andThe Cinnabar Box

REVIEWS

ILIL ARBEL, longtime Stuyvesant Town resident, has written a unique adventure/fantasy book for young readers that blends witchcraft and ecology. The Cinnabar Box weaves a fast-paced story about a magic key to the planet’s water supply, a trip to Wizard Island, a scary ghost town and a 13-year-old girl who must use her wits to stop an evil vizier from turning the planet into a desert. Ms. Arbel is also the author of the well-received Maimonides: A Spiritual Biography and a regular contributor to reference works on witchcraft, mythology, and folklore. The Cinnabar Box can be ordered from major online booksellers, or from Barnes and Noble and Borders bookstores..

   From http://www.pcvst.com/comm_detail.asp?id=42

Review for the Cinnabar Box:

 By Maciej Wroblewski, Town & Village

Local Fantasy Writer Used Stuy Town for New Book

The green surroundings of Stuyvesant Town have proved to be an inspiring place for a fantasy writer. “I love my neighborhood. It is such a charming place, full of nature,” said Ilil Arbel, a long time resident of Stuyvesant Town who has just published her latest work, “The Cinnabar Box.” This adventure/fantasy book was written for young readers, ages ten to twelve, and deals with witchcraft, magic and environmental appreciation. “It is a fiction book on mythology but it deals with ecology and other environmental issues,” said Arbel who holds a Ph.D. in the field of Mythology and Folklore. In the book, the tiny Cinnabar Box of the title contains a key to a planet’s water supply and only its rightful owner can restore it. The fate of the whole planet depends on Donna, a thirteen-year-old who must survive in alien realities where magic is commonplace, and where she meets many dangerous beings she previously considered the products of fairy tales.   “I think it’s a fun book but it also has an interesting angle on the subject that would be quite enlightening to young readers,” said Arbel. This is the third book by Arbel, who works for Mathew Bender Publishing Company.  Previously, she wrote Maimonides: A Spiritual Biography, and Witchcraft. Arbel also contributes regularly to Encyclopedia Mythica, and award-winning online encyclopedia of mythology and folklore.

From the Publisher:

A tiny Cinnabar box contains the key to the water supply of an entire planet. The ecology of the planet depends on a great river that periodically overflows, much like the Nile in Egypt. Only the key's rightful owner can restore the water supply, which has been hidden for centuries. The task needs a trained army-but for the moment, it is in the hands of 13-year-old Donna, who has just learned a shocking secret about herself, and two unusual flying animals. Donna must survive in an alien reality where magic is commonplace, and where she meets many dangerous beings she previously considered the products of fairy tales. A nightmarish trip to a terrifying Wizard Island, a ghost town that imprisons visitors in its empty houses, and encounters with an evil renegade vizier who is determined to turn the planet into a desert, are just a few of her adventures. Throughout many ordeals, Donna uses her wits and relies on two important facts. First, she must save her kidnapped aunt, whatever it takes. Second, she must never break the Wicca Code, which states clearly that a small lemur is just as important as a great river.

Virtual Bookworm.com Publishing Inc.

Contact: lebraa@aol.com

The Cinnabar Box

WHAT DO  WITCHCRAFT AND ECOLOGY HAVE IN COMMON?

Who are the Guardians of the Earth? Why is a small lemur as important as a great river? The Cinnabar Box, a newly published, fast-paced adventure/fantasy book for young readers (age 10-12) supplies the answers. Many books deal with magic and witchcraft, and some teach environmental appreciation. Other books use myth and legend as their background. This book is newsworthy since it seamlessly combines these elements in one exciting story. A tiny Cinnabar box contains the key to the water supply of an entire planet. The ecology of the planet depends on a great river that periodically overflows, much like the Nile in Egypt. Only the key’s rightful owner can restore the water supply, which has been hidden for centuries. The task needs a trained army – but for the moment, it is in the hands of thirteen-year-old Donna, who has just learned a shocking secret about herself. Donna must survive in an alien reality where magic is commonplace, and where she meets many dangerous beings she previously considered the products of fairy tales. A nightmarish trip to a terrifying Wizard Island, a ghost town that imprisons visitors in its empty houses, and encounters with an evil renegade vizier who is determined to turn the planet into a desert, are just a few of her adventures. Throughout many ordeals, Donna uses her wits and relies on two important facts. First, she must save her kidnaped aunt, whatever it takes. Second, she must never, ever break the Wicca Code! Arbel is the author of the well-received Maimonides: A Spiritual Biography (Crossroad Publishing), and of many articles and educational materials, including several pictorial books for Dover publications. Some years ago, she wrote Witchcraft, a curriculum-enrichment book, currently available on Pantheon.org for the benefit of those interested in the theory behind the fiction. She contributes regularly to Encyclopedia Mythica, an award-winning online encyclopedia of mythology and folklore.