★“Fast-paced, well-plotted, frequently hilarious—as delicious as the finest French pastry.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for My Calamity Jane:  “Witty and winsome, this rollicking tall tale makes its own rules.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Full of twists, turns, and laugh-out-loud humor, this tongue-in-cheek feminist alternative history is impossible to put down. A thrilling alternative history that sparkles with wit and charm.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for My Plain Jane:
“The authors’ affection for their source material is abundantly clear in this clever, romantic farce.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A delightfully deadpan deconstruction of a Gothic novel, with a ghost almost no one can see providing the commentary. Marvelously self-aware and almost too clever for its own good.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)

“A madcap story of ghosts, possession, revenge, and murder. Humorously blends fact with fiction and offers a gentler, more hopeful outcome for Charlotte, her siblings, and her heroine.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for My Lady Jane:  “Wacky, irreverent, and just plain fun. This fantasy-adventure politely tips its hat to history before joyfully punting it out of the way. An utter delight.” — Booklist (starred review)

“An uproarious historical fantasy that’s not to be missed.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Gleefully anachronistic comedy.” — Kirkus Reviews

A delightfully deadpan deconstruction of a Gothic novel, with a ghost almost no one can see providing the commentary. Marvelously self-aware and almost too clever for its own good.

Praise for My Lady Jane:  “Wacky, irreverent, and just plain fun. This fantasy-adventure politely tips its hat to history before joyfully punting it out of the way. An utter delight.

04/01/2021

Gr 9 Up—The author team known as the Lady Janies don't let historical facts get in the way of a rollicking story full of queens, court intrigue, and shapeshifters. Set in the same world as the acclaimed "Jane" trilogy, this irreverent and wildly amusing first in a series focuses on Mary, Queen of Scots; her fiancé, the dauphin of France; Francis; and Ari, the famed seer Nostradamus's daughter. Mary, 17, and Francis, 16, have been engaged since they were five years old and best friends for almost as long, both working to keep Mary's true nature as an EÐian shapeshifter secret. For France is a country ruled by Verities, people who do not have such gifts, and where being EÐian is a death sentence. When Nostradamus has a vision of treachery in the court, Ari finds herself dragged into aristocratic life. Either age or his power has driven Ari's father out of his senses, but he does have one clear warning: Beware the biscuits. The authors manage to seamlessly blend modern humor and Renaissance France through a combination of parenthetical asides and wry self-awareness. While Mary and Francis' relationship-turned-romance takes center stage, Ari is a lesbian and has a sweet romantic subplot with one of Mary's ladies-in-waiting. The main cast is white, and the race of most supporting characters is undefined. VERDICT Full of puns, memes, and Disney references, this novel kicks off a trilogy with the perfect balance of history and paranormal and is, in short, pure fun. Recommended for YA collections.—Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Lib., IL

★ 2021-03-31
Following the success of their Lady Janies books, the trio of Hand, Ashton, and Meadows enter the world of early modern shape-shifters.

It’s 1560 Paris, the royal court of King Henry and his queen, Catherine de Medici (described by the modern authorial narrators, who use the royal we, as “a playful sort of evil”). Seventeen-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, has lived there for 12 years, is betrothed to Francis, the French dauphin; is supervised by her powerful French uncles; and is attended by four devoted ladies-in-waiting, all also named Mary. But the religious wars in this version of history aren’t Protestant versus Catholic—they’re between Verities, humans who cannot shape shift, and Eðians, who can. In Scotland, John Knox is publishing pamphlets denouncing Verities and casting doubts on Mary’s fitness to rule while in France, King Henry threatens to persecute all Eðians. Francis knows his beloved can change into a mouse—but so does his mother—and when King Henry dies in a jousting “accident,” Catherine threatens the new queen with a mousetrap. Meanwhile, Ari, daughter of the prophet Nostradamus, has visions that strongly resemble blockbuster movies, and Francis and Mary satisfy the too-curious court on their wedding night by enthusiastically jumping up and down on their bed. Three narrators seamlessly tell the tale, which includes a gentle queer romance. Everybody’s White.

Fast-paced, well-plotted, frequently hilarious—as delicious as the finest French pastry. (Historical fiction. 13-18)