A review by bookbrig
The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets by Nancy Springer

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
I love this series of mysteries, but on rereading this one the villain of the piece stood out a lot for all the negative tropes they represented. I'm not sure I'd recommend this particular installment because of that, even though I still like Enola so much as a character. The things that raised flags for me included
the villain having facial disfigurements as well as being accused of "George Sandism." Enola is literally horrified by the villain's face at one point, and it has nothing to do with evil deeds, just with looking "unnerving." It kind of spotlights the regularity of villains being disabled and/or ugly as well as the trope of trans or gender non-conforming villains. It's not that all disability or trans rep needs to be "good" characters, but these tropes are so well worn and hurtful I think I'd avoid suggesting this as a read for kids.
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