Wrapped

Gr 8 Up—Agnes Wilkins would prefer to continue her studies and to travel the world, but she understands that a young lady of her class must make her debut into 19th-century London society and settle into a worthy marriage. To please her mother and the man who is about to declare his intentions to court her, Agnes attends a mummy unwrapping party, a practice that she finds disturbing and disrespectful. With fascinated horror, she realizes that the "trinket" she has retrieved after making a cut in the sarcophagus wrappings is actually a coded message meant for one of Napoleon's spies. With the help of Caedmon, a young and attractive British Museum intern, Agnes must try to ferret out the spy before he figures out exactly who intercepted his message. Although the author mixes historical facts from different time periods (explained in the author's note), the blend makes the adventure even more thrilling. Elissa Steele's British accent lends authenticity to the narration of Jennifer Bradbury's tale (S & S/Atheneum, 2011) as she imparts Agnes's frustrations with her social station, her fascination with the puzzles put before her, and her blossoming feelings for Caedmon. An intriguing spy story mixed with a bit of supernatural and some romance is brought vividly to life in this audiobook for high school and public library collections.—Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CT