The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels

4.5

0.0 (0)

799 0

Write Review Add to favorites

Author(s)

Beth Lincoln

Publisher

Dutton Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

February 08, 2023

ISBN

978-0593533239

Buy This Book

On the day they are born, every Swift child is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name, and a definition. A definition it is assumed they will grow up to match.
Meet Shenanigan Swift: Little sister. Risk-taker. Mischief-maker.

Shenanigan is getting ready for the big Swift Family Reunion and plotting her next great scheme: hunting for Grand-Uncle Vile’s long-lost treasure. She’s excited to finally meet her arriving relatives—until one of them gives Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude a deadly shove down the stairs.

So what if everyone thinks she’ll never be more than a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can become whatever she wants, even a detective. And she’s determined to follow the twisty clues and catch the killer.

Deliciously suspenseful and delightfully clever, The Swifts is a remarkable debut that is both brilliantly contemporary and instantly classic. A celebration of words and individuality, it's packed with games, wordplay, and lots and lots of mischief as Shenanigan sets out to save her family and define herself in a world where definitions are so important.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

what is a name

February 09, 2023

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

5.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

What I liked:
The Swifts is a kooky murder-mystery debut where the children are named from the dictionary-a family heirloom treasure. The day has come for the legendary family reunion, which leads to the family attempting to find a treasure that has long been hiding in the house. The house is unique as it has been added over the years and has many secret passages, booby traps, and hidden places. Booby traps are so prevalent in the library that they must be locked during the reunion.
Final Verdict:
This murder-mystery tale about the Swifts is fun and dark at times, but the clues and the characters' uniqueness kept me turning pages. The author shares that the characters' names, as picked from the dictionary, are supposed to express the kind of person you will be. Shenanigan Swift is attached to mischief, but as you read, you learn that this may not always be true, and sometimes we should look beyond just a name.