Third in a series
Maeve Merritt knows all about magic. After all she found Mermeros the djinni in a sardine can! But not even magic can give her the freedom to do the daring things she wants to do in her life—things not allowed for girls in 1897. When Maeve and her friend Alice take a summer field trip to Oxford, though, they're amazed to see women as college students and even playing sports!

But just when it seems like her dreams might one day come true, thieves looking to steal Mermeros put Maeve and her friends in danger. With the help of two charmed silver mirrors, Maeve can outwit almost any burglar, but she knows magic will continue to cause her trouble at every turn. What if it's time to give up her djnnni once and for all? Is Maeve ready to throw away all her wishes?

I love the first two novels in the Wishes and Wellingtons series! Thus, I was excited to read the last novel in the trilogy. This novel did not disappoint! Even though it was a fantasy novel that involved magical creatures, I really like how it focuses on friendships! I recommend this for fans of Gail Carson Levine, Jordan Stratford, and Nancy Springer!

⭐⭐⭐

Burglars and Bluestockings by Julie Berry is a historical fiction novel set in 1897, featuring Maeve Merritt as the protagonist. Maeve, who found Mermeros the djinni in a sardine can, dreams of doing daring things that are not allowed for girls during this time period. When she goes on a summer field trip to Oxford with her friend Alice, they are amazed to see women studying at college and even playing sports. However, thieves looking to steal Mermeros put Maeve and her friends in danger, making her question if it’s time to give up her djinni once and for all.

As much as I loved the cover of this book, I found the story itself just an okay read. Having not read the first two books, I felt like I was missing out on some context that would have made the storyline more compelling. Additionally, I thought the pacing was slow and the book overly long. Despite this criticism, I appreciate how well Julie Berry merges history with fictional elements throughout the novel.

Overall, Burglars and Bluestockings is a decent read for fans of historical fiction or those interested in exploring gender roles during Victorian times.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Maeve Merritt’s misadventures with magical objects take her and chums, Alice and Tommy, to Oxford, where the campus is torn apart by the contentious election to allow women to receive degrees. The injustice deepens when an undergraduate friend, and cricket hero, is wrongly accused of academic misconduct and may lose her scholarship. Of course, central to the series is the constant threat of the theft of the trio’s acerbic genie, Mermeros. Multiple plotlines slightly encumber the satisfying conclusion to this witty, British adventure trilogy. Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an unbiased review.

This fun trilogy that manages to successfully mix fantasy and historical fiction concludes in fine form with Maeve and her cohorts witnessing history being made as they visit Cambridge University just in time for the 1897 vote against allowing women to receive college degrees. On the fantasy side of the novel, the kids realize that as long as they possess Mermeros, thieves will continue to make their lives miserable as both their families are plagued by constant break-ins. Some tough decisions need to be made . . . Luckily the kids learn that sometimes wishes come true, even without the help of a djinni.

Also contained in this episode is possibly the best wish ever wished, and I'm paraphrasing here:

". . . wishing you a long enough life to read all the books you want to read . . ."


Now, if I can only find a djinni . . .

Things I like:
- Historical fantasy in a Victorian English setting
- the rudimentary science of electricity and explanation of theoretical physics lessons
- word definitions
- the frequent realization and admission of wrongdoing by Maeve and apologies being made. Maeve is a bit of a hothead but I really like this quality of trying to make right her wrongs and offences.

Things I didn't connect with.
- This is the third installment of a trilogy, so all of the character development most likely happened in the previous books. Unfortunately I didn't realize this was part of a trilogy when I picked it up and going in blind, the characters didn't resonate with me as much as if I had started with book 1.
- while women's suffrage was a major movement that shifted the culture, I found the portrayal to be on the preachy side.
- The plot is good, but not quite engaging enough to hold my interest for long and I struggled to be invested. The burglaries seemed to take an aside to the women's rights ideology being discussed.

I love the historical fantasy aspect. It had a little bit of Series of Unfortunate Events elements, and a mystery. Overall this is a cute story that I would recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for sending me a copy of this ARC for review.

I had not read the previous books (my younger grandchildren had) so perhaps I did not enjoy it quite as much as they did. Being the correct demographic , it was more important that they did. They loved it and felt that it had followed on well from the previous books.

I have not read the two prior books in this series, although this has intrigued me enough I might track them down. I love books about fairy tales and magical beings and the djinni in this story fits right in to that realm. I liked the strong female characters and the take charge attitude of the young ladies. A definite must read for those who are strong willed or would like to be.

A fitting end to a delightful middle grade series. Magic mirrors and a djinni blend smoothly into very real 1897 England. I breathed a satisfied sigh as I saw Maeve grow and ultimately make a decision that looked out for others more than her own desires. I will miss seeing how the trio of young people grow up, yet the series winds up nicely with no loose ends.

ARC Copy...liken the historical setting and a cast of "not so typical" for the time cast of smart + brave girls on the case of something foul afoot with djinn magic on the side.

Please help the book be made available at Aldiko app. I m facing issues with downloading otherwise. Thank you.

Burglars and Bluestockings is a terrific book!
I love that the protagonists are smart, capable young people (especially the girls!).
Julie Berry’s historical research into womens’ education in the late 19th century is excellent, and I love how she seamlessly weaves science and physics into the narrative. The magic is fun, especially the relationship between Maeve and the Djinn. I had not read Julie’s other books, but now am inspired to further explore the children’s adventures through “Wishes and Wellingtons” and “Crimes and Caepetbags”
Brava, Julie!