Alex and the Ironic Gentleman

I loved this book! It held my attention from beginning to end and I wasn't sure how that ending would happen. When it did, it was very satisfying. I'll definitely be reading more by Kress. Great book!

LOVED this one! Perfectly balanced, incredibly witty, packed full of terrific characters (adored that cat!)--just BRILLIANT! And from a first-time novelist?! We are in for great things from Ms. Kress! Thank you!

I had such fun reading this book. I adore children's books and this one is a keeper. Clever writing and great premise. The ending caught me by surprise. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Many books for children have the same cast of characters and little twists to the story. ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN is really original. At times I found myself wondering where is this train headed. Alex is a strong female lead, but readers can easily forget whether Alex is a girl or a boy. This novel is worth reading just for the imaginative supporting characters. Action, mystery, strangers, pirates, what's not to love. Karen Woodworth-Roman, www.librarians.info

This book is sure to be a hit with fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Artemis Fowl and Children Of The Lamp. Imaginative and funny, action packed and exciting, this is a book that any child (and some adults) would want to read again and again. Alex is an orphan, her parents having been involved in a tragic spelunking incident in Iceland. She lives with her Uncle, who owns a doorknob store on the side of a bridge, and she attends a fancy-schmancy school called The Wigpowder-Steele Academy. It seems that the original Wigpowder was a very wealthy pirate, who entrusted the distribution of his spoils to a rich philanthropist named Steele by way of a treasure map. Over time, bitter family feuds and fencing duels, the location of the map was forgotten and new generations of Wigpowders and Steeles are still quite busy hunting for it. Sure enough, some very unpleasant gentlemen soon arrive in town, and before long the trouble begins. The next chapters follow Alex on dangerous missions, including encounters with the dastardly Daughters of the Founding Fathers' Preservation Society, a train ride to nowhere in particular, and a hotel very much like the Hotel California (you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.) She also encounters fascinating characters like The Extremely Ginormous Octopus, Lord Poppinjay, the MakeCold 6000 and Coriander the Conjuror, and ingeniously named places like Port Cullis and The Gangrene Inn. Her goal is to find the notorious Pirate Captain Steele and the ship Ironic Gentleman, and then hopefully successfully execute a rescue mission. Along the way she enlists the services of the noble and upright Captain Magnanimous and his ship HMS Valiant, and takes part in a nautical battle. As if all that weren't enough, there's a tricky riddle still to be solved, and treasure to be found. Immensely entertaining and wonderfully creative, this one is highly recommended for readers of all ages. Amanda Richards