Geri Halliwell-Horner
Philomel, 2023
452 pages
Grades 4-7
Mystery/Adventure
London native Rosie is having a bad day. She is being framed by bullies for wrong doing and is in trouble--yet again. Once at the principals office she finds that her problems are much worse than simply getting detention. Rosie's mother is suddenly dead of unknown reasons and she must be instantly transported to a boarding school on a remote British island. Rosie is devastated and thrown off-balance, further complicated by a shaky helicopter ride and a dump-and-run once on land. At the school Rosie is greeted by a sinister deputy headmaster, who confiscates a case belonging to her mother and puts her in the care of the school rich-girl/bully, who locks her in the creepy portrait gallery. In the middle of the night Rosie is visited by the ghost of Anne Boleyn, for whom Queen Elizabeth I dedicated the school. Known as the Falcon Queen, Anne has a code of conduct, which she shares with Rosie as she helps her along the way at the new school. Rosie is just in time for the annual Falcon Queen Games. She must win in order to gain an audience with the true headmistress and inform her of the evil doings that she begins to uncover. Despite her unwillingness to make friends, Rosie manages to find allies, both human and otherworldly, and get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings on the island.
Rosie Frost is a new hero in what seems to be projected to be a new mystery series penned by former a Spice Girl. There is a lot I liked about this book, including that it has more layers compared to other mysteries. At it's core this is a friendship story and Rosie begins to work through the loss of her mother by opening up to and trusting her new friends. She is a strong character, who is also a song writer. The author adds a QR code to the back of the book, which will lead readers to the song that Rosie writes in the story. I also like that the tale is seeped in British history. Fans of the Broadway show Six will be naturally drawn to the premise. The main arc reaches a satisfying conclusion and the mystery is solved. Left hanging is the whereabouts of Rosie's mother, who the reader will be left to assume is still alive somewhere. There are Harry Potter connections (British boarding school where students have to save the day), but it is more mystery and less fanciful. The fantasy element is slight and it is mostly realistic, save the ghostly Falcon Queen showing up. What I didn't like was the length. It is Waaaay too long and will turn off all but the most ambitious readers. I found myself struggling at the end and can't imagine that kids wouldn't feel the same. The end contains a glossary of British terms and a cute family tree of Henry the Eighth and his wives. A great choice for smart readers looking for a book to bite into.
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