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Review: The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls

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The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls
By Judith Rossell
New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.

Maggie Fishbone knows her future prospects are not great.  She is being forced to leave the orphanage where she has lived for most of her life after she violently pushed a boy into the harbor. It didn't matter that the boy deserved to be pushed into the harbor, her bad behavior is unforgiveable and now she is being sent to the Midwatch Institute for Orphans. The wayward institute is known for being extremely strict and executing harsh punishments for bad behavior. She has resigned herself to life at the institute, but she wasn't prepared for the unconventional education she would receive.  Imagine her surprise when she learns that the institute's forbidding exterior is a cover. The Midwatch Institute is actually a secret training ground for young, female crimefighters. 

All of the young girls are watched over and guided by Miss Adelia Mandely. They are taught useful skills such as fencing, Morse code, safecracking, lockpicking and other spy skills. Their headquarters are hidden in an old subway station and they use their perceived innocence as "harmless little girls" to their advantage. 

If you enjoy reading Lemony Snicket's series and humorous mysteries with strong female characters, this is the book for you. A fast moving adventure story that will have you cheering the characters on as they embark on their first exciting case.

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