1) "Wonder at the Edge of the World" by Nicole Helget
History, science, adventure and fantasy combine in this tale that carries readers from the plains of Kansas to Antarctica.
In mid-19th-century Tolerone, Kansas, the sparklingly named Hallelujah Wonder is moping: pining for her murdered scientist-explorer father, lonely for her Massachusetts roots and awakening to the moral dilemma of slavery. This last has been brought about by the growing abolitionist movement and her friendship with Eustace, an enslaved boy. Hallelujah narrates in the present tense, interspersing her accounts with asides to readers, making for a tone that is both cozy and bluntly practical (Hallelujah is determined to be scientific): “Looks like you croaked,” she remarks at one point to a dead rattlesnake. The core propulsion of the plot is a mysterious, shrunken Medicine Head that Hallelujah’s father brought back from an expedition and that the evil sea captain Cornelius Greeney now seeks. Charged with its protection, Hallelujah and Eustace set out on an adventure that simultaneously challenges and defends Hallelujah’s scientific worldview. Pulse-quickening exploits and taut descriptions will keep readers riveted. Some moments are too obviously teaching moments, such as when Hallelujah admonishes readers to think about not being wasteful, but they are not particularly distracting.
Set against the growing-pains backdrop of pre–Civil War America, both reflecting and supporting Hallelujah’s coming-of-age story, Helget’s tale celebrates the curiosity and mystery of life.(Adventure. 8-13)
2) "Tangled Webs" by Lee Bross
Secret-life shenanigans in 18th-century London.
Seventeen-year-old orphan Arista survives by helping her vile and violent employer blackmail the aristocracy. As the public face of their extortion racket, she slips in and out of costume balls to deliver messages to and collect payments from sleazy courtiers. When, in the line of duty, she crosses paths with an attentive masked stranger, they are both thrown by the force of the instant attraction between them. But the course of true love never did run smooth, and this romance rehashes many timeworn tropes en route to its inevitable happy ending. Arista as a character remains elusive; her inner life is essentially just a loop of vigilant worry, and the third-person perspective puts her at an additional remove. She’s street-smart, but is she intelligent? The novel might find an audience among readers who enjoy both the predictability of the romance genre and the warrior ferocity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the dialogue lacks the humor and warmth of the latter, and at times, the tale sags under the weight of its own overwrought exposition. Conversational anachronisms like “okay” and nagging plot holes—like how the nearly feral Arista can pass for middle-class in daily life—further disrupt the narrative momentum.
The overall effect is that the tale is underbaked; perhaps the planned sequel will help it set.(Romance. 12 & up)
3) "Alistair Grim's Odditorium" by Gregory Funaro
Victorian-era adventure with a supernatural stock of magical and mythical players.
Grubb (“no first or last name”) was a doorstep drop-off adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Smears. With the death of compassionate Mrs. Smears, he is left in the care of Mr. Smears, a brutish chimney sweep. Grubb is forced to sweep chimneys for no pay while nasty Mr. Smears broods over beer. After a mishap involving soot and a horrid hotelier, Grubb hides in the trunk of a parting guest to avoid a beating. The guest is Alistair Grim, and when Grubb exits the trunk, he is in the titular Odditorium, a collective of “Odditoria” (among them a talking watch and a trickster banshee). Grubb is invited to work for Grim under the proviso that he won’t reveal magical secrets, but when he unwittingly breaks that cardinal rule, he attracts Grim’s nemesis. Battles, kidnapping and sorcery ensue. The series opener’s Anglophile charm is occasionally muddied with an abundance of character introductions. To navigate this bevy of names and species, there is a character list and glossary. Black-and-white illustrations somewhere between daguerreotype and manga supplement the vivid textual imagery. Grubb’s cheat-to-the-audience moments at either end of the story are frustrating, if widely spaced (“My apologies, but I’m afraid you’ll have to take my word”).
Verne-ian fantasy and reversal of fortune à la Dickens will lure readers into this good-vs.-evil series debut. (Fantasy. 10-13)
Book One of Two
4) "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
In 1859 Chicago, 11-year-old orphaned Nell strives to make herself indispensable to her mysterious aunt.
How else can she avoid being sent to an orphanage? But Aunt Kitty seems eager to be rid of her unexpected charge, and Nell soon discovers why: Aunt Kitty is actually Kate Warne, the first female private eye employed by the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. A series of mishaps keeps Nell firmly at her aunt’s side, until Nell herself becomes a key player in madcap investigations involving disguises and false identities. Nell and Kate solve one mystery after another, even successfully protecting the new president, Abraham Lincoln, from an early assassination attempt. Meanwhile, Nell’s correspondence with her best friend, Jemma, helps her to uncover the mystery of her own family, their involvement with the Underground Railroad, and the tragedies that estranged Aunt Kitty and orphaned Nell. As unlikely as all these scenarios are, Hannigan’s quick pace and Nell’s spunky voice successfully suspend readers’ disbelief, and the author manages to pack an amazing amount of historical tidbits in along the way. A key to the playful ciphers embedded in Nell’s letters follows the story. (Historical fiction. 9-12)
5) "Nooks & Crannies" by Jessica Lawson
When 11-year-old Tabitha Crum receives a mysterious invitation for a weekend visit with the reclusive Countess of Windermere at Hollingsworth Hall circa 1907, she uncovers a diabolical plot that changes her life.
In the grand tradition of Roald Dahl, Tabitha’s despicable, neglectful parents force her to sleep in the attic and wear outgrown school uniforms. Her only friend’s a pet mouse. Before Tabitha departs for Hollingsworth, her parents announce they are leaving and sending her to an orphanage as soon as her visit is over. When Tabitha arrives at Hollingsworth, she meets five more clueless kids. Influenced by Inspector Pensive novels, Tabitha readily shifts into detective mode when the eccentric countess reveals she will be interviewing each child to determine which one is her missing grandchild, destined to inherit £100,000. During the isolation imposed by a freak snowstorm, an elderly maid dies under suspicious circumstances, ghostly groans echo behind walls, the countess becomes disturbingly nasty, and children disappear. Dauntlessly exploring nooks and crannies, Tabitha unravels the twisted, shocking truth and finds a real family and friends. Themes of friendship and family permeate this darkly humorous, melodramatic period thriller. Sketchy black-and-white illustrations add to the macabre mood.
A plucky amateur detective, secret passages, exaggerated characters, concealed identities, and dastardly villains equal a swell mystery. (Mystery. 8-12)
6) "The Diamond Thief" by Sharon Gosling
Romance, political skullduggery and fantastical inventions giddily complicate a jewel heist.
Sixteen year-old French circus performer Rémy Brunel, a daredevil trapeze artist (and accomplished thief) in Victorian London, is tasked with stealing the Darya-ye Noor, a gem of extraordinary size and beauty. Rémy—nimble, clever and uncannily lucky—pulls off the feat on her first visit to the gem’s exhibition in the Tower of London, thanks to elderly Lord Abernathy, who accidentally smashes the gem’s security case as he collapses to the floor. Rémy assumes she’s been efficient, but the gem she’s stolen is a fake, a revelation that launches her into a caper more complex and dangerous than any she’s undertaken before. She must navigate dangerous, filthy London, enter into an uneasy (yet increasingly affectionate) alliance with Thaddeus Rec, a police detective also suspected of stealing the jewel, and outwit wealthy villains armed with steampunk-y weapons. The whole affair often feels like an episode of Doctor Who: It’s filled with running and exhilarating physical danger, many quippy, colorful characters and even some titanium suits strongly reminiscent of Cybermen. This is no bad thing. The plot groans a bit under the weight of all the twists and piled-on characters, but, like Rémy, it sticks a fairly satisfying landing in the end.
Readers will happily strap in for the ride, if only to see where it takes them. (Steampunk. 12-16)
7) "Ripper" by Amy Carol Reeves
A rebellious young woman of high station finds her calling—and much more—volunteering in an East London hospital just as the Jack the Ripper murders commence.
Abbie Sharp, newly orphaned, finds herself chafing under the restrictions imposed by her snooty grandmother, who threw her mother out years before for her wild ways. Grandmother's attempt to teach Abbie responsibility by making her work at the charity hospital backfires when the girl becomes increasingly interested in the welfare of its prostitute patients. Abbie, meanwhile, finds herself more reliant on the street-fighting skills she picked up in Dublin than she ever expected. And she's also having visions… What could they mean? Narrator Abbie is a boilerplate spunky heroine, and she falls into an equally formulaic romance with a prickly-but-deep handsome physician. Debut author Reeves holds a PhD in 19th-century British literature, and she brings her research to bear on the background story. She appears to have decided not to apply it to her prose, however, which is littered with colloquially modern constructions ("I am simply going to have to be all right with…"; "[it] was fine with me"). Abbie performs astonishing feats of athleticism without ever being hampered by her skirt. Moreover, the paranormal twist feels wrenched into place. For more effective reboots of the Jack the Ripper legend, try Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star (2011) or Stefan Petrucha's Ripper (2012). (Paranormal historical fiction. 12 & up)
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