Secrets of the Purple Pearl by Kate McKinnon
In the second book in her ongoing series, Kate McKinnon brings more joy, mystery, and quirk to Secrets of the Purple Pearl.
At the end of The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science, our intrepid heroes--the porch sisters Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee--were separated from their beloved mad scientist mentor, Millicent Quibb. However, before long Millicent comes to the rescue of the three sisters and they set off together to the Purple Pearl Hotel where the no-good mad scientist group (and Gertrude, Eugenia, Dee-Dee, and Millicent are the good kind of mad scientists) known as the Krenetics Research Association (KRA) are hatching their next scheme.
The KRA is trying to bring back their fearsome leader Talon Sharktūth. They hope that finding the legendary Purple Pearl--which was allegedly lost in the lake by the Purple Pearl Hotel--will help in this endeavor and so, it's up to the four good mad scientists to thwart them.
Because I enjoyed the first of the series, it came as no surprise that I enjoyed this second romp through the kooky world born of McKinnon's mind. There was age appropriate humor, stakes, and intrigue that can still be enjoyed by adults in search of a whimsical tale.
I appreciated that the main characters are able to make mistakes and take ownership of them as I feel sometimes characters aimed at children are more black and white than they need to be. Adding in some of this nuance tells young readers that they can be heroes too even if they struggle.
McKinnon's worldbuilding is also excellent. While her first book focused on the Porch sisters' hometown of Antiquarium while this second one focuses on the Purple Pearl Hotel. McKinnon's descriptions build out the sort of wonder and even sense of freedom kids often feel the first time they're at a beautiful hotel.
Finally, Secrets of the Purple Pearl ends with a quite intriguing cliffhanger that will keep readers eager for the next installment (The Jungle of Carabanana which is scheduled to publish this September).
Comments
Post a Comment