A School for Unusual Girls

February 15, 2015
A romantic adventure set amid the chaos of the Napoleonic era. Georgiana Fitzwilliam is packed off to boarding school after one too many failed science experiments. Her parents deposit her unceremoniously in the care of Emma Stranje, who runs a school outside London that masquerades as a glorified torture chamber for wayward society daughters but is really a front for spy training. What seems at first to be a harrowing disaster for Georgiana is in fact a uniquely tantalizing opportunity. Each of the four female students has a special gift that makes her too peculiar for society life, but their talents are of great use to the crown. Miss Stranje and her collaborators hope to leverage Georgie's experiments with invisible ink for greater secrecy as they attempt to thwart Napoleon's wily network of spies. Although the novel relies too heavily on genre cliches-Georgie's budding attraction to a young viscount associate of Miss Stranje is all flashing eyes and clashing wits a la Lizzie and Darcy-the era is richly substantiated with period details. An afterword clarifies the liberties taken with historical events and encourages readers to ponder the possible outcomes to any given fork in the road. Baldwin's tale lacks the fizzy pop of Sarah Zettel's Palace of Spies series, but romance readers who prize both brains and valor in a heroine will be pleased to make Georgie's acquaintance. (Mystery/historical fiction. 12-18)

March 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-This intriguing series opener is a tale of daring, conspiracy, adventure, and romance set against the tumultuous, backdrop of war-torn Europe in 1814. Napoleon is in exile on Elba, dignitaries from across Europe are gathering at the Congress of Vienna, and assassination plots are rumored. At the cavernous Stranje House in England, a select group of spirited, inventive, and nonconformist girls are secretly learning espionage tactics. Georgiana Fitzwilliam has an unconventional aptitude and enthusiasm for math and science. When one of her experiments accidentally leads to a fire in her father's stables, Georgie is banished by her exasperated parents to the supposedly harsh, reforming tutelage of Headmistress Emily Stranje. Georgie gradually discovers that all is not as it seems. Her classmates have special talents; her headmistress is a clever, well-connected, resourceful teacher; and visiting Lord Sebastian Wyatt is on a covert mission. Georgie's invention of invisible ink becomes a vital secret communication weapon supporting the new order in Europe. Although the novel is rich in historical references, language, and culture, not all of the happenings are actually true. This alternative history series will appeal to fans of Gail Carriger's works and "The Cecelia and Kate" novels (Harcourt) by Patricia C. Wrede and Carolyn Stevermer. Teens will enjoy the well-drawn cast of characters and identify with 19th-century Georgie's angst, insecurity, desire for independence, and first love. VERDICT The spunky, naive, and passsionate protagonist will resonate with readers, who will appreciate the lively, fast-paced narrative of personal discovery, maturing realizations, and understanding.-Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2015
Grades 7-12 It's 1814, and Georgiana is an embarrassment to her family. Uninterested in the finer arts, she prefers experimenting with chemicals, trying to perfect a formula for invisible ink. Burning down her father's stables is the final straw; she is sent to Stranje House, a boarding school that bills itself as a place to reform unusual girls. Here students perfect their special talents, along with a general curriculum that includes shooting guns, throwing knives, and escaping imprisonment. But Georgie's invisible ink holds a special attraction for those tasked with shepherding King Louis XVIII's return to the French throne. Baldwin has crafted a Regency romance that celebrates smart, strong young women who, while careful to embrace many of society's mores, hold their own with the men they encounter, oftentimes besting them both intellectually and physically. While much of the history of the Napoleonic era is accurate, some is not, something Baldwin readily acknowledges. Readers can look forward to revisiting these enthralling characters and their adventures and romances in the Stranje House series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)