Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone: The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival

In Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone , wealthy sixteen-year-old Petronella Arbuthnot cannot wait for her coming out party, but there is one small problem. Uncle Augustus, her caregiver since the death of her parents, has suddenly developed a condition in which he will only eat insects—and he does this with regularity. However, her uncle’s new predicament pales in comparison to what actually happens at her party. A decorated generalissimo and the celebrated Dame Caruthers are kidnapped from right under everyone’s noses! Who is the kidnapper, and why do foreign insects turn up with every clue? When Scotland Yard officers come calling to help solve the crime, it soon becomes obvious to Petronella that they do not have the mental show more capacity for the situation. So, she enlists the help of her bosom friend Jane, and Jane’s heart-throb brother James, along with that of her uncle to solve the mystery. But when Petronella’s pesky (and wonderfully off-beat) aunts suddenly appear at her house after reading about the kidnappings, Petronella knows that she’s in over her head. To make matters worse, there is yet another kidnapping victim—and this time it’s Jane!
With a spunky main character and a wacky, over-the-top supporting cast, Dene Low has created a humorous mystery shrouded in the fog of Victorian England. The relationships between the characters are delicious, particularly between Petronella and James, whom she has loved for years but fears could never possibly love her back. Uncle Augustus is every bit as spunky as his niece, and despite the fact that he eats any insect he can find, is a thoroughly likeable character. Readers will find themselves cheering Petronella on as she challenges the notions of women in Victorian England and uses her wits in a fashion that would make a Scotland Yard officer jealous. The humor that is interspersed readily throughout the novel is all from Petronella, who narrates the story. This fast-paced adventure is recommended for grades 6 and up. show less

This has got to be one of the strangest, cutest, most wonderful starts to a series I've ever read and I think I'm in love with it. The language, the characters, their behaviors to me everything was spot on.

Right off the bat we are introduced to Victorian manners and ways of doing things and then all of a sudden we find Uncle Augustus T. Percival having a bite to eat, a bite to eat of BUGS! His compulsion is just so hilarious, the way the author writes it, seeing him hopping around in the background grabbing bugs out of the air and such, it just never got old! That was probably my favorite part of the book.

Next we have this wonderful mystery of two very important people vanishing from Petronella's party and she and her friends and show more relatives take it upon themselves to help out the police to find them. Oh and did I mention that Petronella's Aunt and son and Great Aunt and two daughters show up to try and help sort out this mess but are basically in the way the whole time. They make for some great comedy.

And most surprisingly and most welcome too is a bit of romance in the story. Petronella's best friend happens to have an adorably handsome brother who Petronella swoons for, if only he would notice her as anything other than a sister. Let's just say I can't wait to see where the story picks up in the next installment of this series!

I would highly recommend this book for something a bit out of the ordinary. I was highly impressed. show less

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

All Petronella wants is for her sixteenth birthday luncheon, marking her debut into society, to be a success - but things go awry right from the start when her Uncle Augustus discovers a fondness for entomography (bug-eating).

Circumstances grow steadily worse when two important guests, Dame Carruthers and Generalisimo Reyes-Cardoza (a Panamanian dignitary) are kidnapped and held for ransom. It's just plain bad luck when Petronella's fortune-hunting relatives descend in the hopes of proving Uncle Augustus an unfit guardian.

With the help of best friend Jane and her delectable older brother, James, Petronella is determined to foil the kidnappers' nefarious schemes, thwart the affections of annoying and show more penniless Georgie Grimsley, and keep her money hungry relatives at bay while sussing out a cure for Uncle Augustus's newly acquired appetite.

PETRONELLA SAVES NEARLY EVERYONE is a delightful, Austen-esque comedy of errors set in Victorian England with a generous helping of mystery, mischief, and insects. Petronella is a clever, engaging heroine suited to her era, yet she retains enough independence and gumption to appeal to modern teens. show less

Petronella is a sixteen year old orphan being raised by her guardian and uncle, Augustus T. Percival. On the day of her coming out party, Percival inadvertently swallows a beetle during tea. In a strange turn of events, this causes him to have an insatiable appetite for insects. He runs around the yard, snatching spiders from corners and ants from their hills, eating them whether dead or alive. This isn't the worst of Petronella's problems though because a Panamanian diplomat and an actress end up being abducted from her party. Luckily, she and her friends are bright and inventive and they set out to solve the kidnapping.

One of the things I loved most about this book was James, or should I say the idea of James. He is the older brother show more of Petronella's best friend, Jane, and is the young man that Petronella fancies. She always notices the way he looks, wonders if that slight intonation in his voice was a confession of love, wishes that he would stand a bit closer. It's so perfect for a sixteen year old character! And it wasn't written in a mushy way but just in that perky but angsty way that any teen will recognize. It really took me back and once again, I wished that this book had been around when I was a young teen.

http://webereading.com/2009/08/there-is-something-terribly-wrong-with.html show less

Enjoyed this on the train ride to and from NYC. I thought the idea of Augustus' problem extremely creative, but sometimes a little squeamish. [I thought the author took great effort to make it palatable by inserting a lot of comic relief or using 'off screen' actions] The language and tone reminded me of some other books I've really enjoyed - the Incorrigible series, Cecelia & the Chocolate Pot, and Flora Segunda.

Do I wish Petronella was less swoony when it comes to a certain young man she knows? Absolutely, but I think her character's heart flutterings are typical for someone her age in her situation, and she is intrepid and does things on her own when she believes she must. She's not a complete rebel, but she's not a hothouse flower, show more either. It will be interesting to see if she starts leaning more towards one part or the other of her character in future stories [I'm hoping there are future stories], or if this balance is maintained. show less

Not bad. More in the line of Sorcery and Cecelia than anything else I've read. LOVE Petornella's never-ending vocabulary. Uncle Augustus isn't as thorough in creation as I'd like, but the other characters make up for it.

3.5 stars - needed richer characters. Picked up from the library on impulse because of the utterly beguiling cover. The heroine is 16, but the book is ok for ages about 9 up. The story is an exciting mystery with a bit of romance and a lot of wonderful vocabulary words. I'd have loved it when I was 12. Don't be put off by the structure of the title - it may eventually become part of a series but for now it stands alone just fine as a charming debut.