By Jan Pease
Where did proper young ladies go to be “finished” during the
time of Queen Victoria? Why, to
finishing school, of course. But in Gail
Carriger’s steam punk world of
fashionable vampires and militaristic were- wolves, young ladies attend Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy
for Young Ladies of Quality . The
first book in the “Finishing School” series is “Etiquette and Espionage,” which
follows Sophronia, a young woman who is a severe trial to her mother, as she
goes to this most unusual school for young ladies. Here, Sophronia
learns useful skills that will come in handy in her adult life, whether she
marries a fashionable gentleman or works as an “intelligencer” for the
queen. As one of the teachers says, “It’s one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.”
Although I have enjoyed Gail
Carriger’s books immensely, I’m happy to
see some new books that are historical fiction, without the paranormal emphasis that
has been so prevalent the last few years.
“Jepp, who Defied the Stars,” written by Katherine Marsh, is set in the
1500s. Ms. Marsh based her character on
a real person, Jepp, a dwarf who served Tycho Brahe, an astronomer and alchemist
in Denmark. Jepp wonders if fate is
written in the stars from the moment we are born, or if it is a bendable thing
that we can shape with our own hands. 
“Navigating Early,” by Clare
Vanderpool, is set in the years just after World War II. This is the story of Jack Baker, whose
father moves him from Kansas to a boarding school in Maine. He has an unusual friendship with Early
Auden, who now would probably be diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. The boys go on a quest to search the
Appalachian Trail for the great black bear rumored to be in nearby
mountains. They share adventures that
include “pirates, a volcano, a great white whale, a hundred-year old woman, a
lost hero, a hidden cave, a great Appalachian bear, and a timber rattlesnake –
in Maine!” (“Navigating Early” page 294).
“Who Done It,” by Jon Scieszka,
is a really, really unusual book.
The premise is that the nastiest editor in the world has been murdered,
and the 80 suspects are authors of children’s and YA fiction, including Lemony
Snicket, John Green, Mo Willems, Todd Strasser, and 76 other well-known
names. The reader is charged with
examining each alibi to solve the crime.
Each of the writers spins a story, but Mr. Scieszka says the problem is
that all of them are liars. All of the
proceeds of this book benefit 826NYC, a literacy and creative program for
kids. 
Finally, Ally Carter has
produced the third novel in the “Heist Society” series. “Perfect Scoundrels” continues the story of
Katarina Bishop, nicknamed Kat, who is part of a family of loveable criminal
masterminds. My only quibble with the
series is that Kat seems much older; 20 something at least. She’s sophisticated and smooth. But just because I was still awkward at 16,
doesn’t mean that a 16 year old couldn’t be an international jewel thief. All of these great books, and more, are
waiting for you at Litchfield Public Library.
