Another fun romp through Manhattan, both above and below-ground. Once again the Irregulars are keeping secrets from one another, once again they must overcome their distrust and learn to work together to right wrongs. But this time Oona takes center stage, along with ancient Chinese artifacts, classic nude paintings, the desire to be loved by one's parents, and squirrels of unusual size and intelligence. Fun stuff with a little bit of burgeoning romance off to one side.

Also, many useful tips.

Library copy

I don't understand why this isn't insanely popular. An elite team is assembled from the ranks of NYC girl scouts: a master of disguise, a chemistry (explosives) experimenter, a forger, a researcher, a builder-of-useful-devices. Because the thing is: no one suspects an eleven-year-old girl. There's action, adventure, mystery, maps, exploration, history enough for half a dozen Nancy Drews, but with a modern, kick-ass twenty-first century feel.

Rollicking is the word I want. Gallagher Girls without all the romance stuff. Highly recommended to middle grade readers who like adventure and/or Alex Rider books.

Natasha's copy.

The last in the Kiki Strike books. I liked it, but I found it a bit hard to get into. What was fresh and enchanting in the first book, and even the second, seemed a bit forced here, I thought. I think a lot of other people loved it, so it’s ENTIRELY possible that it just wasn’t the book for me.

I liked this one a lot! Maybe just a little bit less than the first book, if only because it’s not shiny and new. But there’s plenty of fun and hijinks.

I know, I am so late to the game! But after Brandy recently read this and loved it, it convinced me that I really, really needed to just read it already, instead of letting it languish on my TBR list. And, yes, fine, everyone was right. Kiki Strike is a glorious book, funny and touching by turns, with a strong dose of a nice kind of girl power–each of the girls has her specific strengths, grown ups will underestimate girls but you can use that to your advantage, the whole book is very focused on the girls’ friendship.