The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science is one of the funniest books I have ever, ever, ever read, for any age. I honestly laughed out loud at least once every time I sat down to read this book. The author plays with narrative voice to hilarious effect. Picture books break the fourth wall sometimes, like in a movie when an actor looks into the camera and talks directly to the audience. The narrator does that in this novel. It’s interesting that this funny technique, also surreptitiously explains things to kids, they might not otherwise know.
The author’s running commentary on the use of turret vs. small tower is a great example. In a similar, subtle way, many aspects of this book are funny but also encourage girls to embrace being smart, being curious, and studying science – if they want to. Brilliant! Happily, this is the first in a series.
Middle Grade Fiction pr7633517