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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
i really enjoyed this book, and i recommend it, especially for an easy read. it's a middle grade mystery where the protagonists are two girls from an all girls school in England in the 1930s. I really like the setting and atmosphere, the characters, specially Hazel, and the fact that it didn't forget about racism in that era or sugar coated it, which also broke my heart a little ugh. There was point where I was not really into it bc I couldn't with Daisy being rude, because she was being a lot like Sherlock Holmes, in the worst way, and I'm a firm believer that being a genius is no excuse to be a prick. I'm glad that changed a little and she was confronted about it and from that moment on it was all very intriguing and nice. I'm excited to start the next one in the series soon, since I bought the first five haha
Daisy, one of the detectives, has a massive ego & doesn’t care about anyone, including Hazel her supposed friend. Hazel is treated horribly by the other girls in her boarding school because she’s Asian. A lot of random talking about “canoodling” & making out that just feels awkward/weird, especially considering the young protagonists aren’t even sure what it means. The mystery wasn’t interesting & the book was boring in general. I’m on the hunt for good middle grade mysteries. This ain’t it.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really wanted to like this book, solely because at least half the year 5 and 6 kids at school are OBSESSED with this series, and the past few middle grade books that I've read have been fabulous. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me.
Pros
- Historical fiction with an Asian protagonist.
- It's a middle grade crime series. I mean, how often do you get that?!
- Lots of insinuation that two female teachers were in a relationship
- Also reference to older girls using supply closets to make out
Cons
- It's very jolly hockey sticks. Like, VERY jolly hockey sticks. It feels like The Twins at St Clare's with a side of murder
- While I liked Hazel as a character, Daisy drove me absolutely nuts. She's sooooo perfect, what with her blonde hair and blue eyes and being insanely smart and all the teachers loving her but hiding how smart she is so that she's still the most popular girl in school and uuuuuuugh. Add in the fact that she basically drags Hazel around after her no matter what Hazel says she wants to do ("Here, Hazel, drink half this bottle of ipecac so that we get sent to sick bay overnight and can sneak out and look for clues in between bouts of puking!"), and I pretty much wanted to punch her
- Everyone conveniently ignores the fact that Hazel is Asian, and she goes to great pains to not remind them of that (her mother sends boxes of her absolute favourite snack, and she hides them in her trunk so that no one else can see her icky Asian food)
- I just didn't give a shit about the case and whether or not they worked out whodunnit
So yeah. I wanted to love it, I really did. And yet, it came out somewhere middle of the road for me.
Pros
- Historical fiction with an Asian protagonist.
- It's a middle grade crime series. I mean, how often do you get that?!
- Lots of insinuation that two female teachers were in a relationship
- Also reference to older girls using supply closets to make out
Cons
- It's very jolly hockey sticks. Like, VERY jolly hockey sticks. It feels like The Twins at St Clare's with a side of murder
- While I liked Hazel as a character, Daisy drove me absolutely nuts. She's sooooo perfect, what with her blonde hair and blue eyes and being insanely smart and all the teachers loving her but hiding how smart she is so that she's still the most popular girl in school and uuuuuuugh. Add in the fact that she basically drags Hazel around after her no matter what Hazel says she wants to do ("Here, Hazel, drink half this bottle of ipecac so that we get sent to sick bay overnight and can sneak out and look for clues in between bouts of puking!"), and I pretty much wanted to punch her
- Everyone conveniently ignores the fact that Hazel is Asian, and she goes to great pains to not remind them of that (her mother sends boxes of her absolute favourite snack, and she hides them in her trunk so that no one else can see her icky Asian food)
- I just didn't give a shit about the case and whether or not they worked out whodunnit
So yeah. I wanted to love it, I really did. And yet, it came out somewhere middle of the road for me.
Asi už nejsem úplně cílovka téhle knihy, protože mě to moc nezaujalo. Napsané to bylo hezky, ale prostě to bylo moc dětské a nerealistické, polovina věcí tam nedávala smysl. Ale pro mladší ročníky to bude hrozně fajn čtení.
I have a special place in my heart for young girls solving murders and, generally, being more useful than the police.
This one takes place at a girls' boarding school in the 1930's and is delightful from beginning to end. I really adored Hazel and Daisy. I will definitely be checking out more books from this series!
This one takes place at a girls' boarding school in the 1930's and is delightful from beginning to end. I really adored Hazel and Daisy. I will definitely be checking out more books from this series!
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated