Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School)
*Starred Review* Six months ago, Sophronia was a covert recruit in Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy (Etiquette & Espionage, 2013). Now she’s earning top marks in such areas as “tea and delusions” and “portion allotment, puddings, and preemptive poisonings.” While her etiquette—ahem—still needs work, her naturally curious and calculating mind is so adept at espionage that even the teachers are wary of her. So when the floating school journeys to London to witness a technological breakthrough—travel through the aetherosphere made possible by a new guidance valve—Sophronia suspects that this is more than just a field trip. While the other girls plan shopping trips and parties, Sophronia uncovers a conspiracy to control the patent and production of the valve, which every faction has a stake in. Carriger’s second steampunk adventure exceeds the first with its (slightly) more plot-driven story, but the fun, again, is in watching ever-practical Sophronia sneak and scheme her way into sometimes dangerous, sometimes riotously funny, situations—and even learn a few sobering lessons about consequences along the way. New characters, including a pesky lord enamored of Sophronia, round out an already quirky but lovable group of friends/collaborators. We repeat: This witty, lighthearted series is not to be missed.       HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The short nine-month span between first and second volumes says much about the publisher’s eagerness to capitalize on the heat. Fans won’t have a second to breathe. Grades 8-11. --Krista Hutley