Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body under the Piano
In 1902, twelve-year-old Aggie Morton lives in Torquay, a quiet town in southwest England overlooking the English Channel. Inquisitive, yet profoundly shy, Aggie has more invented friends than real ones. Still mourning her father, her fascination with death (she keeps a pet cemetery at the edge of the family property) has become more pronounced. Being homeschooled, her days are spent mostly alone or under the watchful eye of her nursemaid. Her propensity to imaginations and yearning for real friendship merge when she happens to meet a young Belgian boy, Hector Perot, and then, while waiting for her dance lesson, happens to see a dead body under the piano. Aggie seizes this unique opportunity for true friendship and adventure with the gusto of a girl who has spent too many hours alone.
Marthe Jocelyn imagines the childhood of Agatha Christie, pairing the mystery writer with her most famous character and making them child detectives. The tone is set from the opening line, and the voice never falters: “I will tell you first about making a new friend and save the dead body for later.” The adventure is quick and plausible and well-grounded in the period. Aggie’s shyness often makes her socially awkward, which endears her to the reader. Likewise, what her mother calls her “Morbid Preoccupation” with all things gruesome will be particularly appealing to middle grade readers. Aggie’s imagination presents serious topics—like death—in digestible bites: “Bereavement made me feel… like a jar full of freshly collected garden worms.” Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano, the first in a new series for middle grade readers, is a delight from start to finish.
