This is one of those books I picked up, and put down, over and over again at the library. The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry – the title both thrilled and scared me. I finally decided to listen to it – how scandalous can a middle grade book be really?
Rather scandalous, actually. And yet delicious too. The seven girls in this English boarding school are rather alone in the world. Yet they all get along fairly well, despite their awful headmistress Mrs. Plackett and her equally awful brother, Mr. Godding.
Then suddenly, they both fall over dead at the dinner table one Sunday. The girls are shocked. Where they poisoned? Who would want to kill the siblings? And why? Despite all their questions, they take immediate action. After all, who wants to go home? No one. That’s who.
Their predicament gets all the more interesting as neighbors come to call, including the doctor. Oh, it’s delightful reading – how will the girls get out of this mess?
I think the thing I love most about this book is that in the end, the girls realize they made some really bad decisions. They are sorry for what they have done. They are punished, shown mercy, and (spoiler alert!) the sisterhood is unbroken. But you knew that already, didn’t you?
Jayne Entwistle narrates the audio book, and is she a delight! I thoroughly enjoyed her depiction of each of the girls and other main characters in the book.
Highly recommended for ages 10 and up.
Cultivating Readers 