When thirteen year-old Jane Austen accompanies her older sister to a dance at their old school, she anticipates having a very boring time. Things start looking up, however, when she makes some friends including Brandon, a young musician, once enslaved, now assistant to the school’s dance instructor. When an expensive diamond necklace is stolen during the dance and Brandon becomes the chief suspect, Jane is determined to prove him innocent.

I will admit right off the top, I am a sucker for anything Jane Austen so when I saw Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar’s Ball, a middle grade historical fiction by Julia Golding on Netgalley, how could I resist? It is the second in the series but the first I have read and, despite being way way beyond the targeted audience, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The mystery is fairly interesting while managing to avoid anything that might be too upsetting for a young child and the language is modern while staying fairly true to the historical period making it an easy tale for a young reader.

But it is the character of Jane that makes this novel a whole lot of fun. She is smart, witty, independent, and refuses to accept the societal norms of the time for girls just like so many of her heroines in her books. Overall, I suspect that young readers will find it very entertaining.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunit to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )

Every page pulls into a world, where history, mystery and readiness to defy social boundaries beam from every page.

Jane likes to sit at home, read and enjoy life, but her older sister is determined to drag her along to a ball at her school. Once there, Jane feels out of place and soon discovers that the ball isn't so much as a social event for the students as it is a forefront to gain money for the financially suffering school. During the event, a necklace is stolen, and the blame falls on her new found friend, the dancing master's assistant and former slave.

I enjoyed reading the first book in this series, but this one was even better. (Here, I should add that it's not necessary to read the first book before diving into this one, but it does clear up some of the relationships and characters if the series is read as such.) Jane has a very independent character and more spunk than girls at that time should have. It makes her easy to root for, fun to watch, and inspiring, too. Like in the first book, Jane befriends those, whom society wants her to ignore and look down upon. And as in the first book, it's this person who catches the blame when things go wrong. Still, this book didn't feel like a copy of the first, but rather, was a wonderful read...even better than the first, since it flowed much more smoothly.

History comes to life in these pages. Still, the mystery as well as the characters are easy for modern middle graders can connect with. Jane has siblings she loves and gets upset with; she usually behaves but does step beyond the 'rules' when needed; and she's ready to stand up to adults and solve things on her own. She's witty and has a heart of gold. All of this sits in a historical setting with fitting dialogue, mannerisms, and standards. And it's still fun. There's the needed tension to keep the pages turning and heart to keep the characters sympathetic. There are unexpected twists and turns, although the mystery isn't extremely woven, and the reader can see the ending coming before Jane does.

This is a wonderful continuation of an interesting mystery series, and I have no doubt young sleuths and readers fans will enjoy this one. Plus, adult fans of Jane Austen will even enjoy taking a look inside. I received an ARC through Netgalley and found this one even better than the first. ( )