Milford is a master at creating intricate worlds infused with an element of the fantastical…For the setting of The Left-Handed Fate, Milford concocts a captivating portrait of 19th-century sloops and brigs with their lamp-lit captain's quarters, copper-bound sea chests and late-night snacks of biscuits and sherry…This world has a seductive, fairy-tale quality—Patrick O'Brian's Captain Aubrey series as seen through the lens of Hayao Miyazaki…Through her three heroes, [Milford]…sensitively explores the complexities of loyalty, duty and leadership in a way young readers will relate to. We also meet one of the most memorable middle-grade characters in recent memory: the Mad Spinster, a spidery-looking weaver with indigo-hued fingers, lips "stained a purple-red wine color" and a loom that may have answers to the book's mysteries…it's impossible not to admire The Left-Handed Fate for its epic scope, joyful evocation of life on the high seas and suspenseful mystery. As the Mad Spinster sighs, "There are so few truly wonderful puzzles to be had these days." Here, at least, is one.

"This world has a seductive, fairytale quality—Patrick O’Brian’s Captain Aubrey series as seen through the lens of Hayao Miyazaki. . . It's impossible not to admire The Left-Handed Fate for its epic scope, joyful evocation of life on the high seas and suspenseful mystery." —The New York Times Book Review

"Rich and strange of place and premise; suspenseful and thought-provoking." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Beautifully written, with careful attention to historical details . . . An unusually rigorous romp for lovers of steampunk, mystery, and swashbuckling adventure." —School Library Journal

"The story teems with lively characters and a captivating sense of place, all driven along by the engrossing puzzle of the mysterious contraption. . . . A colorful, swashbuckling caper full of heart." —Booklist

"The idea of achieving peace through superior firepower is effectively questioned over the course of the narrative, but it is the human questions of honor, courage, and generosity—embodied in decisive Lucy, philosophical Max, impish Liao, and dutiful Oliver—that will leave readers cheering by the book’s rousing close." —The Horn Book

★ 2016-05-18
An ancient inscription and a handful of inscrutable artifacts plunge three young people into both the War of 1812 and a much larger, older conflict.Opening in Baltimore then moving on to the not-entirely-earthly town of Nagspeake (setting, in another era, of Milford's Greenglass House, 2014), the tale centers on staid, methodical "natural philosopher" Max Ault; 12-year-old American naval officer Oliver Dexter; and fiery Lucy Bluecrowne, daughter of a renowned British privateer, captain of the titular ship. It pits them against both relentless French pursuers and mysterious men in black with eldritch abilities. The prize is a three-part device made thousands of years ago and said to be able to stop war…a superweapon, or so everyone (nearly everyone) presumes. Along with being replete with rousing chases, races, and violent explosions, the tale is uncommonly rich in memorable characters, from the central three, who all display stout hearts and hidden depths, to Lucy's 9-year-old half brother, part-Chinese Liao: pacifist, expert lockpick, and fireworks genius extraordinaire. The labyrinthine Nagspeake itself is magical and vivid enough to serve as more than just a setting (and deservedly sports a metafictional website). Wheeler's neatly turned monochromes capture the tale's warmth and wonder, though (at least as she depicts it) the cast appears to be white, excepting Liao. Rich and strange of place and premise; suspenseful and thought-provoking. (Fantasy. 11-13)