co najmniej raz byla literowka "nich", a powinno byc "niech. Poza tym tlumaczenie. Tutaj i w 3 tomie nie bylo az takie tragiczne. Ale tlumaczenie idiomow doslownie... Mam 14 lat i nie znajac oryginalu sie zorientowalam, ze cos jest nie tak. A te ksiazki nie sa jakies bardzo stare, chyba 2015-2016. Na spokojnie mozna bylo przeciez sprawdzic czy "On her last legs" to moze nie przypadkiem jakis idiom. Chyba ze po polsku serio sie mowi "Na jej ostatnich nogach", a ja czegos nie wiem.
Kocham motyw tej weneckiej magii. Jak bylam mlodsza to bylo dla mnie takie cudowne. Nadal uwazam, ze jest dobry, tylko szkoda ze poza magia wody nie wiemy skad sie bierze magia np. szklarzy.
Glowne bohaterki byly inteligetne, czasami az za bardzo jak na to ze mialy jakies 9-10 lat. Jedyna ktora mnie irytowala, byla Mia. A z postaci pobocznych to Ara tez mnie irytowala. Nw czemu.
Ogolnie polecam dla jakichs dzeci nw 9 lat? Szkoda ze nie robia nowych.
Robimy super ranking tej jakże cudownej serii (satyra)
1. Dziewczynka ze szkla
2. Corka wytworcy masek
3. Wodny rumak
4. Syrenia siostra
Umowmy sie te ksiazki sa dla dzieci. Styl pisania i w sumie wszystko jest takie zeby sie szybko czytalo, zeby dzieci sie nie zniechecily. Chociaz redakcja.. zazwyczaj nie zwracam na to uwagi, wiec pewnie cos pominelam, ale tu na pewno co najmniej raz byla literowka "nich", a powinno byc "niech. Poza tym tlumaczenie. Tutaj i w 3 tomie nie bylo az takie tragiczne. Ale tlumaczenie idiomow doslownie... Mam 14 lat i nie znajac oryginalu sie zorientowalam, ze cos jest nie tak. A te ksiazki nie sa jakies bardzo stare, chyba 2015-2016. Na spokojnie mozna bylo przeciez sprawdzic czy "On her last legs" to moze nie przypadkiem jakis idiom. Chyba ze po polsku serio sie mowi "Na jej ostatnich nogach", a ja czegos nie wiem.
Kocham motyw tej weneckiej magii. Jak bylam mlodsza to bylo dla mnie takie cudowne. Nadal uwazam, ze jest dobry, tylko szkoda ze poza magia wody nie wiemy skad sie bierze magia np. szklarzy.
Glowne bohaterki byly inteligetne, czasami az za bardzo jak na to ze mialy jakies 9-10 lat. Jedyna ktora mnie irytowala, byla Mia. A z postaci pobocznych to Ara tez mnie irytowala. Nw czemu.
Ogolnie polecam dla jakichs dzeci nw 9 lat? Szkoda ze nie robia nowych.
March 9, 2017
This is the latest offering in the ‘Magical Venice’ series by Holly Webb, although it can be read as a standalone story as its characters are unique to this tale. Marketed at readers aged 9 and upwards, this is a beautiful tale for children and adults alike.
Mariana lives on the Venetian island of Murano with her glassmaker father, stepmother and sister Eliza, who is seriously ill. While Mariana longs to learn the art of glass making, her father refuses to teach her and instead she spends her time travelling to mainland Venice in search of the ‘perfect potion’ to cure her ailing sister.
A series of events turns the lives of the whole family upside down and Mariana finds herself in charge of protecting a glass doll made in Eliza’s image by her father in an attempt to appease her distraught stepmother. When this plan goes awry, both girls find themselves stationed on the mainland in a palazzo where magic and danger are never far away!
Published on 9th March 2017. With thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Children’s Group for an advanced reading copy.
Mariana lives on the Venetian island of Murano with her glassmaker father, stepmother and sister Eliza, who is seriously ill. While Mariana longs to learn the art of glass making, her father refuses to teach her and instead she spends her time travelling to mainland Venice in search of the ‘perfect potion’ to cure her ailing sister.
A series of events turns the lives of the whole family upside down and Mariana finds herself in charge of protecting a glass doll made in Eliza’s image by her father in an attempt to appease her distraught stepmother. When this plan goes awry, both girls find themselves stationed on the mainland in a palazzo where magic and danger are never far away!
Published on 9th March 2017. With thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Children’s Group for an advanced reading copy.
May 30, 2021
I read this for a book bingo challenge category (based on author's initials), and didn't expect to like it as much as I did! Initially, I thought it might've been a Cinderella retelling, but it isn't. Full disclosure, I also have not read any of the earlier books in the series. I heard that the books were standalone and this was the first book of the author's that I could get from the library, so I just went with it.
The story itself was wonderful.
I also loved the magical elements of the book, and it's funny because I only read this book for the bingo challenge but now I want to read the rest of it to find out more!
The story itself was wonderful.
I also loved the magical elements of the book, and it's funny because I only read this book for the bingo challenge but now I want to read the rest of it to find out more!
January 5, 2021
3.5 stars
Not my favorite in the series, but still good! Great character work, magic, and setting (on Murano! which is super cool), plus touching on some deeper topics like the previous books.
The drawbacks for me here were that the messages of some of those topics seemed a little muddled, plus some really dark things happen near the end that I didn’t think were sufficiently dealt with.
Altogether though, an excellent middle grade fantasy series!
CW: Grief, death of child, suicide, depression
Not my favorite in the series, but still good! Great character work, magic, and setting (on Murano! which is super cool), plus touching on some deeper topics like the previous books.
The drawbacks for me here were that the messages of some of those topics seemed a little muddled, plus some really dark things happen near the end that I didn’t think were sufficiently dealt with.
Altogether though, an excellent middle grade fantasy series!
CW: Grief, death of child, suicide, depression
October 1, 2025
I love the way themes/discussions about sexism are so interwoven into the narrative and presented in a way that's easy for kids to digest while still teaching them about the nuance of these issues and encouraging them to question things
May 30, 2019
I loved the book it was all about magic it was awesome and sad the same time.👍😁
February 10, 2025
Vibe "Ruchomego zamka Hauru", urocza historyjka, szkoda, że nie czytałam za dzieciaka :p
June 23, 2025
liked the beginning and some of the tragic parts. but the book itself is just confusing and the ending seems rushed
March 17, 2023
Such an awesome book, I don't usually like to re-read books, but I've read this one at least 5 times. Holly Webb never fails to write a good book.
June 5, 2020
a very tragic yet beautiful story
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews