A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS, by Kathleen Baldwin

The story: In a time when smart girls aren't valued, Georgiana knows it'll be hard for her to catch a husband--and things only get worse when a chemistry experiment gone wrong burns down the stable and Georgie is banished to Miss Stranje's house--a school for "unusual" girls. Little does she know that it's really a school for spies, and that the adventure of a lifetime (complete with a handsome, brooding, often sarcastic stranger) is about to begin! Can Georgie produce the invisible ink that will save the lives of thousands in Napoleon's Europe? Press on, gentle reader, to find out!

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence PG-13; Sexual content PG; Nudity PG (lots of low-cut gowns here); Substance abuse PG-13; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (war, murder, abduction, torture, parental disinterest) PG-13; overall rating PG-13. (As much for the Regency way of writing and speaking as for the content.)

Liz's comments: I enjoyed this one a lot, despite all the heart pounding and cheek stroking from the heroine. Give it to girls 8th grade and up, especially ones for whom historical fiction isn't a deterrent. Not exactly a bodice-ripper, but as close as you get in YA fiction!