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The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone
(Kingdoms and Empires #1)
by
I was ten years old when my parents were killed by pirates. This did not bother me as much as you might think - I hardly knew my parents.
Bronte Mettlestone's parents ran away to have adventures when she was a baby, leaving her to be raised by her Aunt Isabelle and the Butler. She's had a perfectly pleasant childhood of afternoon teas and riding lessons - and no adventures, ...more
Bronte Mettlestone's parents ran away to have adventures when she was a baby, leaving her to be raised by her Aunt Isabelle and the Butler. She's had a perfectly pleasant childhood of afternoon teas and riding lessons - and no adventures, ...more
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Start your review of The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone (Kingdoms & Empires, #1)
I was ten years old when my parents were killed by pirates.
Well, you had me at pirates, but lost me with the rest of the book.
Newly orphaned Bronte, who has been living with her aunt since infancy, has been sent on an adventure at the behest of her newly deceased parents' will: she is to visit her other ten aunts, spend varying amounts of time with them, and give them each a pre-selected gift before she takes her leave. The instructions are oddly specific, right down to what foods Bronte is to e ...more
Well, you had me at pirates, but lost me with the rest of the book.
Newly orphaned Bronte, who has been living with her aunt since infancy, has been sent on an adventure at the behest of her newly deceased parents' will: she is to visit her other ten aunts, spend varying amounts of time with them, and give them each a pre-selected gift before she takes her leave. The instructions are oddly specific, right down to what foods Bronte is to e ...more
This was so good omg!!😭😭😭
Ahh, perfectly charming, whimsical, funny and wholly original with some wicked and wild unexpected twists. This book was such a delight to spend time with and so creatively realised. The characters endeared themselves to me and I loved every minute spent with them. It was a whole lot of adventure and fun, but also with some tender and heart-wrenching tear-jerker moments. Recommended for everyone, and especially all the young people in your lives (grade 3 up) and the young at heart :)
Ten year old Bronte Mettlestone is embarking on a wondrous adventure, adhering to her late parents legacy despite the concerns of Isabelle, her Aunt and guardian. Patrick and Lida Mettlestone were adventurers, abandoning their only child with Isabelle then captured by pirates. The news of their demise delivered during afternoon tea. To receive her inheritance, Bronte is to travel the kingdom and empires to deliver keepsakes to ten of her father's sisters, adhering to the specific instructions pr
...more
Rather adorable story in the vein of things like the Series of Unfortunate Events or even a less creepy Coraline. At first it was a bit too weird and madcap for me, but I loved many of the aunts and Bronte's adventures, and the resolution was very satisfying. Bronte is a very real character, and so are the other children she interacts with. Many of the adults come off as a bit too cartoonish, and one aunt in particular stressed me out by being so oblivious and self-centered as to become an actua
...more
4.5 STARS
I don't have time to write an adequate review but I hope a few words are better than nothing because I truly enjoyed tagging along on Bronte's extremely inconvenient adventures. The writing style just clicked for me from page one and I knew the book and I would get on swimmingly. Still, I've ready plenty of novels where I enjoy the writing style yet find one or two (or several) annoying aspects popping up in the realm of character development or plot. Not so here. In fact, it's the sor ...more
I don't have time to write an adequate review but I hope a few words are better than nothing because I truly enjoyed tagging along on Bronte's extremely inconvenient adventures. The writing style just clicked for me from page one and I knew the book and I would get on swimmingly. Still, I've ready plenty of novels where I enjoy the writing style yet find one or two (or several) annoying aspects popping up in the realm of character development or plot. Not so here. In fact, it's the sor ...more
Initially, I found myself somewhat disappointed. I love Jaclyn Moriarty. (Upon review, I love 3 of her books. Then I felt meh about one, read another, and never finished The Ghosts of Ashbury High.)
Anyway, I usually like her YA novels. But this feels very juvenile fiction. Precocious heroine, odd adventure, cast of caricature characters. You know the type.
I struggled a bit to get into the beginning, but once the story starts going properly, it seriously tugged on my heart strings.
The story de ...more
Anyway, I usually like her YA novels. But this feels very juvenile fiction. Precocious heroine, odd adventure, cast of caricature characters. You know the type.
I struggled a bit to get into the beginning, but once the story starts going properly, it seriously tugged on my heart strings.
The story de ...more
Update: finishing Stolen Prince of Cloudburst sent me back to Bronte for a quick flick. Naturally I reread the whole thing.
I stayed up very late to finish because I could not put the book down. It's addictive, deceptively sweet, and entirely satisfying. ...more
I stayed up very late to finish because I could not put the book down. It's addictive, deceptively sweet, and entirely satisfying. ...more
I love Jaclyn's creative storytelling and this book was no exception. The narrative sometimes gets a bit silly and this one bogged down a bit in the middle of Bronte's adventures visiting all her aunts, but for a ten year old she gets into a whole lot of magical adventures.
Fun and a nice break from the grown up serious books. Thanks Jaclyn.
I was honoured to meet you and your sisters a few years ago at the Kirribili Club and I continue to enjoy you and your sisters' writing. ...more
Fun and a nice break from the grown up serious books. Thanks Jaclyn.
I was honoured to meet you and your sisters a few years ago at the Kirribili Club and I continue to enjoy you and your sisters' writing. ...more
Oct 13, 2020
Jasmine
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-grade,
allen-and-unwin
Super adorable road-trip middle grade, would be absolutely fantastic to read aloud.
I did find it kinda political that we met more than 20 adult characters in various careers, cultures, and areas, their romantic lives are several times a plot point, and absolutely none of them were confirmed to be anything other than straight, but oh well, books sometimes have blind spots.
I did find it kinda political that we met more than 20 adult characters in various careers, cultures, and areas, their romantic lives are several times a plot point, and absolutely none of them were confirmed to be anything other than straight, but oh well, books sometimes have blind spots.
More books in the Beat the Autumn Blues list can be found here.
Gosh was this one a cookie! At first it might have been a little bit harder to get into because of the unusual tone, but after I did? I absolutely loved it. This book has so many good things in it – and I just don't know where to start. First of all, it has kickass women characters. Starting with Bronte herself – a girl that I'm incredibly proud of, despite her being a fictional character! She's serious for a ten year old, an ...more
Gosh was this one a cookie! At first it might have been a little bit harder to get into because of the unusual tone, but after I did? I absolutely loved it. This book has so many good things in it – and I just don't know where to start. First of all, it has kickass women characters. Starting with Bronte herself – a girl that I'm incredibly proud of, despite her being a fictional character! She's serious for a ten year old, an ...more
Delightful! This would be a super read aloud for a class or bedtime. It has everything...pirates, elves, magic, a quest, kooky characters, heart, and (my personal favorite) dragons. I am looking forward to the next book!
I started reading this book on paper but struggled to get into it. After 50 pages, I switched to the audiobook version. The narrator was wonderful and matched the quirkiness of the story. This was a book club pick, but I'm not sure if I would have persevered in reading it if not for that. I ended up liking the story, though I'm not interested enough to read the rest of the series. My main critique is that the author seemed to recognize that middle grade audiences often love quirky stories, and o
...more
Jan 02, 2021
Jadey (the Bookish)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
cover-love,
books-i-own,
sadness,
read-in-2021,
magical-girls,
fantasy,
fae,
middle-grade,
set-on-sea
A charming middlegrade absolutely chock full of adventure and aunts. Bronte is an extremely polite protagonist with a strong will, and so how she reacted to events made me chuckle on more than one occasion.
This read like a serialised story to me, with each visit to an aunt starting a new plotline. Whilst each individual adventure was charming, the pacing felt a bit off with me as I did get bored quite a lot. I think this could have done with editing down a bit. (Goodreads says this is 400 pages ...more
This read like a serialised story to me, with each visit to an aunt starting a new plotline. Whilst each individual adventure was charming, the pacing felt a bit off with me as I did get bored quite a lot. I think this could have done with editing down a bit. (Goodreads says this is 400 pages ...more
I missed reading this book last year. It sat on the bookshelf since it was published. Brilliant read everything you want in a great magical fantasy story. The book cover is also stunning illustrated by Karl James Mountford. Find it and read it!!!
Jaclyn Moriarty is a refreshing middle grade writer. This story is filled with whimsical energy as readers follow along with protagonist, Bronte, and her incredibly interesting adventures. Yes, I said interesting not inconvenient!
Bronte’s voice is unique and spot-on for a young girl in a fantastical world. I don’t read middle grade too often but judging by how enchanting this book was, I’ll be picking up middle grade fantasy a lot more going forward. I also can’t wait to read more of Jaclyn’s n ...more
Bronte’s voice is unique and spot-on for a young girl in a fantastical world. I don’t read middle grade too often but judging by how enchanting this book was, I’ll be picking up middle grade fantasy a lot more going forward. I also can’t wait to read more of Jaclyn’s n ...more
4.5 rounded up to 5. This was an absolute delight. Excellent on audio!
Utterly charming with a deeply satisfying ending. Loved it.
I don't know why I picked this up and started reading it, but I will admit that it was a fun read for a while - pretty humorous overall. But unfortunately, it was too simple for me after a short time, and I decided not to waste time reading it, as I had many other books I wanted to read more.
...more
A new favorite!
I read this book before recommending it to a girl I teach and I adored it. Such fun tongue-in-cheek humour and beautiful character descriptions. I have ordered the next in the series as I want to read it myself! Recommended for those middle grade readers who have a good appreciation of quirky humour.
The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone (5)
Bronte’s parents have been killed by Pirates but she’s not that upset about it. She never quite knew them, they left her on her aunt’s doorstep when she was a baby. Luckily, this is no Dursley situation. Bronte’s aunt Isabelle is somewhat strict and big on manners, but she loves her niece very much. Bronte’s world is truly shook when she finds out that her parents have left a will. A will that is enchanted to destroy Bronte’s hometow ...more
Bronte’s parents have been killed by Pirates but she’s not that upset about it. She never quite knew them, they left her on her aunt’s doorstep when she was a baby. Luckily, this is no Dursley situation. Bronte’s aunt Isabelle is somewhat strict and big on manners, but she loves her niece very much. Bronte’s world is truly shook when she finds out that her parents have left a will. A will that is enchanted to destroy Bronte’s hometow ...more
Imaginative, funny - just perfect. Bronte is an exceptional hero with a very sensible inner voice. We meet a collection of delightful, different and eccentric aunts as she endeavours to fulfil her quest. This is just delightful.
Fresh, fun, and fantastical! Rational, sensible Bronte was living an idyllic life with her Aunt Isabelle, when her absent parents get killed by pirates. Their will decrees that Bronte must travel through various kingdoms on a very specific schedule, delivering gifts to her 10 other aunts. How inconvenient! And yet – as Bronte saves a drowning baby, rescues an aunt in prison, learns how to speak dragon, and makes friends with water sprites, she also hears tales of her parents, learns of her famil
...more
Nov 27, 2019
BetweenLinesAndLife
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
5-stars,
2019-reads
EDIT: bumping this up to a 5 stars because I still think of those little details!
This was soo much fun! Jaclyn Moriarty was one of my favorite authors as a young teen and this book just send me right back to that time!
It was funny, felt nostalgic in its writing, the adventure was fun and intriguing and the little details were so well put together and crafted! I was in awe how everything had a purpose and added to the bigger end picture!
Highly recommend this to the child in your life and the ch ...more
This was soo much fun! Jaclyn Moriarty was one of my favorite authors as a young teen and this book just send me right back to that time!
It was funny, felt nostalgic in its writing, the adventure was fun and intriguing and the little details were so well put together and crafted! I was in awe how everything had a purpose and added to the bigger end picture!
Highly recommend this to the child in your life and the ch ...more
Delightful and surprising story that my 9 year old daughter and I read together. I often read chapters aloud to her, and she read paragraphs to me, until - by the end of the book - she was reading quietly ahead of me and I was having to catch up!
I enjoyed reading this so much. I actually read and listened to the audio book at the same time. I found it to be an absolute dream. I recommend both formats.
In this book we meet Bronte when she is 10 and she is notified that her parents were killed by pirates. This is not a breaking blow, because Bronte has never known her parents. They have been out exploring all her life. She did receive cards and such over the years, but she lived with her aunt Isabelle and the Butler.
What does cause cause c ...more
There's the old expression: You can choose your friends, but not your relatives.
And right from the opening lines, you know 10 year old Bronte Mettlestone has an unusual family:
Youtube trailer here
Set across Kingdoms and Empires, featuring dragons, magic and cruise ships Bronte ventures off to follow the strict instructions of her parents' will. Meeting various aunts, uncles and cousins Bronte discovers new skills, talents and most importantly of all the universal emotions of sadness, love and j ...more
And right from the opening lines, you know 10 year old Bronte Mettlestone has an unusual family:
Youtube trailer here
Set across Kingdoms and Empires, featuring dragons, magic and cruise ships Bronte ventures off to follow the strict instructions of her parents' will. Meeting various aunts, uncles and cousins Bronte discovers new skills, talents and most importantly of all the universal emotions of sadness, love and j ...more
I loved this book way more than I thought I would. At first, the dry, straight to the point writing style threw me off and I was really considering setting this aside. As I got further into the book, though, the more and more i loved this. Bronte's adventures were so fun and whimsical, and there were a surprising amount of twists in the book. This book was surprisingly hilarious as well. The humor is so dry and witty while being absolutely ridiculous at the same time. I laughed so much while rea
...more
Feb 08, 2019
Brandy Painter
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-grade,
fantasy
This was cute. It has a rather old-fashioned feel to it in many ways, but just enough that it will still appeal to MG readers who aren't into that as much. The story in many ways is absurd, but in a delightful way that is sure to appeal to its target audience. How many 11 year olds wish they could go on an adventure all by themselves like Bronte? I like how the adults weren't at all okay with this turn of events in most cases, and that there was an explanation for why Bronte had to travel alone.
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Midnight Readers: The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone (Shea & Nikki) | 85 | 34 | Sep 28, 2020 06:14AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Jaclyn Moriarty is an Australian writer of young adult literature.
She studied English at the University of Sydney, and law at Yale University and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where she was awarded a PhD.
She is the younger sister of Liane Moriarty. She was previously married to Canadian writer Colin McAdam, and has a son, Charlie. She currently lives in Sydney.
...more
She studied English at the University of Sydney, and law at Yale University and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where she was awarded a PhD.
She is the younger sister of Liane Moriarty. She was previously married to Canadian writer Colin McAdam, and has a son, Charlie. She currently lives in Sydney.
...more
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Kingdoms and Empires
(3 books)
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