Synopses & Reviews
Agnes Wilkins is standing in front of an Egyptian mummy, about to make the first cut into the wrappings, about to unlock ancient (and not-so-ancient) history. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Maybe you think this girl is wearing a pith helmet with antique dust swirling around her. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Maybe you think she is a young Egyptologist who has arrived in Cairo on camelback. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Maybe she would like to think that too. Agnes Wilkins dreams of adventures that reach beyond the garden walls, but reality for a seventeen-year-old debutante in 1815 London does not allow for camelsand#8212;or dust, even. No, Agnes can only see a mummy when she is wearing a new silk gown and standing on the verdant lawns of Lord Showalterand#8217;s estate, with chaperones fussing about and strolling sitar players straining to create an exotic and#8220;atmosphereand#8221; for the first party of the season. An unwrapping. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;This is the start of it all, Agnesand#8217;s debut season, the pretty girl parade that offers only ever-shrinking options: home, husband, and high society. Itand#8217;s also the start of something else, because the mummy Agnes unwraps isnand#8217;t just a mummy. Itand#8217;s a host for a secret that could unravel a new destinyand#8212;unleashing mystery, an international intrigue, and possibly a curse in the bargain. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Get wrapped up in the adventure . . . but keep your wits about you, dear Agnes.
Review
"Austen fans who wish her characters would get up off their settees and risk an adventure will enjoy Bradbury's smart, feisty heroineandlt;Iandgt;." Kirkus Reviews andlt;/Iandgt;
Review
4Q 3P M J S
Bradbury, Jennifer. Wrapped. Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2011. 320p. $16.99. 978-1-4169-9007-9.
This is a fast-paced historical novel that engages the reader on many levels by contrasting roles of class, history, and women with modern society. In England during the Regency period, Agnes Wilkins is about to make her debut into society. But Agnes is no ordinary debutante, as she can quote Jane Austen ("A Lady") in ten languages and help end the Napoleonic wars.
Review
andlt;Bandgt;"andlt;/Bandgt;Bradbury offers a grand historical mystery with a pinch of supernatural intrigue and a hint of romance."andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt; - SLJ June 2011andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"A bold and daring historical adventure tale with a brave, quick-thinking heroine at its center."andlt;BRandgt; --andlt;iandgt;BOOKLISTandlt;/iandgt;, May 1, 2011
Review
andlt;divandgt;andlt;bandgt;4Q 3P M J Sandlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;
Bradbury, Jennifer. Wrapped. Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2011. 320p. $16.99. 978-1-4169-9007-9.
This is a fast-paced historical novel that engages the reader on many levels by contrasting roles of class, history, and women with modern society. In England during the Regency period, Agnes Wilkins is about to make her debut into society. But Agnes is no ordinary debutante, as she can quote Jane Austen ("A Lady") in ten languages and help end the Napoleonic wars.
Review
andlt;bandgt;4Q 3P M J Sandlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Bradbury, Jennifer.andlt;bandgt; Wrappedandlt;/bandgt;. Atheneum/Simon andamp; Schuster, 2011. 320p. $16.99. 978-1-4169-9007-9.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt; andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; This is a fast-paced historical novel that engages the reader on many levels by contrasting roles of class, history, and women with modern society. In England during the Regency period, Agnes Wilkins is about to make her debut into society. But Agnes is no ordinary debutante, as she can quote Jane Austen (and#8220;A Ladyand#8221;) in ten languages and help end the Napoleonic wars. Agnes is realizing the restraints of her class as she tracks down the mystery of an Egyptian standard. Though she is wooed by a gentleman of her class who invites her to an and#8220;Unwrapping,and#8221; she has feelings for Caedmon, the lackey Egyptologist. At this social event that features a mummy from Egypt, she uncovers an iron artifact with a scrap of linen that predates the mummification. The reader gets a subtle lesson in historical relativism as Agnes goes behind the scenes of the British Museum and connects this jackal head to the Rosetta Stone. The gender issues are dealt with effectively as she uses poignant Austen quotes in response to her motherand#8217;s constricting attentions to her dress and demeanor.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt; andlt;/bandgt;Though slightly different in exact years, this novel would pair well with the classic Count of Monte Cristo as and#8220;Old Boney,and#8221; Napoleon, indirectly influences both protagonistsand#8217; actions. The differences between the two novels would make an interesting comparison on political and social levels.and#8212;Ann Reddy Damon.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;VOYA June 2011andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Synopsis
This is Agnes Wilkins’ debut season and already she’s attracting the attention of one of England’s most eligible and desirable men: Lord Showalter. He’s been quite forward about his intentions and Agnes finds this at once thrilling and terrifying. He is handsome and wealthy and has this quirky interest in helping England amass the world’s finest collection of Egyptian artifacts. It could be a good match—but everything Agnes knows about courtship and high society romance comes from A. Lady novels, and it seems to be a rule that men who are too good to be true are usually hiding something.
But, what Showalter is hiding is not crumbling finances or boarish behavior. He is deceiving the whole British Empire. He is spy working for Napoleon, his orders smuggled into London in Egyptian artifacts—like the one Agnes pockets while at a mummy unwrapping party at Showalter’s home. Her innocent interest in this trinket (and childish need to keep it) jump starts a chain of events that bring out dangerous characters, dangerous circumstances, and the biggest danger of all—true love.
Jennifer Bradbury’s knack for suspense and adventure make this an amazingly rich, wildly compelling and utterly fascinating novel about the secrets in and out of a mummy’s tomb. Keep your wits and trust your heart.
Synopsis
It’s Agnes Wilkins’s debut season, and she’s already attracted the attention of one of nineteenth-century England’s most eligible and desirable men. Lord Showalter is handsome, wealthy, and has a quirky interest in helping England amass the world’s finest collection of Egyptian artifacts. Agnes thinks it could be a good match, but suspects Showalter may be too good to be true. And indeed, he
is hiding something—the fact that he’s a spy working for Napoleon. His orders are smuggled into London in Egyptian artifacts, and when Agnes unwittingly pockets one during a mummy unwrapping party at Showalter’s home, her action jump-starts a chain of events that bring out dangerous characters, dangerous circumstances, and the biggest danger of all—true love.
Jennifer Bradbury’s knack for suspense and adventure make this an amazingly rich, wildly compelling novel about the secrets inside and outside of a mummy’s tomb.
About the Author
Jennifer Bradbury is the author of the middle grade novel andlt;iandgt;River Runs Deepandlt;/iandgt; and of several critically acclaimed young adult novels: andlt;iandgt;A Moment Comesandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Wrappedandlt;/iandgt;, and her debut, andlt;iandgt;Shiftandlt;/iandgt;and#8212;which Kirkus Reviews called and#8220;fresh, absorbing, compellingand#8221; in a starred review. andlt;iandgt;Shiftandlt;/iandgt; was picked as an ALA and a School Library Journal Best Book for Young Adults and is also on numerous state reading lists. A former English teacher and one-day andlt;iandgt;Jeopardy!andlt;/iandgt; champ, she lives with her family in Burlington, Washington.