Description

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In The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, just as recently orphaned fourteen-year-old Sophie is settling into her new life as a shop girl at the newly opened Sinclair's Department Store in London, a priceless object is stolen, a young man is attacked and Sophie is implicated in the crime. An absolute joy of a book combining mystery, adventure and friendship with a sumptuous Edwardian setting, transporting the reader to a world of heady glamour offset by a murky criminal underground. It's Nancy Drew with a PBS twist, and readers of all ages will adore the cast of exceptionally likeable characters.

Praise For…

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"As soon as I saw the cover of The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow with those lovely silhouettes in the windows, I jumped at the chance to read it. ... Think tea sandwiches, biscuits, crumpets, and buns, balls and parties with girls in corsets wearing flowery gowns, fancy hats and the posh finery of silver hat pins in the shape of a rose. An utterly delightful setting for a mystery."
-- Log Cabin Library

"The first entry in an entertaining new girl detective series..."
-- Kirkus Reviews

"A truly exciting novel that will appeal to lovers of historical fiction as well as adventure and detective stories. It may also entice readers who enjoy fashion history and city life."
-- School Library Journal

"… the setting and characters are just so enchanting and delicious…"
-- Semicolon

"Fast-paced, with a bit of an old-fashioned sensibility in the dialogue in keeping with their Edwardian time period, these will make excellent reads especially for younger girls who zip through books like a hot knife in butter. Advanced readers as young as 9 could enjoy these, as well as middle-graders and up who are looking for a mystery-adventure that's not overly-dark."
-- Orange Marmalade

"Sophie is a courageous heroine, and Lil and Billy are plucky, lovable sidekicks. The glamor of the fictional Sinclair's department store is beautifully presented, as are other setting details, bringing to life early 1900s London, when large department stores were new and exciting. … Recommended."
-- Historical Novel Review, Issue 79

"Readers will enjoy these intrepid heroes as they foil kidnappers, solve messages coded in ciphers, uncover police corruption, discover explosive devices, and devour iced buns, while attempting to bring the villainous Baron to justice."
-- The Storytellers, newsletter of The Children's Hour