4 stars
An engaging story that mixes adventure, mystery, history, and a hint of the fantastical.
This was a nice bit of historical fiction geared toward young readers. Larson admits to taking a lot of liberties with the story of the disappearance, but many elements are inspired by facts and the whole thing comes together in an exciting read. I loved Audie’s character and the other girls at Miss. Maisie’s, each with their own unique personality. I’m always on the lookout for female characters who don’t play by the rules so this was a perfect fit.
I listened to the audiobook, which was well-done. The narration was very engaging.
While this is a longer book, the story had a lot of twists and turns, blending suspense with history, setting the scene while also furthering the aspects of mystery and adventure that made the book so engaging.
I will say that while the cast is fairly diverse, I’m not sure how accurate the representations of race were for the time period. There are mentions of racism and being treated differently, but many of the characters seem to exist in the novel without much hinderance. Perhaps not a great representation of the race relations of the time period, but I can understand why it was treated this way. It kind of glosses over the issues of race for the ease of the story. This can be viewed as good or bad, but I did like that there was some diversity in the characters and the important roles they played in the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it kept me engaged, following different characters and seeing how they all fit together in the grand scheme.
So glad to learn there is a second book in the series. I really enjoyed joining Audie on her trip to Washington and instantly wanted more. Already have a hold out at the library for the next book.