The Weed That Strings the Hangmans Bag

The Weed that Strings the Hangmans Bag by Alan Bradley.

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Bantam; (February 8, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0385343450

 

From Booklist

Flavia, the precocious, imaginative, and adorable 11-year-old sleuth, returns for her second adventure. It’s a mystery in itself how a mature male author can pen the adventures of such a young female child and keep readers believing in the fantasy. Flavia’s world is 1950s England—specifically, a very old country house that just happens to have a long-abandoned chemistry laboratory. And Flavia just happens to be fascinated by chemistry—particularly poisons. This helps her solve mysteries because, as Flavia says, “There’s something about pottering with poisons that clarifies the mind.” This time she becomes involved with the members of a traveling puppet show that features the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. When the puppetmaster is mysteriously electrocuted during the show, Flavia knows it can’t be an accident and eventually finds the murderer. The rest of Flavia’s family are also eccentric, to say the least, and add greatly to the overall fun. Thank goodness Bradley is not allowing Flavia to grow up too quickly; we need more sleuths whose primary mode of transportation is a bicycle.

It must be Fate that has me reading these books!  I came across the first book at the used book store for 3.00 and since so many people loved it I purchased it and read it.  I enjoyed it but wasn’t sure I wanted to get into yet another series….

Low and behold, I was back at the used books store and there sat “book 2” of the Flavia saga.  Ohhhhkay, so we got book 2 and I just finished reading it.

This one was also enjoyable but I have to say that in both books there are occasional terms used by Flavia that no matter how much of a chemical genius she is an 11 year old would not be using!… however… the books are still enjoyable.

This one took it’s time getting to the “murder”… I was beginning to wonder if there was even going to be one…when suddenly, there it was… a murder for young Flavia to solve!

I’ve gone this far so the odds are I will eventually read the next book lol..like I have no other books sitting on my shelves that need to be read, right? cha!

There is one small matter that I have to say bothers me in these books… and it’s the way her sisters make her feel unwanted.  It’s a part of the books that I would have edited out if I were the author.  I realize it gives her a reason to “get back” at the sisters…but hurt like that is never forgotten, even if she is only 11 yrs old.

All in all.. I do agree with most everyone else though, that if you read these books, you will enjoy them!