Young Adult Fiction Historical
The Agency 1: A Spy in the House
- Publisher
- Candlewick Press
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2016
- Category
- Historical, Diversity & Multicultural, Mysteries & Detective Stories
- Recommended Age
- 12 to 18
- Recommended Grade
- 7 to 12
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780763687489
- Publish Date
- Apr 2016
- List Price
- $12.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this diverting mystery trails a feisty heroine as she takes on a precarious secret assignment.
Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn found herself at Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls, the cover for an all-female investigative unit called the Agency. Now seventeen, Mary must put her training to the test. Disguised as a lady’s companion, she infiltrates a merchant’s home in hopes of finding clues to the whereabouts of his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of deceptions, and there is no one to trust. . . . Or is there? Packed with suspense and evoking gritty Victorian backstreets, this breezy mystery marks the debut of a detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.
About the author
Y. S. LEE is an award-winning poet and novelist whose first young-adult novel, A Spy in the House, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won the inaugural John Spray Mystery Award. Ying won the 2022 Foster Poetry Prize, and she published her first chapbook, Exit Permit, in 2023. She lives in Kingston, Ontario, with her family, where she is also an organizer with Kingston WritersFest. Mrs. Nobody is Ying's debut picture book.
