Novel 10: The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

The protagonist of The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson is a foundling named Annika. Secondary characters include Ellie, Zed, Pauline, Stephen, "La Rondine", Gudrun and professors Julius, Emil and Gertrude. The antagonists are Uncle Oswald, Aunt Mathilde and Frau Edeltraut. The story takes place in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and more specifically in the professors' house in Vienna, in Spittal, in Bad Haxenfeld and on the mountains. The story takes place in the last years of the nineteenth century during the Hapsburg Emperor Franz Joseph's rule. In the story, Ellie, a servant, finds a baby and brings her to her masters, the three professors. They agree to adopt her and they name her Annika. She lives with them until, when she is older, a German aristocrat named Frau Edeltraut von Tannenberg comes claiming that she is Annika's mother. Annika moves to Spittal, the Tannenberg castle where she meets her brother Hermann, her cousin Gudrun, the servant Zed, Uncle Oswald and Aunt Mathilde. She discovers that the family is very poor but Frau Edeltraut goes in Switzerland and when she returns she is rich. In the meantime, Annika finds on the shore of the lake, a box containing a picture of "La Rondine", an old Viennese friend who had died. Meanwhile, Annika's friends in Vienna start to investigate and discover that "La Rondine" had left to Annika to Annika and Frau Edeltraut had laid her hands on it. Then they also discover that Frau Edeltraut is not Annika's real mother and together with the Egghart's, "La Rondine's" family, they manage to get back the treasure. Annika returns to live in Vienna while Frau Edeltraut and Hermann sell Spittal and go live in Paris.

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