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bookish_leslie's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
2.5
My rating scale, for reference:
- 1 Star: Hated it
- 1.5 Stars: Really didn't like it
- 2 Stars: Didn't like it
- 3 Stars: Meh
- 4 Stars: Liked it
- 4.5 Stars: Really liked it
- 5 Stars: Loved it
While this was a book that 8-12 year old me might have enjoyed, it sadly was not one that I cared for as an adult, even though I often enjoy middle grade books. I can’t even put my finger on what exactly it was that I didn’t like about this book. It just took me forever to get into it and it felt a bit dull, despite a quirky house and characters, a search for treasure, and the mystery of several murders or attempted murders.
The word play and dictionary names were sometimes clever and interesting, but often very heavy-handed. Again, I realize that this book was intended for children, but it felt as though the author was talking down to the reader by explaining words we could Google if we didn’t already know the definitions of them.
Also, I appreciated the diversity of characters, but some of the LGBTQ+ subplots felt a bit clunky and overdone and didn’t flow as naturally as they could have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
kjurewicz's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a fun read. Silly and with a lot of great word play, but also surprisingly murder-y for a middle grade book. One review called it “Knives Out for kids” and I think it’s a great description. There were a few red herrings, but most of them pointed to one particular character; there were several opportunities to develop more with other characters. The antagonist was unsurprising, but I would have liked to see at least a hint or two as foreshadowing to really drive it home. Finally, since this book is subtitled “A Dictionary of Scoundrels,” it would have been a nice touch to have a dictionary of all the most important words used at the end.
Overall, a good book for a budding detective or word enthusiast.
Overall, a good book for a budding detective or word enthusiast.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence
kitt_the_dragon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
skylarkblue1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Representations: https://trello.com/c/pIfN48lN/96-the-swifts-1-the-swifts-a-dictionary-of-scoundrels-by-beth-lincoln
I wasn't too sure where this was headed at first. The humour was pretty dark (though I did personally enjoy it!) and the characters were fun to read about. As the mystery and tension grew though, it evolved into a suprisingly deep, dark and complex book! Certainly like nothing I'd expect from a childrens book, and honestly parents/teachers if you're thinking of giving this book to a kid, read it through first. Obviously, it's fine, but it can get heavy and there's a lot of topics that could create interesting and important conversations!
I just absolutely loved the characters, strong neurodiversity traits from 2 of the kids, the queer representation was very cute as well! There was a ton of characters, and honestly I did get a bit confused on who was who, but suprisingly I think it actually manages to handle them all pretty well. It really just felt like my issues remembering who was who was more on my really bad memory and less on the book, because as soon as I picked up a trait from someone I remembered exactly who they were! Each character was just so different and unique!
A lot of important messages throughout the book but none felt forced or trying to fight for attention over all the other messages. They all fit quite nicely together in my opinion. The story felt well paced, just fast, but flowed quite well. The chain of mysteries and plot twists kept be very well gripped hard throughout all of the last third and I honestly didn't know how it would end!
This absolutely shoots up to the top of my favourites list. I'm so thankful that Waterstones is taking good care with their books of the month, I would probably never have found this otherwise!!
I wasn't too sure where this was headed at first. The humour was pretty dark (though I did personally enjoy it!) and the characters were fun to read about. As the mystery and tension grew though, it evolved into a suprisingly deep, dark and complex book! Certainly like nothing I'd expect from a childrens book, and honestly parents/teachers if you're thinking of giving this book to a kid, read it through first. Obviously, it's fine, but it can get heavy and there's a lot of topics that could create interesting and important conversations!
I just absolutely loved the characters, strong neurodiversity traits from 2 of the kids, the queer representation was very cute as well! There was a ton of characters, and honestly I did get a bit confused on who was who, but suprisingly I think it actually manages to handle them all pretty well. It really just felt like my issues remembering who was who was more on my really bad memory and less on the book, because as soon as I picked up a trait from someone I remembered exactly who they were! Each character was just so different and unique!
A lot of important messages throughout the book but none felt forced or trying to fight for attention over all the other messages. They all fit quite nicely together in my opinion. The story felt well paced, just fast, but flowed quite well. The chain of mysteries and plot twists kept be very well gripped hard throughout all of the last third and I honestly didn't know how it would end!
This absolutely shoots up to the top of my favourites list. I'm so thankful that Waterstones is taking good care with their books of the month, I would probably never have found this otherwise!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Abandonment, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Gore, Deadnaming, and Alcohol
There's no mentions of the deadname, and there's no overt transphobia. It contains a small side story of a family member not easily understanding chosen vs dead names.jess_tries2read's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is very fun! The back cover says it is a Knives Out situation in Lemony Snicket's world, and that's definitely true!
I dock it half a star for issues with pacing. Eventually, it felt like a litany of things happening without much interaction or action taken from the main characters until the end sequence. But it was a blast, and I can't wait for the sequel!
I dock it half a star for issues with pacing. Eventually, it felt like a litany of things happening without much interaction or action taken from the main characters until the end sequence. But it was a blast, and I can't wait for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Violence
laura_berger's review
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Blood, and Violence
purplepenning's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
An enormously entertaining middle grade mystery that's brimming with adventure, wordplay, and shenanigans — both the general mischief sort and the delightfully specific sort of mischief that is Shenanigan Swift! Picture Ramona Quimby as a Lemony Snicket character. Now picture her searching for a legendary family treasure on a sprawling country estate only to be rudely interrupted by the need to solve an attempted murder during a family reunion. With help and hindrance from her sisters, Phenomena and Felicity, new best cousin, Erf, and an unabridged version of her extended family, Shenanigan is determined to sort things out. Lies! Insults! Murder! Hilarity! This book had me in suspense and in stitches throughout, pausing only to fully appreciate the clever and exuberant writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol
lyctororiole's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Gore
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