miblette 's review for:

The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell

4.25

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

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After disrupting the peace at her previous orphanage, Maggie Fishbone is sent to The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls - a place that promised to tame her wild ways and make her sufficiently miserable. To her great surprise, the Institute was not dreadful at all led by the benevolent and cunning Miss Adelia Mandalay. Maggie and her fellow new classmates, Sofie and Nell, fit in well with the other first years, proving their worth by training and eventually solving mysteries. The charming illustrations and the included “excerpts from Useful Things Every Girl Should Know by Miss Mandalay,” are just the icing on the cake!

This story was the absolute “cat’s pajamas." It is equally mysterious, whimsical, and humorous. Many have compared this story to The Swifts and The Series of Unfortunate Events, which I can get behind. This was a joy to read and is highly recommended for all middle grade mystery lovers.