The Midnight Dress

This book was not for me. It hasn't been widely read, as far as I can tell, but those that did read it seem to have loved it. I'm not quite sure why. The writing is excellent and the setting is well done but I just found the plot boring. Sewing, catty girls, boring ancestry, yadda yadda yawn. I really didn't even care about the investigation and found the present-day vignettes about the detective to be slightly out of place somehow even though they were necessary to the progression of the final reveal. I solved the mystery pretty easily so the reveal fell flat for me.

I began reading this before the award announcements thinking this one might get a Printz honor but I have to say I'm not sorry to see it missing from that list. I heard Foxlee has a new children's book out in 2014. I might check it out because I do think she is a good writer; I just don't think this is great book.