School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science
By Kate McKinnon
*via her alter ego, G. Edwina Candlestank
4Rbooks 4/6 grades 5-7
Amazon 4.6/5 grades level 3-7
Goodreads 4.08
Common Sense Media 5/5 ages 9+
239 pages
Synopsis
The Porch sisters, Gertrude, Eugenia, and DeeDee, live with their adoptive parents, the Parquettes, and their 7 girls, all named Lavinia. They live in a shed behind the main house in the town of Antiquarium. Each of the girls has special interests and talents: Gertrude is interested in animals, especially creepy crawly ones; Eugenia likes rocks and explosions; DeeDee likes building machines.
All the girls in Antiquarium go to finishing and etiquette schools. Unfortunately, the sisters have been kicked out of their school and the family is threatening to send them to a boarding school in Austria. But, the girls find invitations to join a new school run by Mallory Questions, or so they think.
When the girls get to the school they discover the true leader is the infamous Millicent Quibb, mad scientist. The girls learn they have been recruited for a special mad scientist mission. The evil group, KRA, is in town and planning a horrible incident that could cause lots of death and destruction. Millicent and the girls will have to work together to stop KRA before it is too late.
Parental Guidelines
The three sisters are bullied and mistreated by their adoptive family.
Fantasy violence including a giant worm with rotating teeth that wants to eat bichon frieses (dogs).
A minor character likes to hunt and kill animals.
The “mad science” is more mystical and magical than truly scientific.
In common phrases and attributions the word gourd is used instead of God.
The children are told stories of other creatures and the violence they did to children and animals.
Recommendation
This was a fun, crazy, and weird novel that should appeal to students with big imaginations and a sense of adventure. The characters are quirky, the creatures are fantastical and fearful, and the plot is full of twists, turns, and surprises.
I think most children would enjoy this book, though it might be a challenge for straight forward thinkers who prefer their stories move forward without any tangents. This should be okay for most libraries, but a couple of the details might make it a difficult read-aloud for a classroom teacher.
This book was written by Kate McKinnon, actress and writer, most famous for her work with Saturday Night Live. This is her debut novel and appears to be the first book in an upcoming series.
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