In The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, just as recently orphaned fourteen-year-old Sophie is settling into her new life as a shop girl at the newly opened Sinclair's Department Store in London, a priceless object is stolen, a young man is attacked and Sophie is implicated in the crime. An absolute joy of a book combining mystery, adventure and friendship with a sumptuous Edwardian setting, transporting the reader to a world of heady glamour offset by a murky criminal underground. It's Nancy Drew with a PBS twist, and readers of all ages will adore the cast of exceptionally likeable characters.