In this follow-up to their 2003 Zoe Sophia's Scrapbook: An Adventure in Venice, co-authors Claudia Mauner (also the illustrator) and Elisa Smalley continue the story of the precocious Zoe Sophia, a young Manhattanite with a taste for adventure, and her beloved Great-Aunt Dorothy Pomander. In town to attend a signing for her newest book, Aunt Dorothy embroils Zoe Sophia in her search for the secret of the Pink Phoenix, an ancient Egyptian scarab on view at the Metropolitan Museum, and the two travel all around the city, hunting down clues and doing research.

Despite the premise, and the title, I found Zoe Sophia in New York: The Mystery of the Pink Phoenix Papers somewhat less than mysterious, and enjoyed it more as a picture-book travelogue of New York City, than as an actual story. The "signs" that Zoe Sophia and Aunt Dorothy find, throughout the book, didn't really make much sense, and, other than discovering a rare book (something I can definitely appreciate!), there was little in the way of conclusion. Still, as someone familiar with the island of Manhattan, I appreciated seeing some of the familiar sites. As with the first book, the watercolor and ink illustrations add a lot to the story, giving it real visual appeal. All in all, an enjoyable little book, although not the equal of the first. ( )

Zoe Sophia tells of the adventures her and Aunt Dorothy have in New York while she is visiting. Zoe takes her aunt all over New York on a scavenger hunt for the phoenix. Great for a story time. ( )