This is the third book in a series that originally attracted my attention because of its beautiful cover. Who says "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Kat, Incorrigible was a wonderful romp through Regency England with a headstrong, magical heroine. Renegade Magic and Stolen Magic continue the delightful adventures of Katherine Ann Stephenson as she deals with the marriage of two sisters, the surprising moral 180 of an older brother, and generally as much social disruption and can possibly be handled.
I love that Kat isn't afraid to act outside the bounds of "polite" society. Although it probably would have been extremely rare to find a woman, let alone a girl, in the early 1800s with as much leeway to get away with such precocious behavior, it is also true that the overly proprietary Elissa and Mr. Collingwood are wonderfully endearing caricatures of the time. The idea of what a girl can do and what a boy can do is still unfortunately a part of society today, as much as we try to forget that we are a gendered society. With Kat, Stephanie Burgis has created a spunky young heroine that shows her readers its ok to act like a boy, ok to question the authority of adults, ok to screw up as long as you learn from it, and, most importantly, ok to be proud of who you are.
Since I started reading this series I've recommended Kat, Incorrigible to friends my age, granddaughters of people I meet while getting my oil changed, and patrons at my library. I think this series is great for kids who are joyful readers, but also a good alternative to the overly stereotyped princess books or the Disney fairy books. These books have a historical setting; they have interesting factual nuggets about life in the Regency period and English history.
Stephanie Burgis has a wonderful way with words. The sentence of the first book made me sure that I had chosen the right book for me. "I was twelve years of age when I chopped off my hair, dressed as a boy, and set off to save my family from impending ruin." It creates a wonderful image in my mind of precocious little Kat, shorn hair and all, making her break from freedom. But precisely what was so wonderful about it was that its something that everyone can relate to. I may not have chopped off my hair, but I had grand plans and adventures as a kid that had the same sense of seriousness that Kat is experiencing. Kat always cuts right to the chase, in this way she acts as your translator to polite conversation. All in all, this series is a journey worth taking. You'll cheer for her, worry for her, and laugh with her through all of her wild adventures.
