New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. Ms. Carriger then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London.
Praise for the New York Times bestselling Etiquette & Espionage: An
ALSC Notable Book for ChildrenA YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
Pick
A YALSA Popular Paperbacks Pick
A Horn Book Summer Reading List Selection
* "Carriger's YA debut brings her mix of Victorian paranormal
steampunk and winning heroines to a whole new audience...with
cleverly Victorian methods of espionage, witty banter, lighthearted
silliness, and a ship full of intriguingly quirky
people."--Booklist, starred review
* "[A] delightfully madcap espionage adventure..."--Kirkus Reviews,
starred review
* "Carriger deploys laugh-out-loud bon mots on nearly every
page...Amid all the fun, the author works in commentary on race and
class in a sparkling start to the Finishing School
series."--Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Carriger's leading lady is a strong, independent role model for
female readers... Ladies and gentlemen of propriety are combined
with dirigibles, robots, werewolves, and vampires, making this
story a steampunkmystery and an adventure mash-up that is sure to
intrigue readers..."--School Library Journal, starred review
"Blending intrigue and elements of the school story, Carriger
introduces teen readers to a supernatural-meets-steampunk world
full of action and wit."--Horn Book
"If spunky Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey happened onto a steampunk
set, she might look a lot like Sophronia Angelina
Temminnick."--ShelfAwareness
Gr 6-9-Sophronia is far from the proper Victorian young lady she is expected to be. She would rather climb, take apart machinery, and cause a general ruckus than sit for tea and crumpets, making her a blight on her mother's reputation. She is enrolled in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality to learn proper decorum. But she soon discovers that its students are learning more than a proper curtsy. The school is a floating airship charged with teaching the skills of espionage. Sophronia is an early savant of sorts and quickly learns to use her skills to help thwart a fellow student in an attempt to steal a prototype essential to communications. The author touches on themes of gender identity and racial and social equality, though they are not developed thoroughly enough to either add to or distract from the story. Carriger's leading lady is a strong, independent role model for female readers. There is still more to be learned about the relationships of other characters who are integral to the story, perhaps in a sequel. Ladies and gentlemen of propriety are combined with dirigibles, robots, werewolves, and vampires, making this story a steampunk mystery and an adventure mash-up that is sure to intrigue readers who can get past the language of the time period.-Betsy Davidson, Cortland Free Library, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
