What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley

Celebrate, go ahead. Grab a copy of the newest Flavia deLuce book, find a corner and settle in for a treat.

Flavia is a smart, savvy, independent thinking young girl (when we are introduced to her in the first book, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, she is eleven years old. ) She is a child, she is a girl, she is smart, she is independent and Alan Bradley celebrates all of that. God bless him.

I celebrate her. As we read these stories we can only compare Flavia’s early 1950s childhood with the life our children lead now. We could read of Flavia’s adventures and think they just can’t be real, that children just don’t have this kind of life. Well, no, not anymore but I certainly had the freedom to hop on my bicycle and leave home and think for myself during the day. I didn’t solve murder mysteries, but I solved my own daily dilemas.

We devoured Nancy Drew books when we were young, when we were just barely older than Flavia’s 11 years. We knew we couldn’t do what she did, with her freedom in her sporty roadster, but we believed we could when we read those books. I can’t remember parents being ‘concerned’ that their child was reading a mystery book and discouraging us from doing so. Nancy was our ‘smart girl.’ She inspired us.

And now, we have Flavia. Dear smart, clever, independent, book loving, science infused Flavia. Flavia’s expertise is chemistry. The girl is a wonder, more at home in her uncle’s antiquated laboratory than anywhere else. The murders she solves are crimes of poison. And this new book is no exception.

Flavia is excited by this murder, so to speak, because the culprit is a poison mushroom. She has always wanted to solve a poison mushroom mystery and this one is particularly important because Mrs. Mullet, the long time family cook, is accused of killing Major Greyleigh, the local former hangman, who died after eating poisoned mushrooms for breakfast, a breakfast which Mrs. Mullet cooked for him. It’s not looking good for Mrs. Mullet. Flavia knows for certain Mrs. Mullet would never be capable of killing anyone but circumstantial evidence points directly to her. Flavia is off and running to clear the family cook’s name. Flavia’s mode of transportation isn’t a sportscar, it’s her bicycle, Gladys.

Flavia is used to working alone, for the most part. Dogger, a close confidant of her late father is now the adult in her life, but she is also now learning to deal with her cousin, Undine, who now lives with Flavia and her sisters. Flavia is used to her freedom and not used to having Undine pop up here and there but Undine is showing promise so is tolerated.

I celebrate Flavia for many reasons. The books are great fun, mysteries of a different genre. Flavia is a young girl. We need to be celebrating smart young girls in adult situations as role models for our young girls. We should be handing these books to every early teen girl we know urging parents to do the same. But the books are shelved in the adult sections of bookstores and libraries, there is no cross shelving where they might catch the eye of anyone looking for a good read starring smart girls. We all read Nancy Drew but who does now? We need to celebrate and encourage Flavia deLuce to our girls. We need to celebrate smart. And while you are at it, just plain enjoy her for yourself.

The Grave's a fine and Private Place

The Grave's  a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley

     I think we are missing the point on Flavia DeLuce.  I recently read an article in the Jan./Feb. 2018 issue of Smithsonian magazine titled Girl Power. The article itself featured Madeline L'Engle and the impact A Wrinkle in Time had on giving girls the power. She is quoted as saying, "I'm a female, why would I give all the best ideas to a male?" The article highlighted in a side bar a list of heroines. Rebels with a cause.  Girls who are brave and smart and rule breakers and, oh yeah, children.  Among others, there is Laura Ingalls, Jo March, Ramona Quimby, Scout Finch, Cassie Logan, Experanza Cordero, Hermione Granger, Liesel Meminger, Harriet Welsch, Nancy Drew.  As I read the article my brain kept screaming, “Don’t forget Flavia!”  She’s smart, spunky, brave, certainly breaks the rules and twelve years old (in this book.)  Not even a teenager yet.

     So, why aren’t these Flavia DeLuce books marketed to children like the others? I don’t know.  I’m glad adults are being treated to these books because maybe we will read about Flavia and then steer our girls to be more like her.  Not afraid of but embracing science, giving them freedom to use their brains to figure things out on their own.  And while Flavia finds herself in the middle of murders to solve, solve them she does with a freedom of movement that is lost on our children.  I used to be able to hop on my bike and be gone all day with not a care in the world, but our children aren’t and never will again. We are convinced there is a boogey man on every corner and so have clipped our girls’ wings.

      In this book Flavia and her sisters are set adrift after a family tragedy.  With all good intentions, Dogger, the family servant takes the girls on a boating outing and as they travel past a church where the Vicar has been hung for the deaths by poison (Flavia’s specialty) of three parishioners,  Flavia’s fingers dangling in the water bring up a body.  That’s all she needs.  Flavia is on to this and as in the past we are carried along with her thought process and we can only cheer her on and applaud at the end.

     But like I said, I think we are missing the point on Flavia DeLuce.  There is absolutely NO reason not to let your girls read about this smart, spunky, brave young girl.  If we loved Nancy Drew, let your girls love Flavia.  Please.