Jolly good fun
In which a disabled white girl from the British upper crust becomes a bohemian art student, meets the Suffragettes, and is rescued from dastardly murder and plotting by spunky Edwardian girl detectives.
Leo—Leonora to her family—is sick of being the unattractive, limping girl in her family’s joyless mansion. Amazingly, she’s been accepted for the 1909 class at London’s Spencer Institute of Fine Art. Though she’s exceedingly shy, Leo befriends the free-spirited art students as they volunteer for art-lover Mr. Lyle’s art exhibition at Sinclair’s department store. Luckily, this brings Leo into the orbit of this series’ sleuths: shopgirl Sophie, actress (and part-time department store mannequin) Lilian, and their friends. Everything goes awry when the gem of Mr. Lyle’s exhibition, the priceless painting known as The Green Dragon, is stolen and replaced with a copy by Leo. Is she a suspect? Why is a mysterious man with scarlet gloves trying to murder her? Thank goodness for Sophie, Lil, and all their friends. Everyone appears to be white except for Mei Lim, introduced in the previous series entry (The Mystery of the Jeweled Moth), at whose family’s China Town home Leo takes refuge. This old-fashioned whodunit is thoroughly satisfying to solve along with our heroes, and there are plenty of secrets left over for Volume 4.
Jolly good fun . (Historical fiction/mystery. 11-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-61067-661-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Kane Miller
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
A comic romp that’s also an enlightening quest for increased awareness and self-understanding.
An impulsive comment regarding the upcoming election for class president propels 12-year-old David into the candidate’s spot.
When he learns that current president and reigning popular girl Veronica is going to run uncontested yet again, self-proclaimed band geek and trumpet player David takes a stand. However, as David contemplates his campaign, he and Veronica are invited to perform a duet at their school recital. Through their practice sessions, David discovers that Veronica’s life is not as ideal as he perceived. Subsequent encounters with Veronica’s parents illuminate her complicated, challenging family life. While David enters the election seeking to change things, the biggest change occurs within him after a series of revelations challenges David’s assumptions about Veronica, as well as another student in the popular group. Van Dolzer alternates the humor of David’s election-race antics with introspective moments focusing on his changing perceptions of Veronica’s situation. David’s narrative is a blend of candor and wry humor, conveying his earnestness beneath his uncertainty and bluster. His growing understanding of Veronica’s struggle to achieve her dreams in music and life contributes to his increasing ambivalence about the election. Ultimately, David’s emerging maturity is honestly won and will resonate with readers.
A comic romp that’s also an enlightening quest for increased awareness and self-understanding. (Fiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4926-0941-4
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lovely, eerie adventure that balances the ancient magic with its protagonist's very real character growth
In a grim season, one rural tradition seems less like a boys' romp and more like a gateway for the old powers.
This ought to be a banner year for 13-year-old Ash, finally selected as the stag boy. As the lead runner in his British town's annual Stag Chase, Ash should be preparing to race his best friend, Mark, and the other boys their age, hounds to his stag. If only the whole town weren't shattered with grief. A foot-and-mouth outbreak has devastated the area, with tragic consequences; Mark's dad hanged himself in the barn. Ash's own father, an army captain, has returned from the war—afflicted with PTSD, haunted by visions and rising alcoholism. Even the Stag Chase itself seems corrupted. Ash sees creepy crows in the woods, skulls draped in the trees, ghost stag boys, and (most uncanny) Mark living in the woods, dressed in rags and daubed with clay. The old ways are rising, Mark insists, and the stag boy's destiny will not be a happy one. In haunting, lyrical prose, Ash tries to protect himself from Bone Jack the soul-taker while learning to be a better son and friend. With a deft hand, Crowe twines the ancient folk motifs around her evocation of modern Britain—with one exception: characters’ races go unspecified, leaching it of its multicultural vigor.
A lovely, eerie adventure that balances the ancient magic with its protagonist's very real character growth . (Fantasy. 11-13)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-17651-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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