Mischief and Malice

March 2, 2015
More than 35 years after the publication of Secret Lives, Amoss returns with a sequel that sees now-14-year-old Addie Agnew living with her Aunt Toosie, Uncle Henry, and “hateful” cousin, Sandra Lee, in the weeks before Pearl Harbor. Addie’s Aunt Eveline has died, but Addie still feels close to her, thanks to the Catholic belief in communion with the saints. Addie struggles with romance: she’s not sure how she feels about Tom, her best friend who seems boring compared to Sandra Lee’s boyfriend. When Tom’s father, Louis, returns after having abandoned his family, Addie is sure she is in love (“It must have happened before, and he’d only be forty-four when I was twenty”), but Louis’s attentions to Addie may have more to do with a secret he is hiding. While the mystery element is slightly rushed and too easily solved, Addie’s crushes will resonate with all who have misplaced their affections. The competitive relationship between the cousins is realistically drawn, and Addie’s amusing, tart observations and the homey New Orleans setting form the heart of this lively and engaging read. Ages 9–up.

May 1, 2015
Grades 3-6 It's 1941, and 14-year-old Adelaide Agnew's world is upside down. In this new follow-up to her recently reissued classic YA mystery Secret Lives (1979), Amoss returns to Audubon Street to introduce Addie to the madness of debutante dances and first loves. The new neighbors are up to something, Addie's dearly departed aunt Evangeline won't stop invading her thoughts, and Addie may be a tiny bit in love with the boy next door's father. Not only that, Addie has chanced upon a family secret hidden in the attic, which becomes a mystery with grave implications. Addie is quick to fall in loveher actions don't always make senseand the mystery is slow to start. But once it does, it zips along quickly, and readers will be entertained by the boy-crazy teen's 1940s love strategies. Addie's quirky New Orleans family is zany and lovable, even if their relationships are occasionally unclear. Fans of period mysteries such as Judy Blundell's What I Saw and How I Lied (2008) and Jennifer Bradbury's Wrapped (2011) will enjoy how the family drama and romance unfurls.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)