The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo by Catherine Johnson (Young Adult, 9/10E)

 July 2015, Corgi, 288 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Content: drama, mystery, humour 

Summary from Random House Children's Publishers

A very curious tale indeed . . .

Out of the blue arrives an exotic young woman from a foreign land. Fearless and strong, 'Princess' Caraboo rises above the suspicions of the wealthy family who take her in.

But who is the real Caraboo?
In a world where it seems everyone is playing a role, could she be an ordinary girl with a tragic past? Is she a confidence trickster? Or is she the princess everyone wants her to be?

Whoever she is, she will steal your heart . . .

Nayu's thoughts 

For ages I wasn't in the mood to read this tale fulled of pretence. It is extremely weird. I'm not even sure how to describe it. Lady Caraboo had a horrendous start to the book which makes me think how brave she is to take on the facade. Admittedly people were taken in because they wanted to be, which makes sense. I genuinely hadn't realised this was based on a true story, which has me wondering exactly what did happen. 

It was fun watching the girl being the Lady Caraboo do elaborate rituals, be able to be clean, safe and warm. Well, safe-ish, as it isn't all warm clothes and good food. There's an evil pirate who blackmails her, putting her in a terrible position. She does her best to escape but people like her, and those who see through her want her to continue the pretence for their own reasons. It's not a doom and gloom tale, there is some humour, and an awful lot of mystery and intrigue which kept me reading. 

Find out more on Catherine's website. 

Available to buy from many bookstores including NRC affiliate Foyles. 

Suggested read 

You might like to try a book that's a bit more fictional but still historical: At Somerton: Secrets & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed (Young Adult, Historical, 10/10E)