Jacqueline Harvey. Alice-Miranda at the Palace (Alice-Miranda #11), Random House, 2 February 2015, 384pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780857982728.
Alice-Miranda at the Palace is the 11th book in this popular series about a perpetually positive seven-and-a-quarter-year-old girl. In this adventure, Alice-Miranda and her friends have been invited to stay at Evesbury Palace to celebrate Queen Georgiana’s silver jubilee, but there is a plot unfolding to bring down the royal family. Alice-Miranda, with some help from her friends and a butler (of course), uncovers the plot and saves the day.
Harvey’s writing is very entertaining and she’s not afraid to expose the foibles of adult behaviour as seen by children. The book moves along at a brisk pace, with potential suspects perpetually jumping out of bushes and cupboards or slinking around in corridors. The cast of characters is long (as are most of their names) but there is a list at the end of the book that helps put everyone in their rightful place. Overall, a fun book that follows a formula, in terms of uncovering and averting dastardly pots, but still manages to come up with surprises (and amusing names for the characters). Suitable for ages 9+.
Reviewed by Jane Carstens
