The Queen and the Nobody Boy: A Tale of Fontania by Barbara Else - ADVISABLE

Else, Barbara.  The Queen and the Nobody Boy: A Tale of Fontania.  326 pages.  Gecko Press, 2013.  $17.95.  Language: G, Sexual Content: G, Violence: PG (peril, experimentation, poisonous toads).  Hodie is an odd jobs boy at the castle since his father died.  He decides to leave and make his own way; the only problem is that the Queen (a young girl) has decided to run away too—with him.  Sibillia, the Queen, is tired of everyone’s expectations, especially since she has yet to show any magical abilities.  At the same time the country is under siege by a neighboring country and has no chance of victory without its magical ties that have gone missing.  Both Hodie and Sibillia discover who they are and what they can do in this unlikely adventure in a most magical/science fiction setting.  The main characters are likeable and their development rings true.  The secondary cast is truly odd and definitely original.  The plot moves at a good pace.  Recommend this adventure to your quirkiest readers. 
EL/MS - ADVISABLE.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.

Curtsies and Conspiracies (Finishing School Book #2) by Gail Carriger –ESSENTIAL

Carriger, Gail Curtsies and Conspiracies 320 pgs. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, (Nov) 2013. $11.23.  Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG-13(Description of Male Parts); Violence: PG.

Sophronia is still excelling at finishing school, where she is training to become a spy. Her ability to pay attention to the intrigues around her is keeping her ahead of the game but involving her in some dangerous plots. She spends a ton of time sneaking around the school –which is a dirigible, spending time with the ingenious Vieve and the trustworthy Soap. When a plot involving the latest in travel technology involves a kidnapping attempt of her best friend Dimity –Sophronia must put her training to work.

This series is a must have if you are developing a Steampunk collection. This author has truly created her own own world –especially the language, which is fantastic. You have proper Victorian girls at a proper finishing school, covertly training to be spies, all while making use of futuristic technology and run-ins with the supernatural. This second book allows the reader to get to know all the main characters even better and is impossible to put down.

HS –ESSENTIAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.