School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-In this sequel to The Strictest School in the World (Kids Can, 2006), 14-year-old Emmaline and Princess Purnah have escaped from St. Grimelda's School for Young Ladies and are living in Yorkshire in the autumn of 1894 with batty but lovable Aunt Lucy. Princess Purnah is heir to the throne of Chiligrit, a tiny, savage, mountainous place in the middle of Asia. The girls, along with Rubberbones, the indestructible errand boy, spend their days with the lunatic Professor Bellbuckle, trying to fly, since Emmaline aspires to design a flying machine. But trouble awaits. A terrifying master criminal who works for the Russian secret police and whose face below his eyes is a white mass of scar tissue wants to kidnap the princess. With the help of Aunt Lucy, the professor, the butler Lal Singh, and Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars, the villainous schemes are foiled, but not before things go wrong-a lot. The gothic overtones and menacing situations are all goofy, over-the-top, and humorously handled. The author's voice slips in with sly, wry humor. Think Lemony Snicket meets Roald Dahl. Slavin's frequent pen-and-ink sketches add just the right touch of whimsy. Princess Purnah is particularly bloodthirsty (even with just a butter knife) and her lack of mastery of the English language and her own exclamations ("Glekk!" "Porok!") add to the fun. While many references are made to the previous novel, they are explained in context, allowing this book to stand alone.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Along with offering a leading candidate for Year's Best Title, this rousing sequel to The Strictest School in the World (2006) pits the wonderfully motley household of Mad Aunt Lucy Butterworth against not only the villainous girls'-school Headmistress from last time, but a new crew of thugs led by a sinister secret agent whose face has been blown off. Centered on exiled young Princess Purnah of Chiligrit, a small country strategically located on the borders of India, Tibet, Russia and Norway, the action consists almost entirely of sudden attacks, chases, kidnappings, escapes and rescues, with breaks for tea and cakes, as the characters move from the Yorkshire countryside to Victorian London. Given to stunningly bloodthirsty remarks ("In Chiligrit, stranglings is everyday-goings-on. Also other murderings, and kidnappings and daily thievings of sheep and goats. I miss it very much."), Purnah is just one of several memorable characters here, all coming to life both in the narrative and in Slavin's usually hilarious drawings. With help from Sherlock ("I thought you were imaginary!") Holmes himself and a variety of early aeronautical devices, the baddies ultimately get it in the neck--literally in one case, though not decisively enough to rule out more installments. Bring them on. (Fiction. 11-13) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
