The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Reviewed by JenniferRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Winner of The Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award
Ratings Explanation
Language: Several (about 15) swear words.
Violence: Flavia discovers a dead body in her cucumber patch. A man grabs a girl from behind and puts his hand over her mouth. A character is kidnapped, bound hand and foot, and gagged. As the mystery is solved there is a short description of how it occurred. Another murder long ago is discovered and it is also briefly described.
Adult Themes: Flavia lies frequently. There is family strife between her and her sisters. Flavia’s mother died when she was an infant. She has no memories of her mother and sometimes suffers because she feels little love in her family.
Synopsis
Upon finding a murdered stranger in her cucumber patch, Flavia de Luce commets, “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”
So begins the mystery that 11-year old Flavia is determined to solve. A budding scientist and an expert on poisons, Flavia is unafraid and adept at ferreting out clues and suspects in this murder mystery full of twists and turns. Young and old alike will adore and respect spunky Flavia who is clever beyond her years.
I do love a good mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Although not classified as “youth” literature, 11-year-old Flavia will appeal to young readers. This is the first in new series and I am already looking forward to the next book.
©2009 The Literate Mother