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rkiladitis's review against another edition
4.0
It’s 1914, and silent serials are all the rage at movie houses. Fort Lee, New Jersey, is the filmaking hotspot, and 12-year-old Darleen is the star of Matchstick Studios’s adventure serial, Daring Darleen. The studio, run by Darleen’s father, uncles, and aunt, churn out serials where Darleen faces bad guy after bad guy while searching for her dear papa, but the dangers she faces onscreen are nothing compared to the turn her real life takes when a publicity stunt goes haywire and Darleen finds herself kidnapped – FOR REAL – alongside a young heiress. Darleen and Victorine, a “poor little rich girl”, quickly bond and work on a way to escape their captors and keep Victorine safe from her money-hungry relations.
Daring Darleen is a great piece of historical fiction, with a rich background of the early filmmaking industry and Fort Lee’s place in it (an author’s note touches on the industry and real characters who cameo in the story). Darleen is a smart, spunky young heroine and Victorine is her protege; the two have a remarkable chemistry that comes together on the page and makes them a formidable duo. Victorine blossoms as Darleen’s daring rubs off on her, and Darleen is always working to keep one step ahead of everyone else. Two strong female heroines, a good supporting cast of characters, and a well-paced, plotted story make Daring Darleen a book to have on your shelves. Will Daring Darleen have more adventures? Like the silent serials of old, we just have to wait and see!
Daring Darleen: Queen of the Screen has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus.
Daring Darleen is a great piece of historical fiction, with a rich background of the early filmmaking industry and Fort Lee’s place in it (an author’s note touches on the industry and real characters who cameo in the story). Darleen is a smart, spunky young heroine and Victorine is her protege; the two have a remarkable chemistry that comes together on the page and makes them a formidable duo. Victorine blossoms as Darleen’s daring rubs off on her, and Darleen is always working to keep one step ahead of everyone else. Two strong female heroines, a good supporting cast of characters, and a well-paced, plotted story make Daring Darleen a book to have on your shelves. Will Daring Darleen have more adventures? Like the silent serials of old, we just have to wait and see!
Daring Darleen: Queen of the Screen has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus.
dswhite's review against another edition
2.0
I would give this book 2 1/2 stars. It was okay but not one that I really enjoyed reading. The kidnapping was fun and the adventure after it was okay. I did like the friendship that developed between Darlene and Victorine.
rachelmcg2004's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. The story and characters were shallow and childish. Probably something a younger reader would enjoy, but not for me.
kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
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? No
5.0
Darleen is the star of silent films produced by her family's film company just outside New York City. As part of a publicity stunt, they set up a fake kidnapping to bring more attention to their films, but something goes terrible wrong. Darleen gets trapped in the middle of a real kidnapping with a wealthy heiress, Victorine Berryman. Now the two girls must discover who the kidnappers are and stage a daring escape.
I loved this wonderful adventure story! The plot takes a lot of twists and turns. I was surprised at every new development. There are a lot of complex layers to the story as we get to follow Darleen's family life, her acting career, and Victorine's difficult legal problems, and all their adventures together. I loved the hilarious writing style! It really captures that flavor of old-fashioned drama that you think of with a silent film.
Darleen strives to be a good daughter, a good actress, and a good friend. But deep inside her heart, she has a longing for adventure and danger. She isn't reckless, but she comes alive when something thrilling happens. She feels like she can't really be herself, because it will make her father too worried if she takes any risks. I loved the sweet relationship between father and daughter. They are so protective of each other.
Victorine is grieving over the death of her grandmother, which has left her a victim of horrible guardians who only care about her money. Victorine has a gentle nature, but she is strong and resourceful in difficult circumstances. I loved the friendship that quickly develops between Victorine and Darleen. They immediately trust each other, and together they make a great team.
One of the coolest things about this book is getting to learn real history about the silent film industry of this era. One of the side characters is even a real historical figure, the first woman to run her own film production company. It really interesting to see how they organized filming and editing, and the cool tricks they would use to do special effects.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
panda_incognito's review against another edition
3.0
This fun middle grade novel is about the era of silent films, and involves a publicity kidnapping plot gone awry. There are lots of clever ideas behind this book, but I found it a bit lacking in the execution, and could never fully engage with it. The characters are totally one-dimensional, both heroes and villains alike, and parts of the story are too wordy, dragging out the action with unnecessary exposition.
If someone were totally new to the silent film era, they might enjoy this more than I did, but because I was already familiar with the techniques, tropes, limitations, and creative maneuvering of silent film production, I wanted a stronger story against this backdrop. The charm of the setting itself wasn't enough to hold my interest, and the characters seemed like simplistic props, never actual people. Darleen and Victorine are so self-consciously Cute and Clever that I couldn't suspend disbelief, and even though the author may have been trying to imitate common characterization tropes from the silent films she loves, this didn't work for a 368-page novel.
This book is a good choice for middle grade readers, but it does not have the depth or sophistication to appeal broadly beyond this demographic. Younger readers who are not yet familiar with silent film history or the predictable plot twists in this book may find it thrilling, and some older readers may want to read it for the unique setting, historical elements, and upbeat fun. However, readers who are looking for an unpredictable, emotionally complex story with meaningful character development are better off reading [b:I Don't Know How the Story Ends|24827936|I Don't Know How the Story Ends|J.B. Cheaney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432228806l/24827936._SX50_.jpg|44470845]. This book is also about early silent film development, and even though it is a serious novel, not a fun romp, it includes many of the same insights into early silent film development while being much more engaging and better-rounded as a novel.
If someone were totally new to the silent film era, they might enjoy this more than I did, but because I was already familiar with the techniques, tropes, limitations, and creative maneuvering of silent film production, I wanted a stronger story against this backdrop. The charm of the setting itself wasn't enough to hold my interest, and the characters seemed like simplistic props, never actual people. Darleen and Victorine are so self-consciously Cute and Clever that I couldn't suspend disbelief, and even though the author may have been trying to imitate common characterization tropes from the silent films she loves, this didn't work for a 368-page novel.
This book is a good choice for middle grade readers, but it does not have the depth or sophistication to appeal broadly beyond this demographic. Younger readers who are not yet familiar with silent film history or the predictable plot twists in this book may find it thrilling, and some older readers may want to read it for the unique setting, historical elements, and upbeat fun. However, readers who are looking for an unpredictable, emotionally complex story with meaningful character development are better off reading [b:I Don't Know How the Story Ends|24827936|I Don't Know How the Story Ends|J.B. Cheaney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432228806l/24827936._SX50_.jpg|44470845]. This book is also about early silent film development, and even though it is a serious novel, not a fun romp, it includes many of the same insights into early silent film development while being much more engaging and better-rounded as a novel.
nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
Fun! Reads like an old-fashioned movie serial. Set in 1914, when movies were very young and silent only. Darleen Darling, 12, has been a movie star for a few years, acting in films her family's studio produces. She does all the action, hanging off cliffs, tied to railroad tracks, etc. When her staged kidnapping--to drum up publicity for the studio--goes haywire and she's kidnapped FOR REAL, along with an heiress girl her age, the action ramps up off the screen too. It's really cute, the girls gain self-confidence and form a friendship as they try to outfox the shifty relatives who want a ransom for the heiress girl, who happens to look a lot like Darleen. Great look at the early history of silent moviemaking, when movies were still made in New Jersey and not in Hollywood California.
singerji's review against another edition
3.0
Darleen is a spunky 12-year-old girl whose family makes silent serial films in New York in the early 1900s. First she's "Darling" Darleen, then becomes "Daring" as she grows older. In a publicity stunt gone awry, she gets kidnapped with another orphan girl and has to use her skills and her wits to escape their captors. Recalls quite vividly the filmmaking world before sound was introduced. Villains twirl their mustaches and swish their black capes, and heroes and heroines will foil them. Nicely done, both from the adventure aspect and the historical aspect, though the archaic turns of phrase in the writing style took some getting used to.
pussreboots's review against another edition
5.0
From about 1908 through the teens, young women were the action stars of the silent screen. The most famous serial was The Perils of Pauline staring Pearl White. But there were many others.
Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen by Anne Nesbet is historical middle grade fiction set contemporaneously with Perils and is written with the enthusiasm and panache of girls adventure fiction, such as Ruth Fielding by Alice B. Emerson.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comments_05/daring_darleen_queen_of_the_screen.html
FF3399 - orphan rural labyrinth
Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen by Anne Nesbet is historical middle grade fiction set contemporaneously with Perils and is written with the enthusiasm and panache of girls adventure fiction, such as Ruth Fielding by Alice B. Emerson.
http://pussreboots.com/blog/2020/comments_05/daring_darleen_queen_of_the_screen.html
FF3399 - orphan rural labyrinth
tashrow's review
5.0
Darleen has grown up in the movie industry, first appearing as a baby and now at age twelve as “Daring Darleen” in a series of silent films. It is 1914 and the trend is to have the worlds of film and real life converge, so Darleen’s uncles make a plan for her to be kidnapped from outside a movie theater while being filmed by them. Everything seems to be going to plan until Darleen is snatched by the wrong kidnappers and discovers that she has been taken along with Victorine, a girl just her age who is an heiress. The two must figure out how to escape, using Darleen’s natural penchant for heights and daring moves that her dead mother also had. Still, she had promised her father to keep her feet on the ground, but that’s hard to do as her adventures continue almost like being in a real screenplay.
There is so much to love here! Nesbet creates the daring and inventions of early film-making in this middle-grade novel. The chapters are meant to be episodes, some offering a great cliffhanger until the next installment. The series of adventures makes for a page-turner of a book with two girls at its center who form a grand friendship along the way and adore one another for being just who they are.
Darleen is a heroine through and through from her day job in front of the camera but even more so in real life as she skillfully figures out puzzles, finds ways to escape, and does it all with real courage. In many ways, Victorine is her opposite. She wants to tell the truth at all costs, knows all sorts of facts and loves books and travel. The two together form an unstoppable force. It is also great to see Nesbet pay homage to Alice Guy Blache by having her as a secondary character in the novel.
A grand adventure of a novel that will have readers enthralled. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
There is so much to love here! Nesbet creates the daring and inventions of early film-making in this middle-grade novel. The chapters are meant to be episodes, some offering a great cliffhanger until the next installment. The series of adventures makes for a page-turner of a book with two girls at its center who form a grand friendship along the way and adore one another for being just who they are.
Darleen is a heroine through and through from her day job in front of the camera but even more so in real life as she skillfully figures out puzzles, finds ways to escape, and does it all with real courage. In many ways, Victorine is her opposite. She wants to tell the truth at all costs, knows all sorts of facts and loves books and travel. The two together form an unstoppable force. It is also great to see Nesbet pay homage to Alice Guy Blache by having her as a secondary character in the novel.
A grand adventure of a novel that will have readers enthralled. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
4.0
It’s 1914, and Daring Darleen is the twelve-year-old star of the silent screen adventures. Unexpectedly, her film studio ploy for publicity goes wrong, and Darleen is kidnapped, along with rich orphan Victorine Berryman. Now Darleen and Victorine must use everything they have learned, Darleen from her work in movies, and Victorine from her life of privilege, to escape from their captors and bring the wicked to justice.
Daring Darleen is a dip into the past, and it’s quite well done, with vividly complex characters and wild leaps from windows and a fascinating setting in the world of early film.
Daring Darleen is a dip into the past, and it’s quite well done, with vividly complex characters and wild leaps from windows and a fascinating setting in the world of early film.
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