About the Book
On the eve of her debut in 1815 London, Agnes Wilkins attends a decidedly singular social event on the London scene—a mummy unwrapping party. But if the evening’s entertainment and Agnes’ ambivalence at the attentions of Lord Showalter weren’t enough to deal with, she quickly finds herself embroiled in a mystery whose answers could ultimately decide the outcome of England’s war with Napoleon.
Behind the Book
I wrote Wrapped while waiting for my editorial letter for Shift to come as a way to keep myself busy and distracted. I wrote it first because I was fascinated with the notion of mummy unwrapping parties, but soon found myself blending in my devotion to all things Jane Austen, Indiana Jones, and Alias. Along the way, the historical context emerged, and the bits I could lift from the Napoleonic wars and the time period were unbelievably perfect. Its an admittedly unholy combination, but I love the story and the characters, and can’t wait to share Agnes with the world. Atheneum will also publish a sequel to Wrapped eventually. I haven’t settled on a title yet, but I’ve turned in the first draft and am trying to persuade my husband that we need to travel to Egypt to do research.
Awards and Honors
What’s a spirited young London debutante to do when her entire life seems planned out for her? Agnes longs for adventure, and the Egyptian antiquities making their way to England for collection purposes prove just the right opportunity. Mummy unwrappings occur at posh parties, and as repulsed as Agnes is by this pastime and the cultural disrespect it reflects, she is put on the spot at one point and secretly (so she thinks) discovers a small jackal figure in the process. The find turns out to be the missing piece in an international spy drama…
Bradbury weaves Egyptology, Napoleonic conquest and a flirtation with the supernatural into a spy thriller that is a marked departure from her 2008 debut, Shift. The story is steeped in the historical details of the period, even as the author’s note outlines the liberties taken with the timeline. Austen fans who wish her characters would get up off their settees and risk an adventure will enjoy Bradbury’s smart, feisty heroine (who is herself an avid reader of A Lady).
A winning combination of Egyptian mythology, English Regency, and just a hint of romance, this charming caper delivers both historical detail and boisterous entertainment. Agnes is probably a bit more forward-thinking than the heroines of her beloved Jane Austen, but her wit and charisma serve her well as she negotiates the fallout of a mummy’s curse and a possible foreign invasion while adhering to her mother’s strict notions of propriety—at least while in polite company. The book provides a bad guy who is easy to hate, a love interest who is easy to love, and a happy ending that gives Agnes both romance and adventure, so readers need only to bring a cup of tea and a cozy chair to complete the picture.
Testimonials
“What’s a spirited young London debutante to do when her entire life seems planned out for her? Agnes longs for adventure, and the Egyptian antiquities making their way to England for collection purposes prove just the right opportunity. Mummy unwrappings occur at posh parties, and as repulsed as Agnes is by this pastime and the cultural disrespect it reflects, she is put on the spot at one point and secretly (so she thinks) discovers a small jackal figure in the process. The find turns out to be the missing piece in an international spy drama involving Napoléon’s planned invasion of England. Enter a handsome young Egyptologist clerk at the British Museum who captures Agnes’ heart and an overbearing and prominent young lord who also plays for her affections, and readers have the makings of a bold and daring historical adventure tale with a brave, quick-thinking heroine at its center. A good mystery for fans of the plucky heroine in Julia Golding’s Cat Royal Adventures.”
–Booklist, May 2011
“An 1815 parlor diversion leads to a fizzy, frothy caper. Agnes is a Regency debutante with an inquisitive mind, a nose for trouble and some not-insignificant feminist objections to the process of finding a husband. When she pockets the trinket she finds among the linens at her neighbor’s mummy-unwrapping party, she unwittingly sets off a series of catastrophes will that include burglaries, violent attacks and murder. Her guilt drives her to investigate the mysteries surrounding the mummy and the party guests, drawing her into a tenuous partnership with a British Museum janitor while at the same time dodging the advances of Lord Showalter, the party’s host and the most sought- after suitor in London. The secrets she uncovers have consequences both personal and political, giving her quest a heightened urgency. Bradbury weaves Egyptology, Napoleonic conquest and a flirtation with the supernatural into a spy thriller that is a marked departure from her 2008 debut, Shift. The story is steeped in the historical details of the period, even as the author’s note outlines the liberties taken with the timeline. Austen fans who wish her characters would get up off their settees and risk an adventure will enjoy Bradbury’s smart, feisty heroine (who is herself an avid reader of A Lady).”
–Kirkus, May 2011
“Just weeks before her debut, Agnes Wilkins finds herself embroiled in a mystery that threatens not only her place in the upper echelon of English society but the very security of the mother country itself. Not that Agnes at all minds the upheaval—as an avid fan of A Lady (Jane Austen’s early pseudonym) and other novelists, Agnes is keen for some excitement before proper society determines her fate. When she discovers—with help from a handsome museum worker—that the trinket she stole from Lord Showalter’s mummy-unwrapping contains a secret message,she’s thrilled at the prospect of a real adventure. Excitement soon turns to fear, however, when she realizes that the secret message concerns not some long-ago pharaoh but the current leader of France, Napoleon, and his advancement upon Britain. A winning combination of Egyptian mythology, English Regency, and just a hint of romance, this charming caper delivers both historical detail and boisterous entertainment. Agnes is probably a bit more forward-thinking than the heroines of her beloved Jane Austen, but her wit and charisma serve her well as she negotiates the fallout of a mummy’s curse and a possible foreign invasion while adhering to her mother’s strict notions of propriety—at least while in polite company. The book provides a bad guy who is easy to hate, a love interest who is easy to love, and a happy ending that gives Agnes both romance and adventure, so readers need only to bring a cup of tea and a cozy chair to complete the picture.”
–Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books, August 2011