The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon

Three sisters living in a town that is dedicated to etiquette schools and Bichon Frise dogs.  Three sisters who don’t fit in with their adopted family where all the children are named Lavina, and their names are Gertrude, Eugenia and Dee-Dee.  Three sisters who have just been kicked out of the last etiquette school that would take them who receive a mysterious invitation in the form of a letter to a new school that none of them have heard of.

This is the story of the Porch sisters in The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science.  Millicent Quibb is an outcast in the town, a legend but not in a good way and a very eccentric teacher and principal.

The girls all love science and are very adept in their field of interest so when the town is threatened by a group of mad scientists, they must embrace what they know and love to save their town, before it is too late.

This book, written by Kate McKinnon, weird Barbie from the Barbie Movie, is an excellent example of how a celebrity can write a great story that will engage a reader. The book has been compared to Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket and while I understand the comparison it isn’t of that calibre, this is only the first book that needs to introduce the characters, set the scene and ensure that the reader wants to see where the sisters end up.  McKinnon does this brilliantly through the use of footnotes, diagrams and her characters.  Although the story at times seems to labour a point or miss an opportunity to move the story forward, I can see this being shared by readers. 

This is definitely a read alone book, as the reader needs to be able to follow the footnotes and diagrams without losing the flow of the text.  I would recommend this to students and children who are looking for something different but who like quirky stories with some monsters and madness thrown in.

Themes: Fantasty, Science Fiction, Humour, Family.

Mhairi Alcorn