A really fun to read adaptation featuring a young Jane Austen. I hope this book continues as a series.

Julia Golding has created a fantastic series in the Jane Austen Investigates, and The Burglar's Ball was no exception.


With fantastic world-building that brings the story to life and a wonderful imagining of not only what a young and overly curious Jane Austen would be like? Golding has taken time to ensure that the other Austen siblings and parents are brought to life in such a manner that you find yourself as the reader swept away to England during the end of the eighteenth/beginning of the nineteenth century.


I loved the first book in the series and was hoping that The Burglar's Ball would be just as good and I loved it. With this book, we get to see more of the Austen family, focusing on Cassandra, who is Jane's sister as they find themselves at their former school where, as you may have guessed, a ball takes place and chaos ensues. Everything from Golding is wonderfully done, from the vivid world-building to the characters that are both larger than life and also feel like old friends to anyone who has read an Austen novel there is a familiarity – the young Jane in this could well be one of the Bennett sisters for example as could Cassandra and I loved that.


I highly recommend this series for any young reader who loves a mystery, the joys of historical fiction, or a bit of chaos – because you won't be disappointed.

I wasn't a huge fan of the first book and I think it's clear now that this series just isn't for me. This book felt really slow to get going and I was just over it. I do think I'm in the minority and i think it's a title worth recommending to younger readers - especially those who enjoy historical mysteries but as a reader, personally it wasn't for me

I would rate this book 3.25 out of 5 stars,

I enjoyed the first book in this series and this sequel I also enjoyed. Jane is such a fun character and these are fun, enjoyable, middle grade mysteries.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglars Ball is book 2 in this mystery sleuth series. I enjoyed it but did hope for more from it at the same time. Set at a school ball, Cassandra (Jane's sister) has been invited to attend and Jane hasn't any option but to attend too. Cassandra is the headmistress favourite pupil and Jane begrudgingly tags along. When an expensive diamond necklace gets stolen from a pupil Jane hops into action to solve the case and stop innocents from being accused. But what she discovers isn't going to sit right with many people in attendance. The characters are likeable and the mystery itself is quick and easy to follow and put together. I liked how the author touches on the subject of African slavery very briefly in this book but could have maybe expanded on it very slightly. That said it gives just enough information to encourage young readers to do some research into this subject further by themselves or even as a school project if used as a class novel. I've not read book 1 yet but am hoping to at some point and will read more in the series.

Fun read and re-imagining of Austen beloved characters. Written as a detective story and fun for middle-grade students.

There's a lot to recommend this book; I didn't realise going in that it was a sequel - but it stood on it's own as an interesting and fun mystery (which very much reminded me of the books it has been compared to, eg. Nancy Drew and Sally Lockhart).

It read younger than I was expecting which was a shortfall, I did think this had the capacity to be scaled up a little, but it was a comforting read for someone who generally enjoys cosy mysteries, Jane Austen, and great female protagonists.

Beautiful, exciting and easy to read. This book did not disappoint me. What fun I had reading it.This book will delight both children and adults.

When the headmistress from their former school asks Cassandra Austen to attend their end of term hall, she brings her sister Jane along with her. They are excited to attend a fun event filled with dancing and fancy dresses. Jane befriends Brandon, the dance instructor’s assistant and a former slave. However, when a diamond necklace is stolen, Brandon is the first suspect. Jane is determined to prove Brandon’s innocence before he’s sent to jail for a crime he didn’t commit.

The Jane Austen Investigates is a fun series because it reimagines a young Jane Austen as a detective. Jane encounters people who will later inspire her own novels. In this book, she meets Elinor and Marianne, among others, who will inspire her characters in Sense and Sensibility.

Prejudice was an important part of this story too. Jane noticed right away that Brandon was being accused of the theft because he was Black. I don’t know how historically accurate it was for someone in Jane’s position to be able to defend someone against this kind of prejudice, but I’d like to imagine she would have done that in her real life.

The Burglar’s Ball is a great Jane Austen Investigates mystery.

Thank you Lion Hudson for proving a digital copy of this book.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series 'The Abbey Mystery' and was happy when I received a free widget of the second book from the author and publisher to read and review.

In my review of the first book I mentioned that this series, which is aimed at children/middle grade readers, is a good way of introducing and encouraging younger readers to research Jane Austen--her life and the times she lived in and also as an author. Even in this second book, the young Jane comes across characters and situations which eventually find their way in the plotline of two of her most popular novels. However, when I compare this book to the first one it does fall short in terms of the mystery and even the solution seems a bit anti-climatic.

The young Jane also reunites with the father/daughter duo of Arjun and Deepti from the first book who came to Britain as part of a servants entourage but are now running  their own small bakery in the country and I was curious about this aspect--was it possible for people belonging to the colonies which were under British rule to migrate and own their own business in England in 1789? I need to research about this.

I received an e-Arc/widget of the book from the publisher Lion Hudson Ltd/Lion Fiction and the author Julia Golding via NetGalley.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

The Burglar's Ball is the second Jane Austen Investigation by Julia Golding. Released 22nd Oct 2021 by Lion Hudson, it's 176 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is such a fun homage with the revered author herself as a young girl in the role of amateur sleuth. It's an engaging and well written story. Aimed at older middle grade readers, it's easy to read and action filled. The East India Company figures to a significant degree and the author handles Jane's awakening to the less savory realities of colonialism sensitively but realistically. The themes of racism, exploitation, slavery, and animal abuse are discussed in an age appropriate manner.

The characterizations are precise and believable, and the settings descriptions and general prose very well wrought. The dialogue is somewhat (but not overly) reminiscent of the speech patterns of the time which adds verisimilitude without being overly intrusive.

Graphically it's appealing with easy to read typeset text and enhanced by line drawn chapter headings and inserted illustrations throughout.

Four stars. It's a delightful addition to the series and would make a good selection for school or public library acquisition. There's a third book due out in late 2022.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A young Jane Austen jumps at the chance to get out of the dreary countryside for a while and accompanies her older sister Cassandra to a ball the headmistress of their former school is throwing.

Not only is this a chance to see her friends Arjun and Deepti again (which she met in the first book of this series) and meet some new people, it also presents her with a wealth of ideas for the little stories she likes to write to entertain her family. What she didn't know beforehand: again there is a mystery to solve and a thief to catch.

It was very delightful to read about Jane and her friends, to learn a bit about life & society more than 200 years ago and also to make my own assumptions on who is the culprit in this case. And to detect the little nods to Austen's work, be it names or certain character traits that the older Jane used in her novels. She must have gotten her ideas from somewhere, so why not imagine it happened just like Julia Golding wants us to believe it did. I really hope there will be more books in this series coming out eventually.

This novel is about a young Jane Austen who investigates the haunting behind an abbey! This was a very fun and lighthearted series! This novel would be a great introduction for middle students learning Jane Austen! I recommend this for not only teens but also Jane Austen fans!

I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical about this book, but I was really happy with it. It had a solid and unique plot, engaging characters, and was overall a fun and good read!

Fantastisch! Diese Lektüre hat mir unglaublich viel Freude bereitet. Die Charaktere sind interessant aufbereitet und ich habe das Buch innerhalb weniger Tage verschlungen! Der Erzählstil, war sehr eindringlich und ich konnte mich gut mit den Charakteren identifizieren.

This is a fun, engaging read that suits all ages. I liked the mystery element of it and trying to work out the puzzle.
The story is easy and well written.

What a fun, thrilling adventure this was!!
Jane and her sister arrive at their old school to attend the ball, during the ball some jewels disappear. Can Jane discover the truth?

When thirteen year-old Jane Austen accompanies her older sister to a dance at their old school, she anticipates having a very boring time. Things start looking up, however, when she makes some friends including Brandon, a young musician, once enslaved, now assistant to the school’s dance instructor. When an expensive diamond necklace is stolen during the dance and Brandon becomes the chief suspect, Jane is determined to prove him innocent.

I will admit right off the top, I am a sucker for anything Jane Austen so when I saw Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar’s Ball, a middle grade historical fiction by Julia Golding on Netgalley, how could I resist? It is the second in the series but the first I have read and, despite being way way beyond the targeted audience, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The mystery is fairly interesting while managing to avoid anything that might be too upsetting for a young child and the language is modern while staying fairly true to the historical period making it an easy tale for a young reader.

But it is the character of Jane that makes this novel a whole lot of fun. She is smart, witty, independent, and refuses to accept the societal norms of the time for girls just like so many of her heroines in her books. Overall, I suspect that young readers will find it very entertaining.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunit to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

The second in a series, Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar’s Ball, is sure to appeal to both young and old alike. Young readers will enjoy working alongside Jane and her new friend Brandon to solve the mystery of who stole a diamond necklace from a locked room from the ball to which Jane has accompanied her sister, Cassandra. It was fun to become better acquainted with Jane’s sister, Cassandra, and the mystery was well plotted. Adult readers of Sense and Sensibility will enjoy this nod to the Austen classic, as well as the opportunity to image a favorite author as a plucky youngster.

Thanks go to @NetGalley and @Lion Hudson Ltd. for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar's Ball
by Julia Golding
Pub Date 22 Oct 2021
Lion Hudson Ltd, Lion Fiction
Children's Fiction


I am reviewing a copy of Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar’s Ball through Lion Fiction and Netgalley:



When Cassandra’s headmistress invites her past favourite pupil to attend their end of term ball, Cassandra brings her younger sister, Jane, along too. Cassandra plunges into the feverish excitement of preparing for the biggest event of the year the dresses, the dances and the boys expected from the neighbouring school.


Jane who feels rather excluded, Jane who is sharp witted unearths the reason for the fuss the headteacher wants to impress a rich family returned from India as the school is at risk of going bankrupt. Jane also befriends the dancing master’s assistant, a former slave, called Brandon, who is as quick to notice things as she. At the ball, a diamond necklace is stolen from a locked room and they are propelled into a race to uncover the burglar and save Brandon from gaol.



Jane with notebook in hand, boldly overcomes the obstacles to finding the truth.


I give Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar’s Ball five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!