Journey to Mythaca

Ivan, nearly eleven, and Marianna, twelve, find themselves in a miniature world when they shelter under a bush on a rainstorm. When Ivan brags about his city home, Magellan, a winged equus (please don't call him a horse), and Paracelsus, an ancient dragon, are convinced that the boy is describing the fabled city of Mythaca. As soon as Paracelsus gets the spell right and the children are small enough to ride on the backs of the mythical creatures, the four are off on a quest through worlds within worlds within worlds.

Full of gentle humor and wisdom, Journey to Mythaca is a story about stories, set at the border between belief and reality. When Ivan loses patience with Paracelsus's tales of Maya, he cries out, "Why should I believe you? Have you ever seen her? Everything you know is just stories!" to which Paracelsus replies mildly, "Stories? It's all stories, Ivan. Our lives are stories. We live stories." In the end, beyond the uncertainty of not-knowing that that understanding brings, the children discover that some things, such as music, love, and friendship, have magical power in all the worlds they visit.