Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules For Spying

by Amanda Hosch

When Mabel's parents leave town without warning, she isn't worried. They're spies, after all. But when her beloved Aunt Gertie is arrested for leading a smuggling ring, then her obnoxious Uncle Frank and Aunt Stella show up, demanding to be let into the family's private museum things begin to look fishy. Especially since Mabel hasn't heard from her parents in days. Tackling a mystery like this one is what she has been training for her whole, short life. Using her self-authored spy handbook, will Mabel be able to find her parents and unmask the real criminal before it's too late?

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Espionage, Childrens, Young Adult

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2017

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun page-turner of a mystery with awesome characters (from Mabel Opal herself to her full-of-surprises cousin Victoria and Victoria's dense parents) in a fantastic setting, a small town near Mt. Rainier in the Pacific Northwest. Spies, double agents, stolen goods, antique spoons, hikes, delicious cinnamon pity buns, and clues at every turn - I didn't want to leave Moppet's world.

[Sarafina]

-DNF- I really liked the first few chapters but then it takes an unexpected turn! I really can’t stand to read about adults bullying children. It makes my blood boil so I’m done with this one!

[Joanne O'Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, funny little book! Mabel lives in a place that's ripe for mystery: in the tiny town of Silverton, in the shadow of Mt. Rainer. Her family runs the local antique spoon museum (love this!), but her parents have another super secret job: they are Cleaners, called in to mop up when a spy mission goes amiss. During those times when her parents are globetrotting, Mabel has to stay with Aunt Gertie. When nefarious Uncle Frank and his family blow back into town, poor Aunt Gertie ends up in jail and only Mabel (and her friend Stanley) can untangle the knot of what's really going on. Trust no one!

[Liza Wiemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a special book for your middle grader? This was great fun. STEM friendly with lots of mystery. Learned a lot and every wannabe spy will gobble this up! Loved it!

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book! I love middle grade with kid spies and this story was a great read. She's smart, clever, and definitely won my heart. Kids (and adults) will love this one.

[Wendy Heipt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is smart. It's well-written, has a likable protagonist, and kept me interested from start to finish. I can honestly say that it is the book I would give to any YA reader! My hope is that it's the start of a series??????

[Edshara · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an electronic ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a pleasant surprise and I am so happy that I was given the opportunity to read it.

I am a big fan of good communication in books and Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules For Spying did not disappoint. It was so refreshing to see that even though Mabel's parents led a secretive life, she was in on it. The story is a good mix of telling Mabel enough to keep her alert, yet not so much that she would be in danger. It was easier to follow that narrative than it would have been to believe that all these things are happening and Mabel wasn't aware. When books that are geared towards younger readers, reflect just how smart they are, it is always a good thing.

Mabel was a nicely written protagonist. She was easy to like and easy to root for. Mabel was able to stand up for herself and push back when needed. At the same time, she wasn't so hardcore, that she lacked the ability to show vulnerability or compassion. She knew when to step up and when it was necessary to fall in line, even if she didn't agree.

Mabel's relationship with her best friend Stanley was a good addition to the story and I enjoyed reading their interactions. I only wish we would have seen more of him throughout the story. Since they had such a devoted friendship, I think it would have been more fitting, if he was more involved in the plot. It would have, also, been nice to see a bit more action, even though the events in the book were probably more realistic.

Overall this book was quirky and fun to read. The characters are well written, even if, they aren't all likable. Their was a big focus on family, friendship and trust and all themes were handled well. This is an enjoyable read that is easy to recommend.

[Awanish Verma]

I am good.

[Tate Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book! The setting was very creative, as well as the plot line. I loved how complex the characters were and how at some points, you couldn't tell who the antagonist was. The idea for the book was incredibly original and it drew me in from the beginning. I loved it! I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys mystery books and spy books, but especially people from late elementary school through middle school. I, as an eighth grader, loved this book and highly recommend reading it.

[Arlene Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Middle Grade Mystery" - that's one of my most-used book search terms. Mabel Opal Pear is the perfect book for me. Favorites for Reference: The Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Nancy Drew, Mr. Lemoncello's Library and the Book Scavenger.

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book via Netgalley.

The title, cover, and synopsis of this book drew me in immediately. A little ten year old named Mabel -- come on! How cute is that! I think my galley was missing a few pages in front and back, but I got most of the rest of the novel and ADORE it. I cannot wait for this to come out and for my 9 year old daughter and 10 year old son to be able to read it. I know they will both love it too. I think the inner child in all of us once wanted to be a spy and this book definitely brought me back to my childhood and how much I loved following clues and figuring out whodunit. Mabel is an absolutely strong character. She's brilliant and likeable. I would want to be friends with Mabel. I would want my kids to be friends with Mabel. I loved all the little spy nuances that her parents left behind to keep Mabel in the loop. The attention to detail that Hosch put into this book was just superb. The characters and plot were just so rich and strong. I cannot say enough good things about this book.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mabel Opal Pear has known for years that her parents are spies. They are cleaners. The agency calls them up whenever some other spy has made a mess, and they need someone to fix it. They use the family's silver spoons museum as their cover and claim they are traveling to go to estate sales and check out potential acquisitions for the family museum. No one but Mabel and her Aunt Gertie know the truth. Usually Aunt Gertie is the one who takes care of Mabel when her parents are called up on a job, but Mabel awakes this morning to find her cousin Victoria in her face and her estranged Aunt Stella and Uncle Frank downstairs. Aunt Gertie has been arrested on suspicion of theft, which Mabel knows is ridiculous. And Frankenstella have torn apart the downstairs obviously looking for something. Mabel tries to contact the Agency, but they have no record of her parents' latest job. So Mabel is on her own. She's got to figure out what is going on, get her aunt out of jail, protect the family business and her parents' secrets from whatever Frankenstella are after, and survive the week by following the rules for spying.

Wow, Mabel's Aunt Stella and Uncle Frank might as well have come straight out of tryouts for the Dursleys. They make #2 on the awful aunt and uncle to live with list in my book. Yikes. Victoria is thankfully not as bad as Dudley Dursley. In fact, she's kind of hard to peg whether she's friend or foe for much of the book. I was afraid the book was going to be completely miserable because of Frankenstella, but Mabel does have other adults in her small town who look out for her. Several of them have their hands tied from being able to all out help Mabel, but they do help in little ways. Mabel also have friends who look out for her. There's nothing outright in this book that pegs it as fantasy, but from the start it kind of had an unreal quality for me. Perhaps it was the fact that this is set in a small town by Mt. Rainier in Washington state, but the edition I was reading was the UK one so Mabel called her mom mum, the entire school system was referred to in British terms (like maths versus math, Year 5 instead of 6th grade, head teachers versus principal) and it really threw me for a whole town of American kids and adults to be using these British terms and systems. I'm not sure why they felt the need to change the school system. They certainly don't usually do that for American editions of British books. It's usual to switch terms like mum for mom, kerb for curb, lift for elevator, boot for trunk of the car, etc, but unusual to go this broad scale. I kept having to remind myself that Mabel was in Washington and not in England or something. The other thing that gave the book that kind of unreal quality is the whole set up. Frankenstella feel too crazy to be true, the whole back story for Mabel's grandparents was a little out there, and the idea that adults would just leave Mabel with these relatives when she's saying they don't have a legal right to and that they are doing strange things also seems sad (though not entirely out of the realm of possibility). I'm not saying that it was bad. It definitely worked for this story, but when you're going in be prepared for a spy story that seems almost fantasy not one that makes you wonder if your neighbors are secret agents. Recommended for fans of strong female characters, spy stories, mystery fans, and small town settings.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. There are more tense situations than perilous situations. There's some parental neglect going on that is addressed by the end of the book. Two men get in a fight, but don't seriously hurt each other.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mabel was born on Halloween and is a staring contest champion. Her parents, Fred and Jane, are “Cleaners”, top secret agents.

They would go into really bad situations around the world to clean up messes made by other spies.

When they’re at home, Fred maintains old telephone lines and repairs cell phone towers, while Jane is the curator of the family’s private museum, Le Petit Musée of Antique Silver Spoons.

Living in a town of only 267 people, you’d think it would be especially difficult to keep her parents’ secret from getting out but Mabel has her 36 Rules for a Successful Life as an Undercover Secret Agent to guide her.

In the lead up to her eleventh birthday, Mabel gets a lot of opportunities to practice her undercover agent skills. Her parents are out of town on a secret mission and her Aunt Gertie, who needs to make a batch of her famous cinnamon buns for me, has been arrested.

Frankenstella (her aunt and uncle) and her least favourite cousin, Victoria, show up and start eating all of Mabel’s food and bossing her around. Her aunt and uncle seem to have an unusual interest in spoons and a red suitcase that may or may not exist.

“I will not sugarcoat the truth. This situation is a big deal.”

Mabel is absolutely adorable but I doubt she’d like me describing her that way. She doesn’t know who she can trust but she’s resourceful and doesn’t give up.

Mabel’s best friend, Stanley, was my favourite character. He a photographer who doesn’t give spoiler alerts, so make sure you’re careful around him if he finishes your current read first. I wish he had more page time.

I have an unanswered question, the same one Mabel has at the end of the book.

Given there are 36 Rules for a Successful Life as an Undercover Secret Agent, it would have been pretty perfect if this book had 36 chapters. It has 35, although there’s also a preamble to the rules before the first chapter, so I’m counting it. I liked all of the rules but my favourite was 14.

Most people believe what they want to believe, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Don’t be most people.

Favourite no context quote:

“If I had any more luck, a big black hole would pop up in the living room, suck me in, and crush me until my eyeballs exploded and my bones turned to gelatinous goo.”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone Young Readers, an imprint of Capstone, for the opportunity to read this book.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book is recommended for children aged 9-12, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story has an interesting assortment of characters which include: the resilient and clever Mabel, AKA Moppet; her conniving cousin Victoria; a group of 9 close school friends; missing parents and an aunt in trouble with the law. Moppet is on her own, as the adults in the book are either out to take advantage of her or aren’t paying attention to what is really going on.

This is a wonderful book for young readers. It has a strong female lead and Stanley, her resourceful male friend. Stanley ends up being a big help even though he was clueless for much of the story since Moppet wasn’t sharing anything with him about what all was going on.

By the end of the book, the loose ends were neatly tied up, and one of the not-so-nice characters grew into a likable person. I’d love to see this become a series with Moppet and Stanley as the protagonists since I am sure it would appeal to young boys and girls.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

To the unsuspecting public, Mabel Opal Pear’s parents live sedate, quiet lives in their tiny town of Silverton. Her mom runs an antique spoon museum, and her dad works in the nearby national park. But Mabel knows the truth: her parents are spies who travel the world cleaning up messes.

When Mabel’s parents leave on an unexpected and extended spy mission, her hateful aunt and uncle arrive to look after her. Mabel has to keep herself safe while uncovering the real reason her aunt and uncle are in town. To survive, Mabel begins to follow her Rules for Spying—rules she wrote after discovering the truth about her parents.

This book had me hooked by the second chapter. It is exciting, full of surprises, and has plenty of mystery and intrigue. I loved Mabel, her sidekick Stanley, and her Aunt Gertie. Even awful cousin Victoria grew on me by the end.

I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book restored my faith in middle grade fiction. After a long line of over dramatic, overly poetic, sad kids books, this was like a breath of fresh air.
The plot was very well put together, the characters all dynamic enough to be enjoyable without trying to hard. It tugged at my heart strings, wanting her to be with her family and happy again, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I was rooting for all the characters, and was pleasantly surprised to see the main character realize she's treating some friends badly, and change. And there was also some redemption. It was really cool.
I am so glad I picked this up, because it seriously made me love middle grade spy books all over again. This was unique, fun, and funny. I was laughing out loud at some pages. I wish it was a long series, so I could read a ton of them.

[Casey Lyall · Rating 5 out of 5]

MABEL OPAL PEAR AND THE RULES FOR SPYING is one of my favourite types of middle grade books: smart and funny! When Mabel's spy parents go off the grid and her aunt is accused of heading up an international smuggling ring AND her *mostly likely evil* uncle starts lurking around the family's private museum, it's up to Mabel to save the day. Luckily, she's been training and has just the right skills for the job.

Quirky, engaging characters, delightful relationships, and clues that will keep you guessing at every turn. This was a fantastic, fast-paced read and I hope it's the beginning of a series!

P.S. I loved the inclusion of the rules at the start of every chapter - they were both fun and helpful!

[Vicki Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get this for your middle grade reader, it is a must read. Mabel Pear lives in a small town under Mt. Ranier, where cell service is spotty, the locals are quirky, and things get very complicated. Mabel's parents are spies, her aunt runs the local diner, the families spoon museum, and cares for Mabel while they are on missions. Mabel is training to be a spy of her own. When her parents cannot be reached, and a new local detective is acting suspicious, Mabel's spy skills get tested.
This book is fantastic. It appeals to boys and girls, has a rich setting, a smart and loveable main character, everything you want in a perfect middle grade novel. Purchase it for your child or classroom, or read it as an adult. I loved it.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Hosch’s delightful middle-grade debut, MABEL OPAL PEAR AND THE RULES FOR SPYING, tells the story of the eponymous Mabel Opal Pear, a plucky almost-11-year-old whose parents are international spies. While Mabel’s parents are away on a top-secret spy mission, young Mabel is cared for by her beloved, cinnamon-bun-baking aunt Gertie. But when Gertie is falsely arrested for smuggling and is sent to jail, Mabel smells a rat - namely, evil Uncle Frank and his equally evil wife, Stella. To solve the mystery, Mabel does what any young spy-in-training would do: She grabs her self-authored Rules for Spying handbook and gets to work. A fun, action-packed tale!

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mabel Opal Pear is not your ordinary almost-11-year-old. For one thing, her parents are spies. For another, she's a spy-in-training. She knows immediately that something is wrong when her parents disappear and her Aunt Stella, Uncle Frank, and Cousin Victoria show up. Victoria is mean, Frank is clueless and Stella is something else. Normally Aunt Gertie takes care of Mabel but she's in jail. So it's up to Mabel to not only run the family spoon museum but also figure out the mystery.
I couldn't quite get into Mabel's world. I'm not sure where the connection was missing. It seemed like a serviceable story with some interesting world-building but... not for me.

[Sheryl Scarborough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mabel Opal Pear will steal your heart and you'll be okay with that. She's super smart and savvy and she has a lot to keep up with. She dispenses with the parents in a very believable, organic way. And then she brings in an aunt and uncle reminiscent of the Dursleys. Frankenstella (the uncle + aunt) were horrible and she handles them in a believable manner. I loved Stanley and all the clues...the capital cities, the bat houses, the code names, the fake sunflowers. Every bit added to the enjoyment and even 30 pages from the end, while I knew it would be solved, I didn't know exactly how. Nice job. Fun reading.

[Rachel Rooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 2019-2020 Missouri Mark Twains Readers Award preliminary nominee (grades 4-6).

Mabel's family's spoon museum is really a front for their secret spy identities. After all they can travel the world looking at spoons at estate sales and who would get suspicious? Anyway, Mabel's parents leave town suddenly, her aunt is arrested, another aunt and uncle show up who are not exactly on good terms with the rest of the family, and it is up to Mabel to figure out what is going on.

This was just okay for me. Maybe I am burnt out on kid spy books or maybe it just wasn't that great. My family did have fun talking about the spoon museum.

[Jarrett Lerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterfully crafted, sharply written mystery-adventure with a unique, exciting premise and a cast of complex, intriguing characters. Mabel is a realistically flawed but exceptionally admirable protagonist, her ingenuity, loyalty, and courage standing out amid the story's shadier individuals. She's also just plain funny. Action, humor, and a bunch of excellent characters, all wonderfully written and bound up in a cleverly concocted mystery -- what more could a reader possibly ask for?

[Angela Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book! We read it aloud as a family, but this story, with an intelligent and brave almost-eleven-year-old heroine would be great for any 4th-6th grade reader. All of my kids - ages 6-11 loved it!

Mabel Opal Pear is a relatable and likeable heroine. Under the spy action and the mystery, there are good lessons about recognizing the friends you have and looking beyond the way other kids might act to see what's happening in their lives. Very well done!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A national park, rules for secret agenting, cinnamon rolls and one intrepid spy-in-training make this one fun book! Teachers and librarians, this is a perfect addition for your middle grade mystery collections.

[Wensday · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a debut novel, I found this was well written and entertaining. The story flowed well and I enjoyed this introduction to Mable. I’m hoping that there are more adventures to come from this author.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley for my honest review.

[Alexandra Ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, smart middle grade book. The mystery kept me turning pages until the very end. Middle grade readers will love Mabel's rules for spying, and mystery fans of any age will definitely enjoy this!

[Jaymie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding! Loved Mabel and her best friend Stanley (I would have loved more Stanley time), fantastic mystery! A few questions left open for a sequel. That will be a definite "must read" for me.

I received an electronic ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super fun mystery starring young sleuth MOP (Mabel Opal Pear), her secret agent parents, some pesky relatives, and a whole small town of interesting and interwoven characters. It'll draw you in and delight you as it does!

[Jonathan Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an adorable book. I loved it, and thought the mystery was a lot of fun. Kids will devour this. It was quirky and fun and Mabel was a great character. I highly recommend this, and look forward to more from this author!