Bella at Midnight

by Diane Stanley

Thumbs up.

Ms Stanley is a natural story teller.  In this medieval tale she lets the characters tell the story, each in his or her own chapters, intertwining it all in a captivating yarn.

Maud reaches her sister's bedside in time to find the newborn Isabel a wet nurse.  Isabel's mother does not recover; but the child is safe for now, out of the reach of her cold-hearted father.

Young Alice grieves for her father who has been lost at sea.  When news of this tragedy comes to Alice, her sister Marianne, and their mother, they lose all they have. They must find their way in the world as paupers.

The peasant woman, Beatrice, served as wet nurse for Prince Julian, but he's had to return to the castle.  God sends little Isabel to fill the hole he left behind.  Thankfully the young lad still comes to visit. Julian and Isabel grow up as best friends, guided and shaped by Beatrice and her family.

Behind all these story lines is the long lasting war between Morinmoor and Brutanna, a short lived truce, and a prophecy of the Worthy Night who God will send to bring a more lasting peace between these two lands. 

Ms. Stanley's characters live.  Her setting is well drawn and historically consistent. 

Underlying themes include fidelity, honesty, and contentment. Her characters must come to terms with the idea of true happiness as opposed to high social standing.  She shows some characters embracing good choices and growing and thriving; and others who choose to hang on to grief, pride, and bitterness and therefore continue in unhappiness.

I also appreciate that Ms Stanley did not portray the religiosity of the medieval characters in a patronizing way.  The characters the readers come to most love and admire are the ones who show what is probably a historically accurate faith in God and respect for the Church.  This is not a primary theme, but it comes through in little ways throughout the story.

The book would make a great read aloud for a wide number of ages and would appeal to both boys and girls.  For independent reading, I think an advanced third grader could easily read it.  I think it would appeal to girls more than boys for independent reading.  Because of the medieval setting, some words and topics might need explanation.

The Spellmans Strike Again

by Lisa Lutz

Thumbs Up.

I think the Spellman books by Lisa Lutz, would probably fall under the chic lit genre, but with a crossover into noir fiction. Whatever one would call them, I love them. The Spellmans Strike Again is the fourth in the series.

The main gist of the Spellman books is that the Spellmans are PIs. Yes, the entire family. The parents raised the kids within this family run business. But they are all so ensconced in subterfuge that as the kids grow up, none of them can stop treating each other as if their family is one big case to be investigated and solved.

As in the first books of the series, the protagonist, Isabel Spellman tells her story by way of log entries, lists, transcripts of recorded conversations, and other sundry writings. The entire collection is lighthearted and witty, as Isabel tries to figure out her bizarre life. I especially got a kick out of Isabel's descriptions of the mandatory-Sunday-night-family-dinners being titled after cheesy horror flicks.

Each book has a mystery to solve, usually either a case the family is working on or something tangential to a case. But there are multiple familial mysteries throughout, and all the wacky interpersonal issues that result from this strange kind of a home life.

Those readers already familiar with the Spellmans will notice a difference in tone in this book. All the known and loved characters seem to be figuring out their lives this time around. They are growing up and evolving. I sincerely hope all the tying up of lose ends Ms. Lutz did at the end of this book does not signal the end of the Spellmans. Although I found the characters' growth very satisfactory, I would be sad to have this be the end.

All in all a good, quick candy read.

Betrayal

by Patricia Finney

Thumbs Up.


Betrayal is the second in the Lady Grace Mysteries, a children's mystery series. A narrow audience is probably girls in grades 4-8, although an independent reader of any age or gender could enjoy it.

Lady Grace is the youngest member of the Court of Honor to Queen Elizabeth I. The books of the series are her daybook entries.

In this story, Lady Grace, with the help of court tumbler, Masou, saves the honor of Lady Sarah when Grace thinks Sir Francis Drake has abducted her.

Lady Grace is a spirited girl who gets into some situations not really becoming of a lady of the court. This results in many humorous anecdotes.