Bradley's protagonist, 11-year-old Flavia de Luce, is so precocious that, if she existed, every adult she met would be itching to slap her. However, like many of her fictional kind, she is charming and engaging on paper, even with her implausible knowledge of chemistry and breadth of cultural reference. Set in an English village in 1950, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie reads like a cross between Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle (posh family fallen on hard times, dead mother, disengaged father, crumbling pile) and the Addams family (Flavia has a well-appointed laboratory where she makes poisons to test on her spiteful elder sisters). A strong plot, involving philately, ornithology and prestidigitation, and a wonderful supporting cast make this Canadian novelist's debut delightfully entertaining.

 Laura Wilson's most recent novel is Stratton's War (Orion).