MMGM: Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano

The one type of movie or TV show my husband and I both love is a mystery,. We've enjoyed the Dorothy Sayer's Peter Wimsey series together. We’re also fans of the Monk TV show and the PBS Poirot series with David Suchet.

from imdb.com

.

So, I was extremely excited to read a new middle grade series that imagines Agatha Christie (neé Morton) as a 12 year old girl whose sidekick is Hercule Poirot.

If you like mysteries, especially historical mysteries (like the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series), you will enjoy Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano.

Synopsis (from Amazon):

A smart and charming middle-grade mystery series starring young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, inspired by the imagined life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot. For fans of Lemony Snicket and The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency.

Aggie Morton lives in a small town on the coast of England in 1902. Adventurous and imaginative but deeply shy, Aggie hasn't got much to do since the death of her beloved father . . . until the fateful day when she crosses paths with twelve-year-old Belgian immigrant Hector Perot and discovers a dead body on the floor of the Mermaid Dance Room! As the number of suspects grows and the murder threatens to tear the town apart, Aggie and her new friend will need every tool at their disposal -- including their insatiable curiosity, deductive skills and not a little help from their friends -- to solve the case before Aggie's beloved dance instructor is charged with a crime Aggie is sure she didn't commit.

Filled with mystery, adventure, an unforgettable heroine and several helpings of tea and sweets, The Body Under the Piano is the clever debut of a new series for middle-grade readers and Christie and Poirot fans everywhere, from a Governor General's Award--nominated author of historical fiction for children.

What I loved:

1.    Characters that acted like their time period.  While some characters in MG historicals read like time-traveling modern kids, Aggie’s understanding of the world fit with her era. Jocelyn even  added a note at the end of the book to explain that while the words used to tease Poirot might not be used today, they are historically accurate, and she included them to show how lonely he would’ve felt.

2.    A rich setting and lots of details: This is what you’d expect from a historical, but I loved the details about the Princess Pier, English tea parties, and Morton’s pet cemetery. You feel like you’re in turn-of-the-century England.

3.    A main character with a stellar imagination. Of course, I love a main character who wants to be a writer, but I especially loved how Aggie’s thoughts were portrayed in purple prose as she often imagined her life as scenes in a murder mystery. This technique brought a lot of humor. And it caused the adults to not take Aggie's sleuthing seriously, which is essential in MG mysteries!

4.    A very unique and authentic friendship. The friendship at the center of the novel was very interesting, because Aggie and Hercule couldn’t be more different: she is headstrong, messy, and a bit flighty, and he is neat, polite, and thoughtful. But I loved how they managed to work together, which is such a great message for kids (and adults).

5.    A great, twisty plot with a surprise reveal. Just like Christie’s books, you might think you have it all figured out and them—boom!—a new twist is revealed. Although the mystery left a few loose ends at the end, it was a very satisfying read.

And guess what? This is just the beginning. In September, the sequel is coming out: Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: Peril at Owl Park. With its British Christmas setting, this sounds just perfect for fall!

 For more Marvelous Monday Middle Grade posts, please check out Greg Pattridge's blog Always in the Middle.