The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls
by Judith Rossell; illus. by the author
Intermediate, Middle School    Dial    320 pp.
5/25    9798217002405    $18.99

Oppressed orphans, a boarding school, a 1920s setting, a determined heroine, and an exuberant mystery plot—we think we’ve seen it all before, but this entertaining romp has some surprises in store. The orphan school, far from being grim, is a utopian institution specializing in delicious food and a jolly and useful curriculum including safe-cracking, knot-tying, automotive repair, and the use of explosives. The whole enterprise is a secret front for training junior crime-fighters and spies, and the plot involves such disparate exploits as solving a mystery of stolen jewels, rescuing a kidnapped librarian, and capturing a monster. The text is jokey, dotted with inventive names and German translation exercises worthy of Edward Gorey (“there is a small fire inside your accordion”). The stunning realistic pencil illustrations play it mostly straight, though with the addition of steampunk-esque airships. Beautifully composed and precise, they celebrate light, shadow, and texture and provide a scaffolding of gravitas to the whole enterprise, while encouraging the reader to slow down and savor a vignette of a friendly pet rat or a double-page spread of a grand cityscape shining with rain. This Australian import is a pleasure on many fronts.

From the September/October 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.