Curtsies & Conspiracies

Starred review from October 14, 2013
Sophronia Temminnick is back for more daring yet ladylike exploits in this effervescent second installment in Carriger’s Finishing School series, which follows Etiquette & Espionage. This time, the dirigible that is Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality is embarking on an exciting and mysterious trip to London—with boys on board, students from Bunson & Lacroix’s Polytechnique. Sophronia is excelling at the school (“Your mind seems designed for espionage,” a professor tells her), garnering the jealousy of her fellow spies-in-training, including best friend Dimity. Sophronia tries to get to the bottom of why they’re heading to London, while remaining on the lookout for the well-being of all as danger lurks, Dimity is threatened, and two young men vie for Sophronia’s romantic attention. Teenage and adult fans alike will rejoice that Carriger retains her flair for musical prose, over-the-top names (e.g. Algonquin Shrimpdittle), clever wit, and strange yet helpful mechanical devices of all kinds. Carriger’s blend of comically exaggerated characters and madcap action will easily win over readers once again. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency.

October 1, 2013
Sophronia Temminnick learns that being top of her spy-school class isn't a great way to make friends. Social dramas and interspecies politics beset the inhabitants of the massive airship known as Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy. Sophronia's teachers seem to be intentionally turning her friends against her; is everything at this dratted school a test? Even Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott isn't on speaking terms with Sophronia. Without her friends, how will Sophronia ever unknot the massive tangle she's caught up in, which involves vampires, a crystalline valve frequensor and flight through the aetherosphere? This sequel to Etiquette & Espionage (2013) is less charming than the series opener, with the whimsy replaced by an uninspiring love triangle that does not show Miss Temminnick in a flattering light. Perhaps an ability to see dark-skinned, working-class Soap as "a real boy" would be historically inaccurate, but then so are dirigible schools, werewolves in the British peerage and mechanimal sausage dogs, so allowances could be made. In any case, the language is every bit as delightful as in Sophronia's first adventure ("Thrushbotham pip-monger swizzle sprocket"), even in this weightier tale. Fans of Book 1 will want to read this one, though they will hope that the fizz returns in Book 3. (Steampunk. 11-14)

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November 1, 2013

Gr 7-10-Fans of Etiquette & Espionage (Little, Brown, 2013) know that Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality is not your typical boarding school. Sophronia is now in her second year of training as a spy and has established herself as one of the top recruits, at least in terms of espionage, and her suspicious nature continues to drive her as she uses her skills and training to uncover the true reason behind the school trip to London. Carriger does not reintroduce characters or give any backstory; instead she jumps right into the thick of the action, developing a fast-paced plot that is sure to keep readers' attention as Sophronia discovers a conspiracy involving a technology that will affect vampires, werewolves, and humans alike. New characters and the introduction of boys onto a floating airship full of teenage girls gives this adventure/mystery an interesting steampunk twist. As in the first novel, the true-to-the-period language may slow down some readers, but this is a must-have purchase for libraries in which the first book is popular.-Betsy Davidson, Cortland Free Library, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2013
Grades 8-11 *Starred Review* Six months ago, Sophronia was a covert recruit in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy (Etiquette & Espionage, 2013). Now she's earning top marks in such areas as tea and delusions and portion allotment, puddings, and preemptive poisonings. While her etiquetteahemstill needs work, her naturally curious and calculating mind is so adept at espionage that even the teachers are wary of her. So when the floating school journeys to London to witness a technological breakthroughtravel through the aetherosphere made possible by a new guidance valveSophronia suspects that this is more than just a field trip. While the other girls plan shopping trips and parties, Sophronia uncovers a conspiracy to control the patent and production of the valve, which every faction has a stake in. Carriger's second steampunk adventure exceeds the first with its (slightly) more plot-driven story, but the fun, again, is in watching ever-practical Sophronia sneak and scheme her way into sometimes dangerous, sometimes riotously funny, situationsand even learn a few sobering lessons about consequences along the way. New characters, including a pesky lord enamored of Sophronia, round out an already quirky but lovable group of friends/collaborators. We repeat: This witty, lighthearted series is not to be missed. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The short nine-month span between first and second volumes says much about the publisher's eagerness to capitalize on the heat. Fans won't have a second to breathe.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)