Plot Summary:  15-year-old Iris Anderson wants to help her pop with his detective agency if he would just let her.  It’s 1942 and times are hard–her mother is dead and it’s hard to be a great detective when you lost a leg at the Battle of Pearl Harbor.   Exchanging upscale digs for rooms on the Lower East Side, Iris moves from an exclusive girls school to P.S. 110.  Falling in with the hip Rainbows, Iris finds herself sneaking around to dance at the Savoy in Harlem.  When one of the gang disappears and Iris realizes he had a connection to her old school, she decides to investigate.  But one lie leads to another and soon she’s lost her friends, her father’s trust and is no closer to solving the mystery and she may have put herself, her family and friends in danger.

Critical Analysis:  This historical young adult mystery is well-crafted on several levels.  It works as a young adult novel, exploring what it is like to deal with so much–death of a parent, war, changed circumstances.  It works as mystery, with a mysterious disappearance.  It works as historical fiction with pitch perfect period details.  Adding all these elements together and something like magic occurs to give the reader a glimpse into this world that literally jumps off the page.

Some of this is due to the protagonist, Iris.  She is appealing and compelling and oh so real.  But what Haines does is surround Iris with a whole cast of characters who stand on their own, secondary perhaps in the role they play but not in how they are portrayed and developed.  Some of this is due to the setting and time period.  I really felt like I was in the public high school bathroom when Iris meets Suse, or at the teen club playing games or crammed in the back of a taxi or dancing at the Savoy or walking the streets of New York while trying to avoid friends from the old neighborhood.  The historical details, including the slang and description of clothing and hair styles adds to the richness and reality of events.

When the mystery was resolved, I was a little disappointed, but upon reflection decided that a complicated solution suited such a complex layered tale.  Just as Iris has to come to terms with the complexities of changes brought about by a world at war, she learns there are no easy answers either.  I think that teens will pick this up and enjoy the story of a girl trying to make her way in an uneasy world.  I hope that some adults might give it a try, I think they will find Iris and Haines refreshing.  I am already looking forward to book 2, The Girl is Trouble, due out later this year.

Review Excerpts: “[A] meticulously crafted slow burn. . . . Haines writes gracefully, immersing readers in Iris’s perceptive thoughts, suffering, and transformation. Nuanced relationships and a social climate shadowed by ethnic tension and war result in a compelling reflection on a complex era.”—Publishers Weekly

“. . . the compelling characters, superb setting, and myriad twists and turns will keep readers intrigued till the very end.”—School Library Journal

“Take a powder, Nancy Drew. 1940s girl sleuth Iris Anderson is on the case. A stylish, slang-filled teen noir that is as entertaining as it is absorbing.”—Kirkus Reviews

“What makes this such a standout is the cast. Sounding like they’re right out of the 1940s (well, a 1940’s movie, anyway), the characters, young and old, pop off the pages. Iris, intriguing and infuriating, captures the tension inherent in the teenage years, no matter what the decade. This joint is jumping.”—Booklist

“Iris’ story has considerable crossover appeal, enticing both mystery lovers and historical fiction fans, with a cunningly devised plot and a cast of period-specific characters. . . .”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Reviewed from public library audio book.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Petty thefts have been reported at Buckingham Palace, and Mary Quinn is working undercover as a maid to try to catch the thief in action.    In between domestic chores and fending off the prince, little seems to be going on.  When the prince witnesses the murder of a friend in an opium den and the accused shares the name of her long-lost father, Mary struggles to come to terms with her past.  At the same time, Mary realizes that a tunnel connecting the palace to the sewer is seeing a lot of use and fears for the security of the palace.

Thank goodness James Easton is there to work on the sewers.  Regardless of their past, they resolve to work together to solve the mystery for the good of the crown.

Critical Analysis:  There  is a lot going on  in this book, layered and complex as life often is, and Lee handles all the threads and characters with a deft hand.  While the mysteries do stand alone, I believe that much will be lost in the reading if you have not read the first two titles in the trilogy (A Spy in the House, The Body at the Tower) as some plot threads are related to past events and relationships and a few secondary characters make their reappearances. Lee excells at describing what life was like in Victorian times and even more so than in the earlier books, readers see the contrast between the haves and the have-nots, the wealthy and those who serve them, and the special treatment afforded the royal family.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Gloria’s country cousin Clara comes to Chicago help with her wedding to society’s favorite son Sebastian Grey.  She catches the eye of debonair Marcus which raises the hackles of Gloria’s best friend Lorraine.  All three girls will be changed by their visit to the hottest  speakeasy and their taste of the flapper lifestyle.

Critical Analysis:  This book has style and glamour (and booze) to spare.  I can see what some of the reviews about flaws, but I really don’t care.  I suppose partially because I love this time period and partially because my teen self can relate to Gloria and her friends.  And oh the drama.  What will Lorraine do next?  When when Clara’s secret be exposed?  Will Gloria go through with leaving her old life?  Shallow? Yes.  Superficial? Yes.  But so much fun!!!

Readalikes:  Larkin names The Great Gatsby as a book that inspired this series.  Published at almost the same time, Anna Godbersen’s Bright Young Things has similar setting, characters and themes (I liked Vixen just a little better).

Review Excerpts:  ”Debut author Larkin crams plenty of delish details of the era … does a good job of switching from one character to another, all the while lacing the stories together….the tale goes over the top at times. But this is fun, and a great cover will draw ’em in.”–Booklist

“Larkin’s frothy debut….Chick lit for the Gossip Girl crowd, the plot doesn’t hold up to scrutiny … and certain scenes betray a misunderstanding of race relations during the period.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“…Larkin writes a movie-like, mysterious plot which will keep readers surprised at events and uncertain as to character motives. The backdrop of 1920s Chicago is described colorfully and romantically.”–Children’s Literature

“The Prohibition era is an uncommon setting for historical fiction, and Larkin paints a glamorous (if shallow) picture of underground speakeasies and society parties of the 1920s….neither the culture nor the characters ever fully come to life and the historical details seem sketchy at best….the high drama will leave those readers eager for future installments in this series”–School Library Journal

Reviewed from public library audiobook.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase

Plot Summary: In 1958 Little Rock, 12 year old Marlee becomes friends with new girl Liz.  Brave and never at a lack for words, she helps Marlee overcome her fear of speaking in class.  But when Liz is gone from school, rumors swirl that she was a Negro passing for white.  Marlee realizes that isn’t what is important, true friendship is.  To stay friends, Marlee and Liz must defy their families and face integration head on.

Critical Analysis:  I want to tell everyone to read this book because it is important.  It covers in a very personal and intimate way a piece of recent history that is little known.  Everyone studies the Little Rock Nine, but there is little discussion about what happened the next school year–the governor closed local high schools to prevent integration.  Neighbors took sides on the issue, tensions were high or higher than ever before.  And the kids and teens lost out.

I want you to read this book because it is important, but you will love this book for the stories and the characters.  For the nuanced portrayal of all involved, families, neighbors, friends, teachers, leaders.  For the growth of many across the pages, for the beauty of friendship and mutual respect and the horror of hate.  From the mundane details of everyday life, and the painful shyness of Marlee to the important meetings and canvassing for votes and support and the scariness of retaliation.

Even in this supposed post racial world, there are still incidents that remind us all too well how little we have changed and how far we need to go.  What Lions of Little Rock tells us is that loving and respecting people for who they are not the color of their skin matters, and once we believe that, we have to work for change.

Review Excerpts:  ”Readers will root for a painfully shy girl to discover the depths of her own courage and find hope in the notion that even in tumultuous times, standing up for the people you love can’t be wrong. Satisfying, gratifying, touching, weighty — this authentic piece of work has got soul.” –The New York Times Book Review

“Levine’s characters fall on both sides of the integration issue, but she avoids painting them too broadly, and many of their views evolve over the course of the book. The best evolution, though, belongs to Marlee, who starts off almost pathologically shy and gradually learns to face her fears, find her voice, and speak up for what’s right.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“This engaging story, with its emphasis on the impact of friendship and on finding one’s voice when it is most important to be heard, will no doubt appeal to a broad range of readers and inspire many interesting conversations.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase

Plot Summary:  Sherlockian and minor researcher Harold White is thrilled to be inducted into the Baker Street Irregulars.  And then a real-life murder mystery worthy of Holmes himself lands in his lap–a prominent Doyle scholar is dead after announcing he has found a long missing diary of Doyle.  Harold and his encyclopedic knowledge of Holmes is on the case, criss crossing the Atlantic in hopes of finding the diary and the killer.  Unless someone else gets there first…

Critical Analysis:  I liked but did not love this book.  I found the beginning at the convention to be wonderful, and the end with the solution and denouement also well done.  I liked the character of Harold, but I thought the story dragged quite a bit in the middle.   The character of Harold is quite endearing as are all the details from Holmes stories.  I felt like there was too much of Harold and the female journalist and not enough else.  The parallel story with Doyle and Bram Stoker held my interest a little more, I enjoyed the details of the Suffuragists and the writing and theater scenes of the time, but left me thinking what I really want is a mystery series featuring Stoker.  That sounds like fun to me.  I will most likely read the next in the series to see how it fares.

Review Excerpts: “Moore’s debut cleverly sets an accidental investigator on the track of an old document within the world of Sherlock Holmes buffs, though the results may please those with only a superficial knowledge of the great detective.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“The problem with Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories is that there aren’t enough of them. Fans try to fill the gap with spin-offs, some of which work better than others. This engaging riff on the familiar themes by first-novelist Moore is one of the best.”–Booklist

“…Moore does an excellent job of making his characters and settings feel real, using his thorough knowledge of the Holmes stories to good effect. Given the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes, this title is an excellent choice for public libraries and historical mystery fans…”–Library Journal

“While occasionally heavy-handed and coincidental, Moore’s fiction provides a shrewd take on the noted author and his legendary scion.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography: Hooper, Mary. (2011). Fallen Grace.  New York, Bloomsbury USA Children’s. ISBN: 978-1599905648

Plot Summary:  Penniless orphans Grace and her sister have just barely managed to avoid starving or freezing to death in Victorian London.  When Grace gives birth to a still born baby and sneaks it into the coffin of a well to do woman, little does she realize that this act will eventually lead to an even larger secret that will change both their lives forever.

Critical Analysis:  Somehow from the publisher blurb, I wasn’t expecting such a charming, delightful book.  Yes, Hooper has done her research, and yes, there are tons of details about life in the Victorian England and the funeral trade (fascinating stuff that.)  There are very real glimpses of life in poverty, life on the streets.  One detail that will remain in my mind is of the little boy who could only go outside when one of his brothers stayed him, as he had no clothes of his own.

I really like the way the plot is constructed as well.  We are given glimpses into other places, other characters that later will fall into place and become more important to the plot.  This device adds an air of mystery.  The little excerpts from the paper serve a similiar purpose, giving the reader information that the protagonist does not have.

But it is the character of Grace Parkes that makes this story work.  She loves her sister and tries hard to provide for them both, taking on tasks and jobs to try get by.  And sometimes things go well, and just when you think they will stay that way, something else comes along that should knock her down, but somehow she keeps on.  And I think we forgive some of the coincidences and luck that play a role in the story because we want so badly for things to go her way.

Readalikes:  There are of course many parallels here to Dickens’ novels.  This would be a great read along side any number of his works.

Review Excerpts:   “Hooper has done her research, and she makes elements like Victorian funeral practices absolutely fascinating. The story itself moves at an energetic, page-turning clip. If at times the coincidences seem, well, too coincidental, blame Dickens.”–Booklist

“Hooper writes in beautiful 19th-century cadences, but her story lines pack a 21st-century punch. Nothing feels forced or inserted for mere shock value. Fallen Grace has been impeccably researched, and it shows in every paragraph.”–New York Times

“Hooper has not only the labyrinthian plotting and heart-thumping pacing but also the social critique down pat, and even jaded readers may be surprised to find themselves beguiled by the improbable ravages of Cruel Fate and holding their breath for a happy ending.”–BCCB

“Hooper, author of many historical novels, packs her brisk Dickensian fable with colorful characters and suspenseful, satisfying plot twists.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Cordelia and Letty escape Union, Ohio after Cordelia’s forced wedding to the streets of New York City.  Letty longs to see her name in lights and Cordelia is searching for the father she has never known.  After a falling out, they part ways.  Letty soon discovers there are hundreds of other girls searching for their big break.  Cordelia is welcomed by her father with open arms and a wild party.  Astrid, her brother’s chic girlfriend, takes Cordy under her wing but doesn’t stop her from falling for the son of a rival family.   When misfortune and tragedy strike, will returning to Ohio be their only option?

Critical Analysis:  As with the Luxe series, Godbersen has selected another opulent time in America’s history to place her characters and set their stories in motion.  I enjoyed Luxe because the time period was little explored in young adult literature, and between the soap opera plots there was room for exploration of class differences.  Here we get instead the complexities of what first appear to be bright shiny happy times in America’s past.  Wild parties are shadowed by shady crime activities and rival crime families.  Pretty girls are running from forced marriages or to the security a marriage provides.  Speakeasies are places where women are exploited rather than discovered, and for every story of a girl who makes it big, there are many more struggling to make ends meet or worse.

As with Luxe, the characters are mostly types.  Letty is innocent and naive, Astrid is worldly and above it all, Cordelia just wants a place to belong.  Of all three, I find Astrid the most interesting because I think she is the most self aware, especially by the end of the book.  I look forward to more books in this series, if only to get the description of all the wonderful clothes and parties!

Readalikes:  An obvious readalike is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.  I would like to highlight a lesser known work:  They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? by Horace McCoy, a story about Hollywood set at a dance marathon during the Great Depression.

Review Excerpt: “Godbersen (the Luxe series) proves that some things–namely the allure of cities, fame, and a good time–never change, melding drama and a lush historical setting….Godbersen excels at dialogue–especially Cordelia, Letty, and Astrid’s coyly flirtatious responses to suitors–and in capturing the mixture of exhilaration, innocence, and guts that propels them into their new lives.”–Publisher’s Weekly

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs is asked to fulfill a death bed wish: settle once and for all whether a couple’s aviator son was killed as reported in the Great War.  Starting with psychics in London, the case takes her to France and a visit with dear friend Priscilla who lost her three brothers in the war, one who may have a connection to the case.  Maisie is forced to deal with her feelings about the war and comes to realize there is much she doesn’t know about her mentor Maurice.

Critical Analysis:  Maisie Dobbs remains one of my favorite characters in fiction.  Winspear has a real talent for creating complex, layered real people who live in complex real worlds.  The setting, the time period only add to feeling–looking back and moving forward from a momentous event that left no one unchanged.

In this volume, I especially liked the deft plot–the mystery within the mystery alongside a parallel case with a twisty ending that may be one of the most suspenseful scenes I’ve read in years.  I actually feel lucky to be a little behind the series, since that means there are several more volumes waiting for me.

Readalikes:  For a different perspective on recovering from the Great War, check out Charles Todd’s Inspector Rutledge series.  Rutledge postponed his career at Scotland Yard to fight in the war.  Now he is back, shell shocked with a dark secret.

I think Maisie Dobbs and Laurie King’s Mary Russell might be kindred spirits.  I was especially reminded of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, which features multiple mysteries and Locked Rooms where Russell remembers and confronts her past.  Maisie, part of the joy in the series lies in the world building and character growth across the series.

Review Excerpts:  ”Fans of Miss Marple and Precious Ramotswe are sure to embrace Maisie, a pitch-perfect blend of compassion and panache.”–Booklist

“Filled with convincing characters, this is a complex tale of healing, of truth and half-truth, of long-held secrets, some, perhaps, to be held forever. Winspear writes seamlessly, enriching the whole with vivid details of English life on a variety of social levels.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“A thought-provoking series entry, the story contains revelations of secret missions, homosexuality, the lives of persons from all layers of society, and a winning heroine who is not perfect and is willing to learn from her mistakes.”–School Library Journal

Reviewed from public library audio book.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  They should all be dead.  But when a mysterious man offered them a chance to live, they took it.  Maddy escaped a plane crash, Liam the sinking of the Titanic, and Sal a horrible fire.  From different times, they come together in New York to relive the events of 9/11 over and over;  learning about time travel and looking for time shifts that mean someone else has altered history for their own gain.  When just such a shift is detected, they realize they must stop whoever has unleashed the power of the Nazis on the present Earth or the world itself may be destroyed.

Critical Analysis:  I really like the hook of this book, the first in a series, young people rescued from death for a bigger purpose of saving the world.  And the author does a nice job of setting up this world, where time travel is possible and the characters live in a loop that repeats over and over again.  I thought having the loop be 9/11 was an insightful choice, imagine having to live that series of events again and again.  The details of the machines, the computers, the clone, the travel are fun.  The characters themselves are interesting with clear-cut personalities.

But I didn’t find myself loving this book.  First of all, I find Nazis a very obvious choice.  Yes, they are evil, yes, there are parallels between events then and events today.  But it isn’t very subtle, is it?  Second, most of the events were outside the characters’ control.  They spent a lot of time reacting to circumstances and not much time changing those circumstances.

Finally, I found the whole book to be very somber and serious.  I realize almost dying and then saving the world is not all sunshine and light, but especially the second half of the book was unrelenting in its dreariness.  The question is, though, what do readers in the target audience think?  I would love to know what kind of kid/teen appeal this title has.

Review Excerpts: “Time travel produces plenty of fodder for reader education and introspection….The villain even has his own internal demons; nothing is too black or white and victory is hard-won in Scarrow’s world. Despite some unevenness, this series is off to a promising start with plenty of potential and gusto.”–VOYA

“This is an interesting premise populated by engaging, well-developed characters….While the ending brings closure, there are still plenty of opportunities for a sequel, possibly multiples, to follow.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Maclachlan, Patricia. (1985). Sarah Plain and Tall.  New York: HarperCollins.  ISBN: 978-0060241018 (hc) 978-0064402057 (pb)

I don’t remember reading this book as a child, although it was published when I was in 4th grade.  What I remember is seeing Glenn Close and Christopher Walken on television, loving the story and the realism of the movie, and seeking the book.  I loved how eloquent it was in its simplicity, how layered and complex in just a few short words.  And I loved how the movie captured and expanded the story in a way that was so true to the book and the characters.  I cannot separate the book from the movie or the movie from the book–and that’s okay with me.

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.