[Twelve Minutes to Midnight] [By: Edge, Christopher] [February, 2012]

Twelve Minutes to Midnight #1

by Christopher Edge

Excellent Book

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Fiction, Young Adult

Paperback

First published February 2, 2012

Reviews

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 STARS!

This could've been just as amazing as Wild Boy (another MG Victorian era Mystery-Adventure, which is also now one of my favorite books of all time.) but alas it was not. I was getting bored half of the time, I skimmed through some of it, and the mystery was extremely predictable. Though I enjoyed parts of this book, this one just wasn't for me. - Richard

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the beginning was great, particularly the idea of the mental patients predicting the future. My 10 year old and I enjoyed working out which 20th century event matched the prophesies. The story conclusion got a bit silly in my view, but the 10 year old loved it.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title and cover of this book caught my eye while cruising through the library today. While I normally don't read children's books, this one certainly caught my eye and I'm glad that I read it.

The plot of Twelve Minutes to Midnight is rather original. A young girl, Penelope, is a writer but she must keep it a secret as the story takes place during a day and age when female authors were rather uncommon and frowned upon. Not only is Penny a writer (and publisher), she also gets caught up in a mysterious investigation involving inmates of an asylum who are writing mysterious phrases at 12 minutes to midnight. Penny sets out to solve the mystery, with the help of a few of her friends.

While the storyline seems relatively predictable at first, I can guarantee you that there will still be some plot twists and that you will realize by the end, that the author thought the story out way more than seems apparent at the beginning. I definitely enjoyed this thriller for kids as it wasn't too intense and scary, yet it still held some good intrigue and edge-of-your-seat moments.

Edge writes in a style that meshes nicely with this type of story. He writes in a manner that is suspenseful, without being too scary or intimidating. His writing is also easy to read and understand. Another aspect that I liked about his writing style is that he doesn't hesitate to use a few words that kids might not be as familiar with, yet it was easy to tell within the context what the words meant.

I would definitely recommend this book to those with kids ages 9+ who are looking for a good mystery, especially one that is set in the past, yet still relates to the future. After reading this book, I might just have to check out the next book in the series.

[AlenGarou · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Primo numero della serie (e letto per ultimo perché sia mai), ho considerato 12 minuti a mezzanotte come una sorta di prequel per non sentirmi in colpa.
E a dire il vero ha funzionato.
Vedere come il tutto è iniziato e come i personaggi si sono assestati in un gruppetto scapestrato ma ben assortito è stato interessante, soprattutto nel considerare che tipo di primadonna è Monty.
Ma il mistero di questo romanzo è stato il vero protagonista.
Insomma, pazienti di un ospedale psichiatrico che a dodici minuti a mezzanotte iniziano a svarionare e a scrivere cose senza senso (ovvero eventi che accadranno nel futuro), un’enigmatica lady esperta di ragni esotici, un furto bislacco e i più grandi scrittori della nazione in pericolo.
Cosa può non funzionare?
Ebbene, le atmosfere.
Almeno per il mio punto di vista.
Un po’ come per La Cospirazione del Corvo, ho amato l’idea di base e come è stata sviluppata, ma a causa dei numerosi elementi moderni non sono riuscita a entrare del tutto nella vicenda. Perché sì, ero distratta dagli sprazzi del futuro (per noi passato) che continuavano a capitarmi sottomano.
Lo ritengo comunque un buon romanzo per ragazzi. Non eccelso per i lettori più maturi, ma ha uno stile scorrevole e una narrazione senza intoppi, quindi la lettura scorre che è un piacere. Tuttavia qualche dettaglio in più soprattutto sul finale non avrebbe guastato.
Nel complesso avevo acquistato questa trilogia perché attirata per le copertine e invece sono rimasta soddisfatta pure dalle trame.
Quindi non sarà un capolavoro, ma non dico mai di no ai Penny Dreadful.
E solo adesso ho realizzato perché la protagonista si chiama Penny.

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Penelope writes gripping horror stories for the Penny Dreadful under a penname in order to hide the fact that she's a thirteen-year-old girl (and the orphaned heiress to said magazine). She hires an actor to portray her alter ego, and the two of them are dragged into a mysterious case involving the patients at Bedlam hospital.

Lots of detail to set every scene, and a preponderance of adjectives. I finally decided it must be literary affectation, intended to emulate the style of the old penny dreadfuls, but it does bog down the story's pace. A historical setting that ignores historical strictures, and a girl genius who can run a business, write bestsellers, command grown men, inspire loyalty in street urchins, hold her own in verbal sparring with journalists, question the clinically insane, and make publishing deadlines without ever sitting down to write. Bah, humbug. I need more plausibility. Again, this is the sort of thing penny dreadfuls were famous for. But I think I'll skip along to Edge's contemporary books.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

At twelve minutes to midnight, the mental ward patients at Bedlam Hospital get up and scratch future writings on any surface they can find using a writing utensil or wearing the skin off fingers leaving blood scribblings. Penelope Tredwell, thirteen-year-old literary genius, owns The Penny Dreadful magazine where she writes macabre stories under the pen name of Montgomery Fitch. It would seem that women during the 1800's did not write this type of cheap fiction. Penelope is looking for her next sensational story when she gets embroiled in the Bedlam mystery that threatens her life. While I appreciate the author's attempt to mimic the penny dreadfuls of the past, it doesn't quite work. I was vested in the first half of the story but didn't enjoy the plot of the second part nearly as much.

The Victorian era had a publishing revolution as masses became more literate. The Pickwick Papers was an extremely successful serial that was published in monthly installments during the early 1800s. It launched the start of many published serials or "penny dreadfuls" with sensational plots and fanciful illustrations printed on cheap pulp paper. Costing only a penny, they were popular with the working classes and contained violent adventure and crime. Lots of blood in the pictures was good for business too. Penny "bloods" was their original name. Out of this history, author Christopher Edge tries to recreate the penny dreadful. He succeeds with the invention of a gothic, creepy setting in London, but he doesn't quite do enough with character development and plot. That said, it is still an entertaining read.

Penelope is very fixated on solving her mystery. To the point that we don't really get to know her. She "fumes" quite a bit over being overlooked as a teenager and writer. Young readers will probably identify with her on that point, but I never saw her in a sympathetic light. I didn't quite understand her backdrop and relationship with Alfie and Wigram, who obviously care for her. She's lost her parents and as she pursues the villain, she makes connections with her own situation but never digs deep enough into her past to satisfy my curiosity. The villain and journalist are one-dimensional remaining flat characters versus complex ones. Penelope is somewhat flat too and a reclusive hero.

The plot at first is interesting and I wondered how the heck the author was going to pull it all together. The idea is out there but then the penny dreadfuls were out there too so I could see the connection. Some was predictable but the second part was when I lost interest. Some of the plot turns happen with something conveniently happening that was fantastical. It seemed like the easy way out. Still the story is fun and students will like the action and being scared.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Not wonderful, not terrible, but still not great.
>The story started out OK, but got progressively more unbelievable as it went along.
>I found myself repeatedly and more and more frequently saying 'oh, please' as the book went along
>I found Edge repeatedly writing that Penelope was 'standing there fuming' throughout the book.

Overall, I could not warm-up to the protagonist, could not buy into many of the plot points, and thought that the ending was somewhat absurd. I am unsure if I would read other books in this series; first books often have bugs to be worked out. I would not actively look more up but might sign book 2 out from the library if I came across it while looking for a bit of brain candy...



Note: I gave this book a full review because this book was published by Albert Whitman and Company.

I used to give full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies, (GR Authors' Feedback) the big five publishers (Big Five Publishers). So, because of these new GR policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publishing efforts by only giving full reviews to books published by: publishing businesses outside the big five companies, indie publishers, and self-published authors. This book was published by one of these smaller publishing efforts so I have given it a full review.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the books on my 12 yr old son's list for his reading group and is also nominated for the Northern Ireland Book Awards. I'm not sure it will be his cup of tea given that it has elements of fantasy but I, personally, enjoyed it and found the whole concept of Bedlam patients predicting the future intriguing. Good writing, vivid descriptions and a feisty heroine in the shape of Penelope Treadwell.

[Liaba Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit childish and unbelievable at times, but nothing short of what can be called a great children's book. Definitely looking forward to read the sequel.

[Karen Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars as this is entertaining, but it does verge on the farcical at times (which may well be a feature of the kind of writing this is focusing on, but I think it'll be lost on younger readers).
Penelope Tredwell has taken on the mantle of publishing the magazine, The Penny Dreadful, after the death of her father. She has raised circulation through the compelling stories of Montgomery Filch. Only nobody could believe a young girl would be capable of such writing, so Penelope is forced to pay a jobbing actor to pretend to be the writer in a bid to boost publicity.
The two get caught up in a mystery at Bedlam, where the patients rise up out of their beds and start scribbling words at twelve minutes to midnight. The problem has been getting progressively worse, and it's evident that something odd is going on.
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and we are plunged into a crazy world.
Edge creates an authentic setting, and his style of writing is entertaining. I loved the range of vocabulary and literary skill evident here.

[Emilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was too cheesy for my taste (the old "stories have power"). I also felt like we didn't get to know the main characters enough (seriously, who is Alfie?), because the story was too rushed out.

Penelope is too perfect and too self reliant to be a thirteen year old girl. This book would have worked out better if she were a 20 year old lady instead. In many ways, Twelve minutes to midnight is too far fetched. At the beginning I thought I was about to read a gothic-mystery novel, but then the plot focused on the fantasy genre.

The writing was good, though. I was just disappointed at the ending. If you want a better novel with a similar vibe, you should read The Ruby in the smoke.

[Fatima Juarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would you like to live in a life with a lot of secrets to hide?
The book 12 minutes to midnight is a mystery, horror, and suspensful story.***Spoiler alert*** this book contains a lot of complex mysteries to be solved witch Penelope ( main charecter) finally solves during the entire book but it can be very challenging.This book to me can be very realistic so I considered it Realistic fiction or Science fiction (syfy). i considered them realistic fiction becouse maybe this could happen oneday Imean n you never know. I also considered it syfi becouse it contains some science but it really doesent seem real enough. I tought the book was OK., for the most part becouse the information the author told us sometimes it was to exagerating I also considered it realistic fiction becouse the charecter's can be real and the events that happen also seem real but in other words it is also very unrealistic.For example in the book it stated that with a specific poison from an unique spider you will have incredible dream visions. I really thought this to be very unreal not very realistic so in my opinión I consider this book syfy.
It takes place in london in 1899. The most and actual mystery begins in a mental hospital in Bedlam. Witch the main (charecter Pelelope)has to solve.Penelope is an 13 year old orphan who heiress london's best selling magazines containing incredible stories that she indeed wrote but she hides her identity as "Montgomery Flinch" a famouse author writting the stories but as more popularity comes she can barely keep up with her secret. She can beraly keep up with it becouse people are asking her too many questions.In the book it even told us one day penelope hade to stop a reporter asking her too many questions. But she first has to solve another mystery, one day she recieves a letter witch is from a doctor from a mental hospital in Bedlamm. When Penelope goes with a actor pretending to be "Montgomery Flich" the doctor tells them that many patience wakes up at exacly 12 minutes before midnight and write incredible, extrodinary stories Penelope has to figure out what and why they are doing that. She figures out that later in the story an assistant from the hospital (Mr.Bradburn) steals the stories the patience are writting. She later figures out that a wealthy lady Cambridge has been poisoning those patience from the hospital with spiders vennom and that also Mr. bradburn has been her acomplicent at the stealing of stories and poisoning the patiences. Penelope also figures out that lady cambridge wants those stories becouse they contain information of the future. (Witch lady Cambridges wants in order too have power and to rule of the worlds future.***spoiler alert ***Penelope gets caought spying on lady Cambridge and also gets poinosed she later gets rescued by her guard.But now theirs a compitition were authour have to write a good story in order to do that they have to go to a meeting there they see lady Cambride witch is supposed to be dead. She later tells them that the drinks they have been drinking have poison in them. But at the end all of the people are rescued by Penelope.At the end lady cambridge tries to kill Penelope but fails and kills her self. Overall the conflict of the story is penelope tying to solve why the patience are having incredible dreams. For example in one part of the book Penelope tries doing the impossible to find out why they are having those dreams but her friends try to stop her but she does it anyways.
The author builds tension and suspense with the magnificet word choises and incredible events that happen during the book. For example when the author starts to tell Penelope getting to hide from lady Cambridge he uses detailed words that is explain what is happening. You could really imagine what is happenning. The tittle relates to the book becouse it tells when the people start to dream 12 minutes before midnight. The main charecters motivation is solving the mystery becouse it is affecting her a lot. The author tone is very mysteriouse and complex becouse its telling an incredinble story. With lots of detailed words that explain wonderful events of the story.
I was surprised when Lady Cambridge was behind the mystery. I was surprised becouse she is like just a normal women but then now she is a cruel mean person. I liked the way the author explained the story with lots of real event and a great time of year. I also liked the way it describe the places and events becouse you could really see, imagine the story. My favorite part of the book was when everything was solved and everyone had a wonderful New Year. For example in the book it stated that "Dont worry, everything is over now." to me this means that not only the mystery has been solved everything is all better now.In my opinion I believe that the charecter felt relived to solve that big mystery.
I would rate this book 4 stars becouse it was very good but is not the best book ever. Also it dint show much more of the ending that I expected.I would recomend this book to who like reading myteries and to people who like books with really good explenation in them. Whould you like to live in a life with alot of mysteries to hide? I would not but would You? Also want to be the next Montogemery Flinch ?

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this book as I struggled to connect with the characters in a meaningful way. I also struggled with the spiders; it definitely isn't a good book for those with arachnophobia!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Penelope Tredwell uses a pen name to write scary tales that have elevated her father's magazine, Penny Dreadful, to new heights of popularity. Readers just can't get enough of those stories she weaves. In fact, a doctor at the local mental asylum begs her (or the man who is fronting for Penny) for assistance. It seems that several of his patients awaken each night and begin to write bizarre stories. Penny eventually figures out what's going on--readers will recognize early on that the writings are torn from the pages of the future--and goes up an unlikely foe. I enjoyed the first two thirds of this story with its courageous, inventive, and determined heroine, but the last third was disappointing to me. There were too many instances of someone seeming to be dead but then turning out not to be as well as too much inclusion of the famous writers of period London to be believed. I wish the author had stopped the book earlier since the resolution of all these dangling ends was ultimately disappointing. Penny surely had a great deal of freedom for someone her age living in 1899. The descriptions of Penny's descent into venom-induced madness were quite delightful, though.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally read books from the junior fiction section, but while browsing it caught my eye and I decided to give it a go.

Over all, it was an interesting and entertaining read that I know my twelve year old self would have absolutely idolised.

I adore that it's set in the late 19th century as well.

If this were not a junior book I would be very disgruntled at the lack of explanations for things. But seeing as how it is I'll let them slide.

I gave this a four as the ending was really quite whack and brought the rest of the story down.

Definitely worth it for a quick and easy ready.

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Man, was this book awful.
The author's style of writing is frankly obnoxious, with low originality and many repeated phrases and words. ("Penelope stood there, fuming." SHE DID THIS AT LEAST ONCE PER CHAPTER) The plot starts off semi-promising but then becomes steadily more ridiculous and unbelievable. If I were you, and you were thinking of reading this book, I would advise you to REALLY NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.
One star!

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a tribute to the Penny Dreadfuls it honors.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fabulous story but the writing felt a but clunky to me. I am convinced if I was the target audience I would have loved it. Interested to see what my children think as I imagine they will adore it.

[Polina · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️.75

[Asha - A Cat, A Book, And A Cup Of Tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taking as its subject and inspiration the Victorian penny dreadful, Twelve Minutes to Midnight is unlike any middle grade I've read before!

Penny Tredwell is the owner and author of The Penny Dreadful, a successful magazine in Victorian London - but she's also a thirteen year old girl, which poses some problems. She hires an actor to bring her pseudonym, Montgomery Flinch, to life, but soon the two of them become wrapped up in a deadly mystery that will take all Penny's investigative talents to solve.

I'm happy to overlook the farfetched plot as part of the genre - visions of the future induced by spider bite is pretty ludicrous, but perfect for the dramatic Gothic feel of the book - but I personally disliked the inclusion of direct references to the modern day. The only other book I have read by this author, The Longest Night of Charlie Noon, also plays with time and timelines as a plot point, but I felt that it did it in a more subtle and intricate way, whereas direct mention of 9/11 and Buzz Aldrin felt a little gimmicky, and threw me out of the immersion of the story. I also would have liked a note somewhere in the book that talked about Bedlam and its history, because I was uncomfortable with the way it was sensationalised as being full of cackling insane people, rather than the sad reality of many of the inmates. In a time where mental illness is becoming more and more talked about, it would have been nice to see a nod to the damaging stereotype of the 'lunatic asylum'.

I did really like Penelope, who is a plucky, intelligent, and resourceful heroine. Her struggles with being overlooked because of her age and gender will resonate with many readers, I think, and the author doesn't have her shy away from the darker side of the dangers she faces, which is excellent for kids who have a taste for the spooky. I think this is probably one for the older end of middle grade, and Penelope reflects that. We don't get an awful lot of insight into the other characters, with the villain in particular being a bit of a caricature with no clear motivation, but Penny's doggedness keeps the story focused on the plot.

For me, I think this is a 3.5 cat read - I enjoyed it, but I had some issues, and I think it's rather niche. A lot of the things I enjoyed hinged on my having knowledge of the penny dreadful genre, and I don't know how many middle grade kids will get the references in the language and plot. Those who are looking for something spooky but not horror in this age bracket, though, will find a very interesting read!

[Rebekah · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 12%
Why, oh why did the author choose his target audience to be children?! There's this part in the story where a doctor is about to show another man around Bedlam and show him what's been disturbing him, but the mc who is a child tags along, and the doctor is horrified at the idea of exposing a child to such awfulness. But the man assures him that she has 'an enlightened mind and a strong constitution', and so it's fine to show her horrid stuff... I personally feel the same horror of this doctor that Edge has chosen to write this story for children, and the most recent cover makes it look like a harmless mystery or adventure. See my content warnings below.

I like Edge's writing, but I have a big problem with horror being written for children, particularly with references to Bedlam and its abused and mentally ill patients.

I didn't bother continuing, and maybe Edge showed some restraint. But I know that I would have found the content troubling as a child. Even just the thought of mentally unwell people in distress locked away in Bedlam with no family or friends to care for them would have been distressing to hear about.

I would caution parents about letting your kids read this. Even if they're 'fine' with content like this, I wouldn't say it's good for them or wholesome. 

CW:
- Lang- what in the blazes, why on earth, Lord knows
-horror stories, including dragging dead bodies across a moor, blood dripping from fingers...
-delight in people's misery and mental illness being a 'good source' of writing inspiration. The young girl looks forward to setting her next story in Bedlam with its ghostly wails. But those wails are coming from the patients, so it's really poor taste, though typical of how people viewed those people, and Bedlam was beyond awful, so a horror story would be accurate. But it was the main character looking forward to it that was particularly disturbing.
- reference to hearing the low moans of the patients, and 'deranged inmates kept in chains', people in catatonic trances writing on walls all at the same time even to the point of bloodied fingers, patients unaware of what they have done, most troubled patients kept in the basement
- speculation that the current strain of madness going through Bedlam is demonic

[Mark Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

My name is Penelope Tredwell, and no one knows I've been running a best-selling magazine called The Penny Dreadful. People love the chilling stories I've written, but they're very curious about the reclusive author. I decided to hire an actor named Monty to fool them, but a reporter has been dogging me for information. Now, the local mental hospital has patients all waking up at the same time every night, writing strange messages about things called MTV, an unsinkable ocean liner going down in the Atlantic, and "The eagle has landed". Monty's love for drinking makes him less than helpful, but his presence allowed me to get inside the hospital. I don't understand how a rough-looking orderly, a mysterious heiress, and spiders might be involved, but I'm getting close. Maybe too close.

The second half of the book was better than the first. The problem of patients waking up with cryptic messages about the future was very interesting, but the first half of the plot was predictable. There were only a couple of suspects, so the focus of the investigation was limited. The problem seemed to be solved around the book's midpoint, but that's when things became more compelling. The issues in the hospital were resolved, but the cause was not. Penelope's young age handcuffed her ability to collect evidence, so the plot moved along slowly with expected events. However, things picked up once she ignored the limits her age presented. Spiders were quite important to the plot, so be warned if they make you squeamish. The most intriguing part of the book was the use of poison-induced dreams, and the way the author used them as a tool or weapon. How does a person stop a mass psychosis? Overall, the book offered an interesting mystery with a unique heroine. Trying to remain anonymous created a compelling subplot. It might be worth your while to give the book a shot.

[Snarhooked · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of an odd book but I quite liked it for that. From looking at other reviews I think it was written in a style to emulate the original Penny Dreadfuls. I'm not familiar with them so missed that and I imagine most of the intended audience will as well. Despite that I found that I was drawn in to the story and wanted to figure out what was going on. The original resolution seemed to come early considering the number of pages remaining so I realised there must be some other reveal coming. I'm still a bit confused about how exactly the problems were resolved and that has stopped me from rating this more highly.

I did find myself looking at the cover a couple of times and wondering what the relevance of all the items was but they did all come into play. The mention of the famous authors would be enhanced with an author's note explaining who they all were. Perhaps recommending some of their works that readers might enjoy. Otherwise I think some readers might not realise that they are real authors.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you have a child that is a bit too young for Sherlock Holmes and Cthulhu, but you want to give them a flavor of the macabre and the mysterious? If this applies, this book is for you! What begins as a seemingly dark, twisted madness in an asylum becomes an interesting enough mystery that plays with predictions of the future. There are undertones of classism and historical gender bias that add credence to the tale, as does the name checking allusions to Doyle, Haggard, and other English mystery and adventure writers of the time. As such, at the right age, this book might propel a young reader into a broader literary world. As is, the older reader, such as myself, can delight a bit in the atmosphere and in the wily, resourceful protagonist as she uses her wits, daring, and creativity to solve this young reader who-done-it.

[Makinu Nisshoku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pas très attirée par le genre policier, les romans jeunesse ou de SF sont pour moi le meilleur moyen de me laisser embarquer par ce genre.

Sceptique dans les premiers temps, l'histoire prend rapidement de l'ampleur pour arriver au point de non retour. Alors que l'affaire est apparemment résolue, il n'en est finalement rien et le pire reste à venir.

Si j'ai apprécié la simplicité de l'histoire et de l'écriture, qui nous plonge bien dans l'ambiance du 1899, certains clichés du genre et "hasard" sont un peu trop facile et servent uniquement la conclusion rapide du roman (qui a apparemment une suite, donc ces problèmes auraient pu suivre l'héroïne...).

En somme il s'agit d'un bon roman jeunesse policier-fantastique avec un récit aux détails originaux bien que la trame soit cliché/attendue.

[Mitt3ns · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT!

YOU NEED TO READ THIS. That is an understatement to say that i liked this book. To be honest the language choices and description used in the book was very confusing and it was very hard to grasp what was going on until around chapter 10 or so. But asides from that... The plot was amazing and really, I was really surprised on how unique it was, about the spider and the mental patients being able to see a future that actually exists today such as ww2 and the 9/11 accident. I kept looking back at the cover and it suddenly started to add up and make sense. I would definitely recommend if you don't want to see repeated tropes and something new. Also, I loved the plot twists!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was about 10 years old and I absolutely loved it! I think the plot is just incredible and is well worth a read for children who love themes of mystery and independence.

It really gave me confidence and made me feel very sophisticated at the time because of the relatable young girl protagonist, and I wouldn't be surprised if this book was one of the first novels that inspired my thirst for reading as a teenager!
I still remember little scenes even now and felt very nostalgic when I skimmed back through it the other day.

[Julz Laskazeski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The story was very intriguing and suspenseful. I wished this story could of gone on for abit longer. I loved Penelope and alfie together wish i got more of them. And abit more on pennys parents. But loved she had taken over her dads magazine. I would love to be able to get it. And the premise of the story with the spiders and wot was happening so good. If kids want a story that is myestery you need to read this. So good and you meet some awesome literary heroes. Looking foraard to the next one.

[Mary Aris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penelope Tredwell is a thirteen-year-old author of The Penny Dreadful, one of London's popular newspapers.



In her Victorian newspaper, she publishes tales of the macabre under the pseudonym of Montgomery Finch.



When a mysterious letter arrives from the governor of Bedlam, London's notorious insane asylum, Penelope plunges along with her sidekick, Montgomery Finch, into a dangerous mystery to be solved.



I loved this book because it is set in the background of Victorian England. It has aspects of a gothic novel and dark academia vibes.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this YA book as a recommendation in a list of books that would be good for a book club after my book club had hated Girl Woman Other (no punctuation). I thought it was well written and plotted - there were some twists and turns that kept me interested. Like the idea of young Penelope being the author of the Penny Dreadfuls. Ultimately not as satisfying as some YA fiction I have read.