Smack Dab in the Middle

   Whenever I come across a book that has a little "something extra" in terms of plot, character, or setting, I want to share it with those who love middle grade. This recent book has all three.     THE MIDWATCH INSTITUTE FOR WAYWARD GIRLS  by Judith Rossell If you are a girl who asks questions. If you are a girl who thinks for herself. If you are a girl who doesn’t always behave the way the world wants her to. Watch out. You may get sent away to the Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls. Maggie Fishbone expects a dreary and boring life when she is thrown out of her orphanage and sent to the Institute. She’s heard all the scary rumors about punishments and what happens to girls who disobey. Except. The Institute isn’t dreadful at all. It’s a school of castoff girls who secretly train to solve mysteries and fight crime. With classes in ballroom dancing, escaping quicksand, tying knots, cracking codes, and picking locks, Maggie and her new friends enter...