Honestly this book was such a good time. Hilarious and quirky, just what i expected from the amazing Kate McKinnon! It was definitely giving a new generation of Series of Unfortunate Events which absolutely made me fall in love with reading and dark humor. This was a hit for me.

This was such a fun read. If my kiddo was still young, this is one that we would either read together or do as a family book club. The characters were fun and silly with a delightful plot.

I love this book as a read aloud. The language is wonderful and I think it would help tall people enjoy sharing it with small people more. I love the characters as well. I've already included it on my monthly "Book Talk Doc" that I share with teacher friends. I hope that lands it in the hands of many more readers.

For the empowerment of girls who want to get into the sciences and worry less about etiquette and acting like proper ladies, this goofy, madcap middle grade will work but for an adult reader, it gets so wacky with its humor that it loses a little of the charm over time. I'm sure McKinnon's reading of the audiobook might change it rather than reading it (though the illustrations provide a whimsical quality). Either way, it's about three girls who end up in a different school under the tutelage of Millicent Quibb and learn to wrangle worms and find their own path when it doesn't look like the others.

It works but it's not a favorite.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book through Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I saw that Kate McKinnon wrote a middle-grade book, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved Kate McKinnon on SNL and I knew that her middle-grade book would be fun. Fortunately, I was able to get an ARC of The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science from the publisher through Net Galley and I’m happy to say that it lived up to my expectations.

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science is a silly and fun book. It reminded me of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, which was the series that got me into reading many many years ago. This book also reminded me of The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, which is another fantastic middle-grade book.

The Porch sisters are orphans. They live with their “Aunt” and “Uncle” in Antiquarium. Everyone in Antiquarium has to attend etiquette school and the Porch sisters have been kicked out of all of them. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, they receive a mysterious invitation to attend one last etiquette school. What they don’t realize is that the etiquette school is actually run by the mad scientist, Millicent Quibb. What follows is a fun adventure and a race to save Antiquarium.

The characters in this book were a lot of fun. I loved the Porch sisters. Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee made a great team. They each had characteristics and interests that made them unique and complimented each other. I also loved that they each had moments where they were brilliant and helped save the day. The other main character, Millicent Quibb, was so much fun. I haven’t watched the Barbie movie yet, but she definitely had Weird Barbie vibes. I loved the bond that the Porch sisters and Millicent Quibb formed.

The adventure aspect of this book was also quite a bit of fun. The town of Antiquarium is in danger and it’s up to the Porch sisters and Millicent Quibb to save it. Their mission is full of twists and turns and they learn a lot of dark secrets about Antiquarium along the way. There were quite a few tense moments that left me at the edge of my seat. The twists and turns made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next.

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science had a lot of silly aspects to it. It was full of silly words and moments. Millicent Quibb had a habit of going on silly tangents and getting off topic when explaining things to the Porch sisters. The town of Antiquarium had lots of silly rules and traditions. All of this silliness made for a fun read. There were moments that made me laugh-out-loud and I’m sure that middle-grade readers will also have fun with this book. This book also has pictures in it, which makes it even more fun.

Overall, The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science was quite a bit of silly fun. It was exactly what I expected from Kate McKinnon and I cannot wait for the next adventure featuring the Porch sisters and Millicent Quibb.

Love Kate McKinnon and expected this book to be offbeat and quirky, just like most of the characters she plays. Unfortunately, it is weird and offbeat and quirky just for the sake of being weird and quirky. The writing was tedious and repetitive. And despite the focus on the three budding Mad Scientists, I don't feel like I know much about any of them, nor do I care. I was also never much of a fan of Lemony Snicket. This book feels like Lemony Snicket, but more.

This was a breath of fresh air. It was original, witty, fun, adventurous and full of heart. It really caught me by surprise all the amazing details from the story and those illustrations made the experience even better.

The story introduces our three protagonists and they are the Porch Sisters. We have Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee. They are ever so unique, with strong personalities and we cannot forget head strong. When the sisters are kicked out from their last etiquette school. As they loose hope of staying home, they receive a mysterious invitation to a brand new school. Which is a mystery all on its own, because the new school they’ll attend belongs to the infamous and mad scientist Millicent Quinn. The sister’s lives are about to get more complicated and exciting at the same time.

As I was reading this book, I could imagine the girls interacting with Millicent and learning everything she has to teach them. Kate McKinnon has created such an enchanting story of empowerment and wonder, she can absolutely do it all. If this becomes an audiobook I will be super excited if Kate narrates it herself. I’ll absolutely will be re reading this story again.

Every time I think I can’t love Kate McKinnon any more, she does something like write a weird, misfit-filled middle grade book with her own illustrations included. Truly, good for her. I don’t know that I could have had any better of a time with Millicent Quibb and Gertrude and Eugenia and Dee-Dee. It captured for me the misfortunes and oddities of A Series of Unfortunate Events but less endlessly and punishingly depressing, and written by a cool queer comedian lady rather than a problematic man.

The Porch Sisters get dealt some bad cards, but ultimately this story feels so hopeful and creates such a sense of belonging. Kate McKinnon’s humor has always really worked for me, and of course it’s subjective, but I found it incredibly lovely. More than that, though, I think the found family, along with the messages of speaking truth to power and of finding camaraderie with other people who are different in a space of conformity, made this not only a delight to read but incredibly touching as well.

On the format and writing style: I LOVED the illustrations, they present such a clear picture (haha) of the vibes of this story. The breaking of the fourth wall is one of my favorite things in books right now (maybe always, honestly) so I enjoyed that a lot and I thought the footnotes accompanying that fourth wall breakage were absolute perfection. This would be a really fun one for reading aloud with younger kids and a lot of fun for middle grade readers. Much like one of our greatest cultural masterpieces, Shrek, there’s something to love here for all ages.

Thank goodness it already seems to be finding itself into a series, because I am already so thirsty for more adventures with Millicent and the girls and G. Edwina Candlestank and Kate McKinnon. Highly recommend.

The first in what seems to be a new series (at least a duology), three quirky girls find themselves expelled from etiquette school and then offered a spot at a new school. When they get there, they realize it is run by a mad scientist, Millicent Quibb. As they learn about embracing their weirdness, they also realize there is a big threat to their town.

Overall, I enjoyed this one! I could see McKinnon's voice in it and basically anytime Millicent talked, it was just McKinnon's voice in my head (in a good way). This was such a fun concept and it seems like we will get another one as the end mentions book 2 (and it leaves on a cliffhanger!). Can't wait to see where their adventures take them next!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a blast! Perfect for kids who live for quirk, nonsense, and wish there was more Lemony Snicket content to devour. Hoping the series continues!

Such a fun ride! A little bit Lemony Snicket meets the Swifts. A wonderful fun read by comedian Kate McKinnon of SNL (and Barbie!) fame. Three misfit sisters get kicked out of the last etiquette school in town. Instead of getting shipped off to Austria by their frustrated adoptive family, they find a magical invitation to a school of mad science run by a town legend who turns out to very real. The adventures that ensue are wild and hilarious with twists and turns on every page. A wonderful read for upper elementary students.

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science had an interesting premise but the writing was not my favorite. It was trying to hard to be funny, clever and weird and the mix was not interesting to me. Three girls raised as sisters join mad scientist legend Millicent Quibb to protect their town from the evil mad scientists of the KRA. I did like that all of the illustrations were diagrams, which was unusual for a middle grade fiction book.

"The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science" is actor and comedian Kate McKinnon's first novel, and is illustrated by Alfredo Caceres. This middle grade fantasy feels like a mix between Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unforunate Events" and Paul Stewart/Chris Riddell's "The Edge Chronicles." The three Porch sisters are living with their aunt and uncle and several cousins in a victorian-ish society. The Porch sisters do not fit in with their scientific interests and at the beginning of the novel they are expelled from their etiquette school. When they all receive mysterious invitations to a new etiquette school, they find out that it is actually run by a famous mad scientist: Millicent Quibb. She has recruited them as her students to help save the town from an evil organization.
The books is humorous and readers will enjoy seeing the Porch sisters gain confidence in themselves and embrace science. A recommended purchase for middle grade collections where fantasy is popular.