Wrapped

This book is crazy. Never have I ever read anything that combines nineteenth century England, ancient Egyptian artifacts (don't forget the mummies), and Napoleon Bonaparte. And I loved it!! 

Let's start with the main character, Agnes Wilcox. This girl is hardcore. She can speak ten languages. She listens in on secret meetings. She wanders the streets of London in the wee hours of the morning. And she reads Jane Austen! The minute she was quoting the oh so famous first line from Pride and Prejudice in Italian, Russian, and Greek, this girl was my homey. I LOVE smart female characters. They are, in my not-so-humble opinion, rather difficult to  come by. In addition, Agnes is saucy and rebellious and yet loving all at the same time. Plus, she has a great family, which is rare in Young Adult literature. I loved that.

The year is 1815, my friends. Napoleon Bonaparte has, shall we say, risen from the dead, and has escaped from exile on the island of Elba. In his lust to take over the world, Napoleon is after a most important artifact ... an artifact our young heroine is closely connected with.

Ah! I have you spooked, don't I? This book was SO much fun. And I am stoked to read more of Bradbury's novels. However, I did think at times that the writing could have been more eloquent. I found myself rereading sentences on more than a few occasions because the wording was a little unclear. There were also a few too many swear words than what I normally recommend. However, the book is so so so clean. I can't over emphasize this. It's a real gem, my friends. You won't want to miss it.

Appropriate for ages 15+