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Apprentices in the Spice Markets
by My Book Hub Team
An illustrated historical book for ages 9-12. Read the first pages free, then join to read it all.
Genre: historical
For ages 9-12
A peek inside
Luca hurried through the crowded spice market of Venice, his ink-stained fingers clutching a rolled map. Cinnamon and pepper scented the air as merchants shouted prices from wooden stalls. Colorful awnings fluttered above piles of saffron and cloves. At twelve years old, Luca apprenticed under Master Conti, learning to chart trade routes across the seas. Today the city buzzed with extra energy because the Doge election approached. Banners of rival families hung from balconies. Luca paused beside a crate of nutmeg, sharp eyes scanning the busy square. He loved how maps revealed hidden paths. Yet something felt different this morning. A slip of paper fluttered from a merchant's ledger and landed near his boot.
He bent to pick it up and noticed strange marks along the edge. They looked almost like tiny compass directions mixed with spice names. Before he could study them longer, a girl in a simple cloak snatched the paper from his hand. That belongs to my master's stall, she said quickly. Her name was Lira, another apprentice who worked for a rival mapmaker across the canal. Luca had seen her before, always racing through the markets with ledgers tucked under her arm. She glared at him with quick-witted eyes. Map boys should stick to their ink pots, Lira added, though curiosity softened her tone. Luca wiped his stained fingers on his tunic. The election noise swelled around them as gondolas glided past loaded with campaign gifts.
