Prudence Valiant, Aviatrix Extraordinaire

Anne Hutchings is a public-school teacher and librarian in Ajax,
Ontario.

Move over, James Bond: make way for Prudence Valiant, aviatrix
extraordinaire! Majka and Hunt have created a superheroine who loves
opera and who pilots her own plane; her swashbuckling adventures rival
those of Indiana Jones himself! From the time Pru accepts an important
commission from the Emir of Rinort, who asks her to attend the
coronation of the new Sultan of Samarkand, until she unmasks the Pasha
of Pum-Kin, thus foiling a dastardly plot against the Sultan, there is
never a dull moment in this novel.

Puzzled by the Emir’s whispered admonition “Holograms,” Pru sets
off to deliver his mysterious present to the new Sultan. Just getting to
Samarkand presents more of a challenge than anticipated. Pru’s efforts
to evade Fatima and the other villains sent to intercept her result in a
series of hair-raising and often humorous adventures. The
black-and-white illustrations, while not plentiful, add to the sense of
fun.

This book’s large type and short chapters will make it easily
accessible to students in grades 3 to 5, and a perfect choice for
children who have graduated to chapter books. Reluctant readers should
enjoy the fast-paced narrative. The fact that the hero is female makes
it particularly appealing. Happily, the authors imply in the last
paragraphs that further adventures of Prudence Valiant are possible. We
shall await them eagerly.