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christiana's review against another edition
3.0
Had a little bit of a problem keeping up with the world building rules, but overall I think I liked it?
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a big fan of Jaclyn Moriarty's young adult books. She's a clever and very funny writer, and I jumped at the chance to read her new middle-grade book. The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone is a wonderful, clever, and entertaining book that's good for kids and adults alike.
"I was ten years old when my parents were killed by pirates.
This did not bother me as much as you might think--I hardly knew my parents."
When she was still in a pram, Bronte Mettlestone's parents left her with her Aunt Isabelle so they could go off and have adventures. Bronte hasn't seen her parents since then, so the announcement of their death isn't as devastating as you would expect. Much more troubling is her parents' will, which leaves very detailed instructions for Bronte: she has to visit her father's 10 sisters and bring them each a gift. She has to follow the instructions to the letter, because the will is trimmed in Faery cross-stitch, which means that if she doesn't complete all the provisions as directed, something terrible will happen. And thus begins a long and adventurous journey.
Bronte visits a farm, saves a baby from drowning, gets caught in an avalanche, learns about dragons, attends a magical convention, and survives a pirate attack on a cruise ship. Her adventures are magical and funny. Moriarty is a master at plotting. Even the smallest detail means something, and I love seeing how all the pieces fit together in a fascinating puzzle.
There's a lot going on in the book. Bronte's journey is an adventure and a puzzle to be solved, but she's also learning all about her father's family and her mother's mysterious past. Bronte is a practical child who handles all the adventures she encounters with aplomb:
"I suppose I should tell you about the avalanche. I was thinking I could use that short chapter to skip straight over it and onto the next aunt. But no, that would only be annoying of me."
Reading middle grade books as adult can be dicey. What appeals to the younger reader may not work so well for an adult. I was quite pleased to find that the book was so entertaining and never felt as if it were written at too basic a level. Moriarty never underestimates her audience, and I think young readers will enjoy the rollicking adventures and dry wit of this book. It would be a great choice for parents to read along with their kids.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
"I was ten years old when my parents were killed by pirates.
This did not bother me as much as you might think--I hardly knew my parents."
When she was still in a pram, Bronte Mettlestone's parents left her with her Aunt Isabelle so they could go off and have adventures. Bronte hasn't seen her parents since then, so the announcement of their death isn't as devastating as you would expect. Much more troubling is her parents' will, which leaves very detailed instructions for Bronte: she has to visit her father's 10 sisters and bring them each a gift. She has to follow the instructions to the letter, because the will is trimmed in Faery cross-stitch, which means that if she doesn't complete all the provisions as directed, something terrible will happen. And thus begins a long and adventurous journey.
Bronte visits a farm, saves a baby from drowning, gets caught in an avalanche, learns about dragons, attends a magical convention, and survives a pirate attack on a cruise ship. Her adventures are magical and funny. Moriarty is a master at plotting. Even the smallest detail means something, and I love seeing how all the pieces fit together in a fascinating puzzle.
There's a lot going on in the book. Bronte's journey is an adventure and a puzzle to be solved, but she's also learning all about her father's family and her mother's mysterious past. Bronte is a practical child who handles all the adventures she encounters with aplomb:
"I suppose I should tell you about the avalanche. I was thinking I could use that short chapter to skip straight over it and onto the next aunt. But no, that would only be annoying of me."
Reading middle grade books as adult can be dicey. What appeals to the younger reader may not work so well for an adult. I was quite pleased to find that the book was so entertaining and never felt as if it were written at too basic a level. Moriarty never underestimates her audience, and I think young readers will enjoy the rollicking adventures and dry wit of this book. It would be a great choice for parents to read along with their kids.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
amlibera's review
4.0
Loved this book - absolutely bonkers middle grade fantasy that moves very quickly and is simultaneously supremely comforting. And funny. It feels a bit like Eva Ibbotson. Just what I needed to read right now when everything is hard.
cjhh's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so good it made me sad my parents were never killed by pirates when I was a child so I could have had this adventure.
ros_lanta's review against another edition
3.75
This was a quirky, fun and whimsical story and I did enjoy it. I would recommend it for those who like just a bit of nonsense in their middle grade.
Where it fell down for me is that as a quest story, there wasn't a lot of drive to it. It isn't until close to the end that we really come to understand the reason for Bronte's journey, and so for a long time it felt needless to me, nonsensical in a whole different sense. Like most quest stories this has a lot of episodic adventures and I needed something to tie them all together - this did eventually materialise but too late in the book for me personally.
I do have to mention the cover, which is illustrated by Karl James Mountford - it's absolutely gorgeous.
Where it fell down for me is that as a quest story, there wasn't a lot of drive to it. It isn't until close to the end that we really come to understand the reason for Bronte's journey, and so for a long time it felt needless to me, nonsensical in a whole different sense. Like most quest stories this has a lot of episodic adventures and I needed something to tie them all together - this did eventually materialise but too late in the book for me personally.
I do have to mention the cover, which is illustrated by Karl James Mountford - it's absolutely gorgeous.
ivorytower31's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
cblunier's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ktembreull's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5