Art theft, murder, French/English vocabulary in wild sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Two murders, one long hidden. A gang of art thieves performs several heists and has a reputation for nonviolence, but is now being blamed for murder as well as theft. Assorted dangers and perils like secret rooms, mysterious hallways. Garrotes, a wire or cord used to strangle, are discussed in detail and are the preferred weapon of at least one killer here. In the past, an ancestor murdered most of his family and was never seen again. Neither was his treasure, which is important to the family. Lots of skeletons, especially in a scene set in the catacombs of Paris. Assorted mayhem and combat with some injuries.
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Both the Swifts and the Martinets have a long family tradition of naming their babies with dictionary words, and the author is having a whole lot of fun in both English and French, with words and phrases of her own—so there are lots and lots of big, frequently obscure words in both languages as the story unfolds. Quirky but accurate view of history: "Imagine two unpleasant children who live on opposite sides of a long stretch of water and throw stones at each other every chance they get. That's England and France." A nonbinary character discovers that the gender-heavy French language has evolved a new pronoun, "iel," for people like them. Research into historic archives plays a big role here. There's a glimpse into the world of art theft, and discussion of the ethics of stealing back stolen art, including works taken by invaders or colonizers.
Positive Messages
a lot
Strong messages of family, friendship, teamwork, and perseverance as the cousins start out trying to find a stolen painting but stumble on a murder. Lots of appreciation for their various skills that come in very handy in a crisis.
Diverse Representations
some
Girl power aplenty with sibs Shenanigan, Phenomena, and Felicity, happily reunited with their nonbinary cousin Erf as they match wits with art thieves and evil relatives. The Swift clan is British but has a global reach, so some family members come from faraway places, like dark-skinned, dreadlocked Uncle Maelstrom, a native of Trinidad. (Then there's the whole French branch of the family.) Among the supporting characters are gay, lesbian, and trans adults.
Felicity, Phenomena, and Shenanigan are each quite different— Felicity's good at social skills and French, Phenomena at science, and Shenanigan at getting into trouble—but they share a a strong bond. Their parents are off on an unexplained expedition, leading to abandonment issues, but Uncle Maelstrom is a devoted and helpful caregiver. The Swifts and Martinets (same bird, different languages), past and present, are a mixed bag of quirky heroes, devious villains, and confused kids trying to figure it all out. An ancestor's cheating at cards has far-reaching consequences.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues, is the second installment of Beth Lincoln's imaginatively zany Swifts series, with most of the characters from Book 1 in Paris, where they soon land in a spooky hotel owned by their French relatives. Quickly caught up in murder, mayhem, and art theft by an international gang of thieves known for stealing questionably acquired art and giving it back to its rightful owners, they're surrounded by quirky, sometimes creepy, relatives in a family that's been known to kill each other off for centuries. At the heart of it all is an artist who vanished a century ago, and his works, now in possession of the Swifts (English) and Martinets (French)—at least, till they get stolen. The three sisters—teen Felicity and tweens Phenomena and Shenanigan—squabble a lot and fret about their absent parents, but they have a strong bond and excellent teamwork. The author loves vocabulary words and seizes the chance to use a lot of French words as well as English. Like their Swift relatives, the Martinets traditionally name their infants from a dictionary, so characters including Maelstrom, Schadenfreude, and Fauna encounter the likes of Mercredi, Souris, Soufflé, and Silhouette. Supporting characters are gay, trans, and nonbinary, and racially diverse as well. Skeletons turn up a lot, especially in a scene set in the catacombs of Paris. As the sibs seek their family's stolen painting and race to solve a murder, a lot of knowledge, research, and creative thinking come into play.
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What's the Story?
THE SWIFTS: A GALLERY OF ROGUES finds the title family trying to recover from the events of Book 1 when, for reasons unknown, thieves make off with a sad-clown painting that's been in the family ever since one of their ancestors won it (by cheating) in a card game. Suspecting that the French branch of the family (who lost the painting in the card game) may be involved, and alarmed by a letter from oldest sib Felicity who seems to be in Paris with the French relatives, Shenanigan, Phenomena, and cousin Erf, along with Uncle Maelstrom and Aunt Schadenfreude, are off to France in hopes of putting things to rights. But it seems that the disappearance of A Clown Laments His Lot in Life is part of something much bigger ... and deadlier.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say:Not yet rated
Kids say:Not yet rated
Art thieves, clowns, mayhem, and some questionable relatives keep things hopping as Beth Lincoln sends a quirky British family to Paris to retrieve a clown painting and maybe prevent a sib's murder. There's never a dull moment as The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues takes a deep dive into the world of possibly ill-gotten art and the ethics of art thieves who try to get it back to its rightful owners. It also takes a deep dive into French and English vocabulary as dictionary-named characters Felicity, Phenomena, and Shenanigan meet their French cousins Pomme, Souris, Mercredi, and more, and pore over phrase books and street signs. As in Book 1, Claire Powell's whimsical illustrations add a lot to the fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stories like The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues, which are about one branch of a clan meeting long-lost relatives, and how they feel about it. In the stories you know, are the reunions happy, or would these people be better off if they never met? Why?
Have you ever had something stolen from you? What happened? Did you find out who was responsible?
If you were traveling, would you like to visit all the skeletons in the catacombs of Paris—or stay far, far away?
The Swift sisters argue a lot, but they also work well together. What makes their teamwork possible? How do they navigate their differences in order to reach their goals?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
