Families who loved The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris by Leon Garfield often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your child is grappling with the weight of a major mistake or the anxiety of a secret gone wrong. Leon Garfield's witty, 19th-century comedy of errors follows two schoolboys whose 'scientific' experiment involving a baby and a supposed wolf goes hilariously and terrifyingly awry. It is a masterful exploration of the panic that follows poor decision-making and the frantic ingenuity required to fix a mess of one's own making. While the premise of an abandoned baby sounds dark, the tone is decidedly Dickensian and satirical. It serves as a perfect bridge for 10 to 14-year-olds who are ready for sophisticated vocabulary and complex, intertwining subplots. Parents will appreciate how the story uses humor to navigate themes of guilt, peer pressure, and the chaotic nature of unintended consequences in a historical setting.
