A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder

A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Frances Wynn, now the “elder” Countess of Harleigh after her husband’s untimely death, has been controlled by others her whole life, so she seizes the opportunity afforded her by widowhood and moves to London on her own as soon as her year of mourning has ended, with just her young daughter and a few servants to accompany her. Her freedom is immediately curtailed by the news that her brother-in-law has placed a freeze on her bank account in his attempt to get control of her money “for the family,” because Frances was an American heiress who married an earl in need of funds, and that need did not vanish with his death. Luckily, the news came just after she received a sizable bank draft from her mother, who sent her younger sister and aunt to visit her for the Season. The money is enough to allow her to maintain her household while fighting the new earl in court. But Frances soon has other concerns, as there is a thief on the loose in Town, an anonymous letter sent to the police has accused her of murdering her husband, and one of her sister’s new suitors might not be what he seems.

Fun and fast-paced mystery set almost a generation before the start of Downton Abbey, so Countess Harleigh would have been a contemporary of Lady Grantham back when Lady Mary was a little girl.

I loved this mystery with its hint of romance to come and enough complications that I only solved half of it before the end.

For readers’ advisors: story doorway is primary, setting secondary. Only a couple of mild swear words. No sexual content, though sex is referenced in that the main character’s husband dies in the bed of another woman at the start of the book. Violence is mostly off-screen and not described in detail at all, though Frances does have a couple of attempts on her life by the end, including being threatened with a gun.

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Mary Had a Little Snowplow

Mary Had a Little Snowplow by Rachel Matson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What I LOVE about this book is that the main character, Mary, is a clever girl who knows how to use tools to build things—in this case a tiny snowplow that follows her like the lamb in the original nursery rhyme. I also love that she is depicted as possibly being Asian, with classmates who have a variety of skin and hair colors. And when the text follows the rhythm of the nursery rhyme, the story rolls delightfully off the tongue. 

However, there are some pages when the rhythm falters, requiring practice and thought to figure out which syllables to emphasize, and one page where I simply cannot figure out where the rhythm went. (“The shovel bravely went SWISH/As the snow turned to muck.” What??  It doesn't fit with the "Mary had a little lamb" pattern.)

Bottom line is there is lots to love but rehearse before reading aloud!

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Monsters and Mold

Monsters and Mold by Asia Citro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zoey and her pet cat Sassafras are back with their second magical creature to help. This time they meet Gorp, a monster who wants to attend the upcoming Monster Ball but cannot bear to go with his fur all moldy. Zoey and Sassafras have less than a week to figure out how to stop the mold from growing, and it's going to take some scientific experimentation to find a solution.

The second book in the series delighted my kids just as much as the first. I really appreciated how Zoey didn't give up when her first (and second) theories didn't solve the problem. She kept using the scientific method to figure out what went wrong and why, giving her a new direction to try the next time.

One thing that bugged me and kept this book from a 5-star rating was that Zoey focused on treating the effect (the mold) and not the cause. Figuring out why something is occurring in the first place and preventing *that* is so often a much more valuable use of time. I mean, she did think to have Gorp make sure he didn't go to bed with wet fur, so that was good, but when that didn't stop the mold growth, she didn't revisit to see what other factors might be in play. And yes, I realize this is a very adult, nitpicky thing to pay attention to in a book aimed at young elementary school children. But it's my review, and this is a science-based book!

I have no idea whether Gorp will make a return appearance in any future books in the series, but if he does, I hope we find out more about why Sassafras is so drawn to Gorp. I kept expecting it to somehow relate to the mold problem--like maybe because Gorp's fur was, I don't know, covered in catnip or something. But alas, no clue!

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary. This is a great STEM title for kids ages 4 to 9 or so. Human characters are drawn as African American. Lots of illustrations to go with the story, and the main character is a strong female who loves science.

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Dragons and Marshmallows

Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Zoey's mom is packing for a work trip when Zoey stumbles across an old photograph of her mom as a child. But it's no ordinary photo--this one glows, and Zoey is the first person other than her mom to be able to see the glowing purple frog in the photo. Next thing she knows, Zoey is in charge of monitoring the secret doorbell on the barn, which magical creatures ring when they need help. At first nothing happens, but eventually the bell chimes. Zoey and her cat, Sassafras, must figure out how to nurse a tiny dragon back to health. Thinking Goggles and the scientific method to the rescue!

My kids LOVE this book and series. Every night they beg to read "just one more chapter, Mommy! No, TWO more chapters!" They love the magical creatures and the problem-solving skills Zoey uses. I love how the STEM concepts are woven into the story! For example, Zoey follows the rules of scientific experimentation to change Just One Thing At A Time, observes how that change affects the result and adjusts accordingly if it doesn't have the desired effect. Zoey makes science a delightful adventure.

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary, character secondary. Zoey's skin color and hair indicate she is most likely African American, though it's not mentioned in the text of the book. In our household it's a read-aloud; the text itself is about a third-grade reading level.

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Case of the Vanishing Visitor

Case of the Vanishing Visitor by Shanna Swendson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been a long, slow news week for Lexie Lincoln, editor of the Stirling Mills Gazette, and by the time she's sent the paper to press, she's ready for her weekly Tex-Mex dinner at Margarita's restaurant. This week, the place is hopping, with no time to socialize with the staff, but Lexie is joined at the bar by a visitor, Florence Marz, who is in town to house sit for a friend. The two women have a great chat and agree to meet the next day so Lexie can interview Florrie about her impressions of the town. The next morning, however, Florrie doesn't show up and doesn't answer her phone. Lexie's instincts tell her something is amiss, yet no one else remembers seeing the woman in the restaurant. Since Lexie can see and talk to ghosts, the first thing she must do is determine whether she had dinner with a living person or a dead one. Once she answers that question, next up is what happened to Florrie, and why. Lexie does voice her concerns to a certain handsome police officer, who knows to take her seriously, but once the evidence starts to add up, it is just a little too perfect, so Lexie decides to keep digging until things start to make sense.

The fourth installment in the Lucky Lexie series is a fast, plot-driven read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I do wish the slow-burn romance between Lexie and Wes wasn't quite so very slow. But at least this book builds on the secrets shared in the previous book, and they use those to work together to solve the mystery.

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary. There is no sex or swearing, and no real violence, though Lexie is threatened with a gun. There is virtually no character development in this book, but it relies on relationships built in the first three books, so reading them in order is highly recommended.

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Interview with a Dead Editor

Interview with a Dead Editor by Shanna Swendson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lexie has just been laid off from her job as a newspaper reporter when she gets a call asking her to interview for an assistant editor position at a small newspaper in a town she's never heard of. Unfortunately, when she arrives for her interview, she discovers the body of her prospective employer on the floor behind his desk. With a storm on the horizon, Lexie is anxious to get back on the road to Dallas, but first the local police must verify her alibi, which becomes far more difficult when her car's electrical system is inexplicably fried. Luckily, the job she was to interview for comes with a furnished apartment, so she's allowed to stay there until she can be cleared. With nothing better to do, she begins exploring the town, asking questions as she goes.

This book is set in February, but it feels like late fall. The town is straight out of a Hallmark movie--which is intentional and to which Ms. Swendson alludes in the opening scenes--making the book feel like a warm hug, despite the freezing weather and paranormal oddities. I love that all the female characters are strong and independent. No foolishness here! Lexie makes some smart moves to help save herself when the killer threatens her at the end. Plus the police officer is competent and intelligent. This makes the hint of future romance a lot more plausible.

The main characters are white, and supporting characters include an army vet who lost her lower legs in combat, a couple of ghosts, and a mixture of Latinx, African American, and white townsfolk, many of whom are descended from members of a traveling sideshow.

For readers' advisors: story and character doorways are pretty strong, and setting is also a factor for anyone who loves Hallmark movies. Or hates, I suppose. Minimal on-screen violence that mostly involves the killer briefly attacking Lexie. No sex or swearing. Some sub-plots & mini-mysteries are set up and left to be resolved in future installments of the series. Book #2 comes out in a few weeks, so readers won't have to wait long for the next chapter in Lexie's life.

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