Often mistaken for a boy because of her haircut and name, Alex Morningside is an inquisitive girl of ten-and-a-half who attends the prestigious Wigpowder-Steele Academy. Unfortunately, though she loves to learn, Alex just can’t bring herself to enjoy her classes. Her teachers are all old and smelly and don’t seem to know about anything that has happened in the world the past thirty years, and her peers…well they are quite simply ridiculous. Luckily for Alex, the new school year brings an exciting new teacher. Mr. Underwood makes lessons fun and teaches her how to fence. But Mr. Underwood has a mysterious family secret - the swashbuckling and buried treasure kind - and not everyone is glad he has come to Wigpowder-Steele. When the infamous pirates of a ship called the Ironic Gentleman kidnap Mr. Underwood, Alex sets off on a journey to rescue him, along the way encountering a cast of strange and magical characters, including the dashing and sometimes heroic Captain Magnanimous, Coriander the Conjurer, the Extremely Ginormous Octopus, and the wicked Daughters of the Founding Fathers’ Preservation Society.
Alex and the Ironic Gentleman
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"I read Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, and to be honest it had me at the title. A clever title to live up to and the story did not disappoint. I found it quirky, hilarious and genuinely exhilirating. There was a nod to Lewis Carroll and a wink to Charles Dickens, but no more than that, Adrienne's words are packed with originality. Alex is a wonderful hero who deserves to return for further adventures, indeed I suspect there will be a riot if she does not. Great plot, larger than life characters. The future is bright." -- Eoin Colfer, Best-selling Author of the Artemis Fowl Series
"This is a swashbuckling tale of adventure and loyalty in the tradition of The Princess Bride and Harry Potter." -- Michelle Branch, Editor Smartgirl.org
Starred Review.
Kress's debut is a wonderful blend of whimsy and moral, with winks at the reader on every page. Alex, who lives with her uncle in the flat above their doorknob shop, is dreading the sixth grade and the stern teacher who comes with it, but on the first day she learns that a new teacher has been installed - the young Mr. Underwood ("a marvelous teacher despite being ever so distinctly odd"). He turns out to be a descendant of a famous pirate, and soon three vicious men turn up in town, looking for a map to a fabled family treasure. The map is somewhere in a stately manor house, run by the vicious old ladies of the Daughters of the Founding Fathers' Preservation Society; Alex finds the map and escapes, but returns home to find that her uncle has been killed and Mr. Underwood has been kidnapped by the pirates of the shop Ironic Gentleman. She sets off to find him and has some odd encounters along the way (at one point, she meets an enormous octopus, distraught over how computer animation has wrecked his movie career). Eventually, Alex ends up on the Ironic Gentleman, face to face with the dreaded Captain Steele the Inevitable, whose identity comes as a big surprise. Kress has a delightfully simple, observational prose style that recalls A.A. Milne, right down to the frequent capitalization of Good Things and Very Interesting Things and so on. This inspired book should hold up to many re-readings. Ages 10-up. -- Publishers Weekly, September 2007 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
"This is a swashbuckling tale of adventure and loyalty in the tradition of The Princess Bride and Harry Potter." -- Michelle Branch, Editor Smartgirl.org
Starred Review.
Kress's debut is a wonderful blend of whimsy and moral, with winks at the reader on every page. Alex, who lives with her uncle in the flat above their doorknob shop, is dreading the sixth grade and the stern teacher who comes with it, but on the first day she learns that a new teacher has been installed - the young Mr. Underwood ("a marvelous teacher despite being ever so distinctly odd"). He turns out to be a descendant of a famous pirate, and soon three vicious men turn up in town, looking for a map to a fabled family treasure. The map is somewhere in a stately manor house, run by the vicious old ladies of the Daughters of the Founding Fathers' Preservation Society; Alex finds the map and escapes, but returns home to find that her uncle has been killed and Mr. Underwood has been kidnapped by the pirates of the shop Ironic Gentleman. She sets off to find him and has some odd encounters along the way (at one point, she meets an enormous octopus, distraught over how computer animation has wrecked his movie career). Eventually, Alex ends up on the Ironic Gentleman, face to face with the dreaded Captain Steele the Inevitable, whose identity comes as a big surprise. Kress has a delightfully simple, observational prose style that recalls A.A. Milne, right down to the frequent capitalization of Good Things and Very Interesting Things and so on. This inspired book should hold up to many re-readings. Ages 10-up. -- Publishers Weekly, September 2007 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Adrienne Kress, a writer and actor, was born and raised in Toronto. She earned her degree in drama from the University of Toronto and moved to England to study futher at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Her play, A Weekend in the Country, was produced at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. On a visit to the quaint city of Bath, in the UK, Adrienne was inspired by everything she saw. It was in this town that the story of Alex and the Ironic Gentleman was created.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is sure to be a hit with fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Artemis Fowl and Children Of The Lamp. Imaginative and funny, action packed and exciting, this is a book that any child (and some adults) would want to read again and again.
Alex is an orphan, her parents having been involved in a tragic spelunking incident in Iceland. She lives with her Uncle, who owns a doorknob store on the side of a bridge, and she attends a fancy-schmancy school called The Wigpowder-Steele Academy.
It seems that the original Wigpowder was a very wealthy pirate, who entrusted the distribution of his spoils to a rich philanthropist named Steele by way of a treasure map. Over time, bitter family feuds and fencing duels, the location of the map was forgotten and new generations of Wigpowders and Steeles are still quite busy hunting for it. Sure enough, some very unpleasant gentlemen soon arrive in town, and before long the trouble begins.
The next chapters follow Alex on dangerous missions, including encounters with the dastardly Daughters of the Founding Fathers' Preservation Society, a train ride to nowhere in particular, and a hotel very much like the Hotel California (you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.) She also encounters fascinating characters like The Extremely Ginormous Octopus, Lord Poppinjay, the MakeCold 6000 and Coriander the Conjuror, and ingeniously named places like Port Cullis and The Gangrene Inn.
Her goal is to find the notorious Pirate Captain Steele and the ship Ironic Gentleman, and then hopefully successfully execute a rescue mission. Along the way she enlists the services of the noble and upright Captain Magnanimous and his ship HMS Valiant, and takes part in a nautical battle. As if all that weren't enough, there's a tricky riddle still to be solved, and treasure to be found.
Immensely entertaining and wonderfully creative, this one is highly recommended for readers of all ages.
Amanda Richards
Alex is an orphan, her parents having been involved in a tragic spelunking incident in Iceland. She lives with her Uncle, who owns a doorknob store on the side of a bridge, and she attends a fancy-schmancy school called The Wigpowder-Steele Academy.
It seems that the original Wigpowder was a very wealthy pirate, who entrusted the distribution of his spoils to a rich philanthropist named Steele by way of a treasure map. Over time, bitter family feuds and fencing duels, the location of the map was forgotten and new generations of Wigpowders and Steeles are still quite busy hunting for it. Sure enough, some very unpleasant gentlemen soon arrive in town, and before long the trouble begins.
The next chapters follow Alex on dangerous missions, including encounters with the dastardly Daughters of the Founding Fathers' Preservation Society, a train ride to nowhere in particular, and a hotel very much like the Hotel California (you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.) She also encounters fascinating characters like The Extremely Ginormous Octopus, Lord Poppinjay, the MakeCold 6000 and Coriander the Conjuror, and ingeniously named places like Port Cullis and The Gangrene Inn.
Her goal is to find the notorious Pirate Captain Steele and the ship Ironic Gentleman, and then hopefully successfully execute a rescue mission. Along the way she enlists the services of the noble and upright Captain Magnanimous and his ship HMS Valiant, and takes part in a nautical battle. As if all that weren't enough, there's a tricky riddle still to be solved, and treasure to be found.
Immensely entertaining and wonderfully creative, this one is highly recommended for readers of all ages.
Amanda Richards
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Reading Adrienne Kress' Alex and the Ironic Gentleman is like plunging back into childhood. Like the first time I read
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Puffin Novels).
This is not hyperbole. Kress' narrative voice pulled me in and made me feel like I was riding next to Alex on her bike through the forest, dancing the Charleston on a mysterious train, and always, always searching for her missing teacher, Mr. Underwood. (That's Alex as in Alexandra, in case anyone is puzzled.) Kress' villains are creepy and just a little bit buffoonish, perfect for a Middle Grade book. Her pirates (Of course there are pirates. And sword fighting. And buried treasure.) are definitely not the good guys. The true heroes in this book are the unexpected ones.
On her quest to rescue Mr. Underwood, Alex's adventures run the gamut of "eww, gross!" to despair to excitement to joy. How gross? Locked in an old mansion and forced to give foot rubs to sinister old ladies who all have damp, smelly, squishy feet. How joyous? Sorry. I won't spoil the swashbuckling climax.
Alex is a modern girl in a modern world. One of the pirates uses a laptop to chronicle their history. The police station has a standard two-way mirror. And Alex attempts to convince one character that being a movie star is a good career move. Kress weaves sparkling fantasy seamlessly into this contemporary setting: the reluctant actor just happens to be the Extremely Ginormous Octopus. And every time Giggles the cat gave Alex a dirty look, I expected him to start talking..
Not much makes me feel like a kid again. Alex and the Ironic Gentleman did it by page five. Like one of those old movie trailers, I laughed, I cried, I wanted more.
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Puffin Novels).
This is not hyperbole. Kress' narrative voice pulled me in and made me feel like I was riding next to Alex on her bike through the forest, dancing the Charleston on a mysterious train, and always, always searching for her missing teacher, Mr. Underwood. (That's Alex as in Alexandra, in case anyone is puzzled.) Kress' villains are creepy and just a little bit buffoonish, perfect for a Middle Grade book. Her pirates (Of course there are pirates. And sword fighting. And buried treasure.) are definitely not the good guys. The true heroes in this book are the unexpected ones.
On her quest to rescue Mr. Underwood, Alex's adventures run the gamut of "eww, gross!" to despair to excitement to joy. How gross? Locked in an old mansion and forced to give foot rubs to sinister old ladies who all have damp, smelly, squishy feet. How joyous? Sorry. I won't spoil the swashbuckling climax.
Alex is a modern girl in a modern world. One of the pirates uses a laptop to chronicle their history. The police station has a standard two-way mirror. And Alex attempts to convince one character that being a movie star is a good career move. Kress weaves sparkling fantasy seamlessly into this contemporary setting: the reluctant actor just happens to be the Extremely Ginormous Octopus. And every time Giggles the cat gave Alex a dirty look, I expected him to start talking..
Not much makes me feel like a kid again. Alex and the Ironic Gentleman did it by page five. Like one of those old movie trailers, I laughed, I cried, I wanted more.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By R. Potter
Format:Hardcover
I loved this book! It held my attention from beginning to end and I wasn't sure how that ending would happen. When it did, it was very satisfying. I'll definitely be reading more by Kress. Great book!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing book-new favorite.
Alex goes on amazing adventures to save her school teacher from the evil wrath of the pirates aboard the ironic gentlemen. Read more
Published 3 months ago by steve lopez
3.0 out of 5 stars
A fun read, but a little questionable for a young reader
A FEW SPOILERS AHEAD, but IMPORTANT INFO FOR PARENTS!...As a mom of an 8 year old very advanced reader, we do enjoy reading many books of the genre (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson,... Read more
Published 14 months ago by CeCe Doub
1.0 out of 5 stars
very upsetting book
My children (ages 10 and 8) and I listened to this book on CD. It started out delightful to listen to and the story was interesting and fast-paced throughout. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Deborah
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too many deaths
I thought that, although it was a good story, there were far too many deaths. They could have found anything better to do with Coriander than kill him. Read more
Published 16 months ago
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too many deaths
I thought that, although it was a good story, there were far too many deaths. They could have found anything better to do with Coriander than kill him. Read more
Published 16 months ago
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too many deaths
I thought that, although it was a good story, there were far too many deaths. They could have found anything better to do with Coriander than kill him. Read more
Published 16 months ago
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Mind Captured
I absolutely loved this book, it had me from the first paragraph. Adrienne has a writing style that is nothing but unique. Read more
Published on September 11, 2010 by M Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
A modern Pirate story
This book sounded like a lot of fun. I got it out of the library in CD's. Its not something I would normally read, there's a little violence and some death, but I loved it. Read more
Published on May 21, 2010
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disjointed and random
Generally I don't find it to be a good sign when you could take fully half of a book, shuffle the chapters around in random order, and end up with it making as much sense as the... Read more
Published on March 13, 2010 by Cynthia Cooper
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent transition book for young readers
I got this for my 4th grader, but then saw it was 300 pages and worried it would be too much for her. Read more
Published on March 5, 2010 by Jadecat
