Review by Booklist Review
Maggie Fishbone knows her prospects are grim when she gets chucked out of the orphanage for pushing a boy into the harbor (he deserved it) and deposited at the Midwatch Institute for Orphans, Runaways, and Wayward Girls. Imagine her surprise when the Institute's strict, drudgery-forward reputation is nothing but a front for giving its girls an unconventional education, with such classes as fencing, maps, motorcars, observing, contriving, hiding, dancing, and climbing. As one of the f irst-years aptly says, "Ready to solve mysteries and do good deeds and fight bad guys . . . Didn't she tell you? This what we do. We help keep the city safe. Girls, we're absolutely the snake's pajamas." The lingo and presence of airships--not to mention lessons in the Charleston--loosely suggest a 1920s setting, but the Institute's imaginative details are what steal the show. Secret entrances, hidden rooms, a rooftop ropes course, disguises, a multi-tool made to look like a doll--it's a spy fan's dream. Maggie enters the Institute with two other girls, Nell and Sophie, none of whom can quite wrap their mind around their change in circumstance, but they quickly come around when the first-years are given a possible kidnapping to investigate. As they gain skills and confidence, they also find belonging and madcap adventure. Jeepers, it's a thrill!
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Tween Maggie Fishbone is unceremoniously whisked away from Mud Harbor Orphanage to the Midwatch Institute for Orphans, Runaways, and Wayward Girls in this subversive and captivating examination of adventure, lifelong learning, and sisterhood by Rossell (Wakestone Hall). Midwatch is nothing like the cheerless facility presented by its carefully maintained facade, and, upon arrival, Maggie learns that director Adelia Mandelay has cultivated a place of wonder that welcomes intersectionally diverse girls of all ages. As Maggie settles in alongside fellow first-years Nell and Sofie, whose hand was damaged in a circus accident, she's soon pulled into investigations of local crimes at Miss Mandelay's behest--after all, "being girls is a big advantage, because nobody suspects us, so we can go places without being noticed, and talk to kids, and find out things the police can't." Periodic interstitials titled "Useful Things Every Girl Should Know"--presented as excerpts from a book of the same name by Miss Mandelay--provide bite-size lessons, including ones on how to escape an alligator, how to dance the Charleston, how to shout extremely loudly, and more. Action and adventure abound in this German- and art deco--inspired world, which comes to life via b&w illustrations throughout. Ages 8--12. (May)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--7--After being kicked out of her orphanage, Magdalena "Maggie" Fishbone finds herself at the doors of The Midwatch Institute. Little does she know, her arrival in this place, "for orphans, runaways, and wayward girls," will mark the beginning of some remarkable adventures. Publicly, the institute appears dreary and forbidding, but secretly, it is a haven where the students are empowered and trained to solve mysteries and fight crime. Maggie quickly immerses herself in learning everything from German to safecracking. When a botanist mysteriously disappears and the city is terrorized by what the press calls "The Night Monster," Maggie and her classmates are assigned to the case. Delightful intercalary chapters feature excerpts from Useful Things Every Girl Should Know (a book written by the school's director), covering topics like Morse code and how to escape an alligator, alongside the director's thrilling personal stories. Maggie's adventure takes place in a slightly magical early 20th-century world filled with skyscrapers, elegant hotels, and airships. Castillo's narration offers listeners entertaining accents that truly bring Rossell's novel to life. VERDICT The quirky dialogue and fast-paced plot will have young readers running right alongside Maggie, piecing clues together to try and solve the mystery before it's too late.--Susan Elbag
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Review by Horn Book Review
Oppressed orphans, a boarding school, a 1920s setting, a determined heroine, and an exuberant mystery plot -- we think we've seen it all before, but this entertaining romp has some surprises in store. The orphan school, far from being grim, is a utopian institution specializing in delicious food and a jolly and useful curriculum including safe-cracking, knot-tying, automotive repair, and the use of explosives. The whole enterprise is a secret front for training junior crime-fighters and spies, and the plot involves such disparate exploits as solving a mystery of stolen jewels, rescuing a kidnapped librarian, and capturing a monster. The text is jokey, dotted with inventive names and German translation exercises worthy of Edward Gorey ("there is a small fire inside your accordion"). The stunning realistic pencil illustrations play it mostly straight, though with the addition of steampunk-esque airships. Beautifully composed and precise, they celebrate light, shadow, and texture and provide a scaffolding of gravitas to the whole enterprise, while encouraging the reader to slow down and savor a vignette of a friendly pet rat or a double-page spread of a grand cityscape shining with rain. This Australian import is a pleasure on many fronts. Sarah EllisSeptember/October 2025 p.73 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Magdalena Fishbone's relegation to an institution for "orphans, runaways, and wayward girls" turns into an extraordinary adventure. When Maggie arrives at the Midwatch Institute (after committing a satisfying, if somewhat violent, act of justice), she's one of three new girls. As it turns out, the seemingly dreary orphanage is a front for a school that trains girls in useful arts and skills. Maggie's classes in "Maps, Fencing, German, Motorcars, Drawing, Observing, Contriving, Hiding, and Dancing" comprise a fine beginning education for any spy or detective. Excerpts fromUseful Things Every Girl Should Know, a book published in 1911 by the director, Miss Adelia Mandelay, appear between chapters and include instruction and advice on, among other things, disguises, decision-making, Morse code, knot tying, and escaping from quicksand. Most entries include anecdotes from the author's madcap experiences as an international woman of mystery. Rich, quirky language and a well-imagined early-20th-century setting--including a port city with skyscrapers, airships, motorcars, and an elegant hotel--provide an immersive backdrop for the girls' foray into detective work. The disappearance of a botanist and attacks by a creature the press calls "the night monster" are elements of the criminal conspiracy the girls uncover. Terrifically evocative black-and-white illustrations extend the narrative. Maggie and the adults appear white, and some of Maggie's schoolmates have dark skin. Cinematic, amusing, and exciting: a slightly subversive, delightfully empowering, all-around winner.(Mystery. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
