The Pear Affair

The Pear Affair

“Masterfully maintains suspense . . . with twists and turns galore and a cast of charming, loyal friends, all set against the special atmosphere of Paris. . . . A tour de force.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Penelope Magnificent spends as little time as possible with her awful parents—a grocery-mogul father and a fashion-obsessed mother who loves expensive purses more than she does her daughter. But when they mention an important trip to Paris, Nell begs to come along. Paris holds something very dear to her: her old au pair Perrine—Pear—who lives there. Pear used to write to Nell every week, promising to come to her rescue, but recently the letters stopped. With the help of a savvy bellboy named Xavier, Nell sets out from her parents’ ultra-fancy Parisian hotel to find her beloved Pear. But Pear’s old neighbors and coworkers are strangely tight-lipped. And as Nell’s search for the truth takes her and Xavier to some of the darkest, most mysterious parts of the city, a sinister plot comes to light involving the destruction of a cherished—and delicious—part of Parisian life. Food, fashion, and intrigue abound in this delightful caper from the author of The Secret Starling. Eagle masterfully maintains suspense, dispensing new clues as the events escalate, with twists and turns galore and a cast of charming, loyal friends, all set against the special atmosphere of Paris. Soft, full-page, pencil-and-ink illustrations highlight key events. A satisfying conclusion finds the villains punished, bakeries restored, and a whole new life for Nell. . . . A tour de force. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) As delightful and delicious as a Parisian boulangerie creation. —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Set in 1969, the engaging story revolves around Nell and her new allies, who recognize a kindred spirit and try to help her, just as she extends herself to help them. An assortment of villainous adults and several kind ones round out the cast of characters while occasional black-and-white drawings illustrate this fast-paced, enjoyable mystery. —Booklist In this fun and lively story illustrated by Jo Rioux, Nell finds herself among francophones in a state of alarm: A 'mysterious spore' is wrecking the city’s supply of baguettes. As Nell races to track down the missing Pear, she acquires a posse of quirky friends, uncovers a dastardly scheme and learns certain terrible (but ultimately acceptable) truths about her own life. —The Wall Street Journal Eagle's entertaining mystery has everything: a plucky heroine, colorful villains, thrilling action and a most satisfying ending. —The Buffalo News Judith Eagle has worked as a stylist, fashion editor, and features writer. She now spends her mornings writing and her afternoons working in a secondary school library. The Pear Affair is her second novel. Judith Eagle lives with her family and her cat, Stockwell, in South London. Jo Rioux is the illustrator of The Secret Starling by Judith Eagle . She has illustrated young adult novels, chapter books, picture books, and graphic novels, including Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine , which she also wrote, and The Daughters of Ys by M. T. Anderson. Jo Rioux lives in Ottawa. ONE You would think, thought Nell as she aimed a kick at one of the marble cats that sat on either side of the front door, if you named your daughter after your favorite handbag, you would cherish her as much, if not more, than you cherished the bag.    But Nell’s parents did not cherish her. She wasn’t sure they even liked her. Today, for instance, they’d actually forgotten about her!    Sometimes Nell stayed at school during vacation time. “Out of sight, out of mind” was one of her parents’ favorite sayings. But now the dorms were being fumigated, and all the families had been expressly told that not one pupil was allowed to remain on-site.    Yet even though the Magnificents had received exactly the same letter as everyone else, when all the other parents started to arrive—surprise, surprise—there was no sign of them. No car swept up the drive for Nell; no mother or father leaped out, calling greetings. And no one, in a flurry of suitcases, hockey sticks, and spinning tires, whisked her away.    Instead, Nell was forced to do what she always did: hang around by the steps, watch as the crowd dwindled, and practice an air of studied nonchalance, as if she didn’t give a fig that nobody cared.    “You’ll have to make your own way home,” the head of school had said, making it sound like a piece of cake and not the epic journey (three trains, two buses, a long walk) that it really was. “I suppose I’ll have to loan you the money for the train fare and your lunch,” she added reluctantly. “Make sure your parents pay it back.”    To make matters worse, the gates to Magnificent Heights were locked when Nell had finally arrived, and she’d had to climb over them, which was truly precarious, and she’d snagged her favorite jeans on one of th