A few weeks ago, I blogged about Asta in the Wings, a delightful debut with a precocious young protagonist. Now I've finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, author Alan Bradley's first novel, and I've fallen in love with yet another spunky young character. This time it's 11-year-old Flavia de Luce, who lives with her father and two olders sisters in a crumbling mansion in England. An accomplished chemist and a budding detective, Flavia is strangely excited when a stranger dies in the family cucumber patch. As she investigates the death, making good use of both her unique way of viewing the world and the invisibility that being a child affords her, the reader gets a tantalizing peek into Flavia's world. And what a world it is! Just when you forget that Flavia is only 11, she displays some endearing bit of childish vulnerability and you recognize Bradley's skill in portraying her. Likeable enough to make the reader care, quirky enough to maintain interest, and naughty enough to not be cloying, Flavia is my new favorite. Luckily for me, this book is the first in a series.
