Etiquette & Espionage

Carriger, G. (2013). Etiquette & espionage. New York: Little, Brown and Company. When the adventurous 14-year-old Sophronia Temminnick is sent to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality she is outraged. Her mother is tired of her antics and hopes that the school will teach Sophronia how to curtsy and be a proper lady, but she has no idea what really goes on at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s. Sophronia soon learns that not only will she be learning etiquette, but she will also be learning the fine art of espionage. Life at the academy becomes dangerous as Sophronia and her friends race to find a communication device that can save their school from the evil enemies that are threatening to destroy it. This science fiction novel can best be categorized in the subcategory of steampunk. Carriger develops the characters in a Victorian era with robots and machinery and adds a twist of supernatural by adding vampires and werewolves to the mix. If you want to continue following Sophronia on her adventures read the follow-up novel Curtsies & Conspiracies.