By Katy Kim ’18, Staff Writer

After a summer of watermelon and pool-side picnics, we reach the bottom of the “pie” that is the sweet fall season. One of fall’s classic activities is curling up in a warm nook, clutching a steaming mug of spiced chai or apple cider and reading a beloved book — which brings me back to my ultimate fall read and reread, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a historical mystery that unfolds in a dilapidated English country manor shrouded in mystery. Need I say more? The novel’s protagonist, Flavia de Luce, is a precocious eleven year-old sleuth and

chemist who has a penchant for poison. While this may sound like a juvenile concoction of randomness, the novel is anything but that. The language is elegant and sharp, and I constantly have to look up words or write down something especially witty.

A dead bird with a stamp attached to its beak is found on a front step of Buckshaw, Flavia’s home, and then one night Flavia awakes to find a body in her garden. As Flavia attempts to solve these seemingly isolated mysteries, she realizes that they are all connected to the “de Luces.” Her withdrawn father, Colonel Haviland, and Dogger, the groundskeeper with PTSD, know something huge and Flavia is determined to figure out her first mystery, of course accompanied by Gladys—her faithful bicycle.

All in all, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a satisfying, filling read similar to the experience of savoring a scrumptious slice of Thanksgiving pie. Next up on my reading list: The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag. Happy fall reading!