The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone

Gr 4–6—For 10 years, Bronte Mettlestone has led a perfectly happy life under the care of her Aunt Isabella and her butler while her parents, whom Bronte has never met, have been off on fabulous adventures. Until, that is, the day a telegram arrives announcing their untimely death at the hands of marauding pirates. In their will, Bronte's parents leave her a highly detailed set of instructions, sending her on a rollicking journey by herself across the Empires and Kingdoms to deliver very specific gifts to her father's 10 other sisters at very specific times. What's worse, the will has been enforced with faery cross-stitch, meaning Bronte must follow the instructions to the letter or risk her hometown of Gainsleigh being destroyed. As Bronte sets off, savvy readers will suspect that there may be more going on than she realizes. Along with a litany of (mostly) delightful aunts, Bronte encounters everything from water sprites to dragons to dark mages, culminating in revelations about her true family history. Bronte's world and the people inhabiting it sport a charming anachronism and poignant insight that are sure to delight fans of fantasy adventures like Catherynne Valente's The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and Trenton Stewart's The Mysterious Benedict Society, while the story's clipping pace and well-constructed mysteries, which will leave readers guessing until the very end, make this an excellent recommendation for any fantasy fan.