Beginning in 1937, this book is written in a first-person journal narration from the point of view of a romantic but practical girl named Sophie who lives with her sister, her cousin, a mad uncle and a few others on a tiny fictional island in the Bay of Biscay. Her uncle happens to be the King of Montmaray, but the island has been all but abandoned after the first World War and the second War is now threatening to destroy all that is left.

Sophia's conversational, witty journal entries are delightful. I fell in love with the island of Montmaray, its empty village and crumbling castle, and worried about it's future just as the characters did. This book shows the full range of what a YA novel can be: light, funny, charming, scary, suspenseful and full of real danger. I highly recommend it.