MMGM: Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen

 

I was immediately drawn to Daring Darleen because of the film connection. What’s not to like about a story with a child protagonist in the silent film industry? It wasn’t till I brought the book home that I realized another reason to pick up this book—it’s written by the amazing Anne Nesbet, who wrote Cloud and Wallfish, another MG historical I loved. It also got raves from fellow MMGM blogger, Patricia Tilton.

If you like smart writing, interesting, well-drawn characters, and on the edge of your seats action, you will love Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen!

Synopsis (from Amazon):

When a publicity stunt goes terribly wrong, twelve-year-old Darleen Darling, star of the silent film era, must defeat villains both on screen and off in this edge-of-your-seat adventure.

Lights! Camera! Kidnapping?


It’s 1914, and Darleen Darling’s film adventures collide with reality when a fake kidnapping set up by her studio becomes all too real. Suddenly Darleen finds herself in the hands of dastardly criminals who have just nabbed Miss Victorine Berryman, the poor-little-rich-girl heiress of one of America’s largest fortunes. Soon real life starts to seem like a bona fide adventure serial, complete with dramatic escapes, murderous plots, and a runaway air balloon. Will Darleen and Victorine be able to engineer their own happily-ever-after, or will the villains be victorious?

What to love:

1.Darleen and her papa: Darleen and her papa's relationship was touching and heartfelt, especially considering the backstory of her mother's death. Her affection and desire to stay safe for him was really relatable.

2. A lovely friendship between the two girls: This was MG friendship at its best. Both girls drew out and encouraged each other’s strengths, even though they were vastly different. Can I just say I was happy to see a rich girl not portrayed as an evil villain? All the characters, even minor ones, were given a lot of depth.

3. High stakes: From page one, when Darleen almost falls off a cliff, to the kidnapping, to other events, I was on the edge of my seat worried for these characters. While Nesbet has a very literary way of writing, it was refreshing to read a book with strong writing AND a great plot.

4. Beautiful writing: Nesbet has a sense of building a motif  throughout the novel. With her word choices and figurative language, I always felt in the world of silent film. This is one to study if you’re working on creating a mood.

5. Historical tie-ins: I liked how Nesbet included a real historical female pioneer of film as one of the characters and gave a detailed author’s note at the end. It makes me feel like I’m in good hands knowing the author teaches film history at the university level.

This book reminded me of the fabulous The Artist, a 2012 Oscar-winning film about the silent film industry.

Have you reading Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen? What silent films have you enjoyed?

For more MMGM reads, please check out Greg Pattridge's Always in the Middle!