While Kiki Strike is obviously a book aimed at teenage girls, you won’t find any lip-gloss, ‘cute boys’, or love triangles in these pages. This book is a punch in the face of everybody who thinks that girls can’t do whatever boys can do. By the end of a few chapters, every pre-teen who picks up this book will wish she were as dangerous as Kiki Strike – so it is fantastic to see that Miller has included frequent ‘how to’ sections, filled with information you won’t learn in school, from how to be a master of disguise to how to incapacitate a kidnapper. It is obvious from reading this book that Miller has put a lot of good, hard research into her writing, and it adds to the appeal of the novel immensely.

As a mystery novel, Kiki Strike scores very well. Its number-one asset is that it is delightfully unpredictable, with a plot that twists, turns and remains complex and surprising to the very end. The mistrust that Miller plants is especially appealing, forcing readers to make difficult decisions about who is lying and who is telling the truth. Anyone who can guess the ending of this intriguing novel should be very pleased with herself.

Despite her fantastic storylines, however, Miller has clearly forgotten what it was like to be twelve years old. It is very difficult for an adult to write from the perspective of a child, and, like many others before her, Miller has been unsuccessful. The narration of the book rings with a mature, controlled and elaborate style that simply does not befit a twelve-year-old girl. The social hierarchies of the bullies at Ananka’s school are reminiscent of B-grade Hollywood films – most definitely not the stuff of real life. The entire novel works a whole lot better if the reader simply discards the fact that the main characters are pre-teens, especially considering the murder, treason and grand-scale theft that Miller seems to think many young girls are capable of.

Once you ignore its unrealistic aspects, however, Kiki Strike is a unique and stimulating novel that will fascinate and surprise its readers. Recommended for pre-teen to teenage girls who want something more from their reading.

When I met Kirsten Miller I told her I wished a book like this had been published when I was a kid and I meant it. It is in my top ten of adolescent fiction that promotes "girl-power." If you have a daughter, this book must be added to her shelf. It's also a great book for those of you who just love books about New York.

PS--Miller writes the best blog in town. Check it out on the Kiki Strike website! ( )

Ananka is yearning for a life of excitement, but she doesn't realize it until it the morning she looks out her window to discover a sink hole in the park outside her window and the secret room that lies beneath. Before long she is discovering a secret city with Kiki Strike and a highly talented group of girls called the Irregulars. The girls seem unstoppable until an accident occurs that leaves them doubting the motives of their fearless leader and causes a split. When girls across the city begin to go missing, the Irregulars must ban together to save the day.

I picked this book up on a whim while visiting a book store in Bay St. Louis. For a book that I chose based on the cover, I couldn't have been more pleased. This adventure tale moved quickly and kept me entertained the whole time. I loved the strong young women and the interesting setting. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the second book in the series. ( )

Twitter review @book_kungfu (http://twitter.com/book_kungfu):
Bookworm meets adventuress and discovers the world under NYC with misfit girls. -- Kung Fu moment: "How to kick some butt" instructions ( )

Billed as a female Alex Rider, but it falls far short of that. It started out good, but the characters were stereotypical, especially the bad girls. ( )