Reading Level:  8-12

Open the pages to enter the "Very Secrete Daybooke" of Lady Grace Cavendish, a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth.  In this, her third diary of adventure, she is on progress with the Queen's court, traveling the countryside as the Queen visits her people.

There are the friendships and frustrations of living with the other ladies in waiting, not to mention the charms of the visiting Swedish Prince and his attendants.  However, not everything is as bucolic as it might seem - the Queen repeatedly falls victim to dangerous mishaps.  Are they merely accidents, or is there a dangerous plot afoot?

Patricia Finney has crafted a winning character in Lady Grace, who has two skills very useful to any series detective:  a knack for thoughtful observation and a talent for making friends in many places.  She can even flirt a little, when absolutely necessary.

The Conspiracy plot, however, is fairly simplistic, and perhaps mysterious only for younger readers.  Yet the fate of one of the fairly prominent characters might come as a rude surprise to readers who were beguiled by the book's generally light tone, and makes the book better suited for the 11-12 age range.

Except for this slight dichotomy, however, Conspiracy offers that rare find, an entertaining, escapist (and even, dare I say it, mildly educational), mystery for kids.

— Jennifer Spray Doering, Member SCBWI