Character Profile

Summary

A pair of mysteries set in a fantasy world where a young girl must clear her father of a murder charge and catch a corrupt politician, all with the help of an eye-patch-wearing boy. 

Stats

Genre: Midgrade (8-12 years) high fantasy mixed with mystery.

Series length: Two books

Violence: Moderate fantasy/mystery violence

Magic/Supernatural: High, though the magic is more treated like a science (e.g. chemistry) than true supernatural magic.  

Romance: ​Light

Christian/spiritual element: Subtle allegorical elements

Recommendation: Excellent for boys or girls who enjoy both mystery and fantasy books

To Purchase

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Opening Lines:

Propped on the flour-dusted stand, the Book of Common Magic looked as innocent as the ordinary cookbooks tucked behind it. Only the tremor in Isaveth's fingers as she turned the pages betrayed her apprehension. She'd never made spell-tablets all by herself before. Perhaps she should go to Aunt Sallume's and ask...

But then she'd have to pass the Kerchers' house again, and Isaveth didn't like that idea at all. Not their cottage was much worse than any of the others on Cabbage Street: There was nothing unusual about soot-stained brick, peeling paint, and a porch cluttered with old beer crates, even if the hole in the upstairs window did look like a fat spider sitting in its web. She'd been bold enough earlier that morning, with Mimmi clinging to her hand and Lilet scowling at her heels; she'd marched her sisters straight past the Kerchers' and around the corner to Aunt Sal's without a second thought. 

Only, the porch had been empty then, and now it wasn't. 

A Pocket Full of Murder
by R. J. Anderson

In the spell-powered city of Tarreton, the wealthy have all the magic they desire while the working class can barely afford a simple spell to heat their homes. Twelve-year-old Isaveth is poor, but she’s also brave, loyal, and zealous in the pursuit of justice—which is lucky, because her father has just been wrongfully arrested for murder.

Isaveth is determined to prove his innocence. Quiz, the eccentric, eyepatch-wearing street boy who befriends her, swears he can’t resist a good mystery. Together they set out to solve the magical murder of one of Tarreton’s most influential citizens and save Isaveth’s beloved Papa from execution. But is Quiz truly helping Isaveth out of friendship, or does he have hidden motives of his own?
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Review of A Pocket Full of Murder

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Opening Lines: 

Isaveth sat stiffly in the leather chair, hands clenched on the brim of her hat and heart pounding in her throat. The reception room was hot and smelled of baccy; a clump of snow melted off her boot and plopped onto the diamond-patterned carpet. She longed to take off her coat, but the wool was too damp to lay it on her lap, and she could see nowhere else to put it. 

​On the opposite wall, a brass plate trumpeted the name of the man Isaveth had come to see: J. J. WREGGET, PRESIDENT. 

A Little Taste of Poison
by R. J. Anderson

The city of Tarreton is powered by magic, from simple tablets that light lamps to advanced Sagery that can murder a man from afar. Isaveth has a talent for spell-making, but as a girl from a poor neighborhood she never dreamed she could study at the most exclusive magical school in the city. So when she’s offered a chance to attend, she eagerly accepts.

The school is wonderful, but old and new enemies confront Isaveth at every turn, and she begins to suspect her scholarship might be more of a trap than a gift. Even her secret meetings with Esmond, her best friend and partner in crime-solving, prove risky—especially once he hatches a plan to sneak her into the biggest society event of the season. It’s their last chance to catch the corrupt politician who once framed her father for murder. How can Isaveth refuse?

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