Happy Saturday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for TWIN SISTERS LIVINGSTON AND THE MYSTERY AT MADAME MOLINEAUX’S by Mary Knight! I’m so excited because today I have an excerpt of the book to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I’m so excited to for you to find out more about it, PLUS enter for a chance to win a print copy!
Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux's by Mary Knight Published on September 27, 2022 by Living Lantern Media Group
Genres: Contemporary, Middle Grade, Mystery
Pages: 428
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, TikTok
Twin sisters Maddie and Jo Livingston have spent their lives traveling the world with their famous archaeologist parents. But when the Livingstons’ work takes them on a mysterious year-long excavation in Siberia, much too dangerous for two twelve-year-old girls, Maddie and Jo are whisked off to a castle in Switzerland, where they find themselves piecing together a mystery of their own.
Madame Molineaux’s School for Girls is filled with interesting students and professors from all over Europe. But it doesn’t take long for the girls to figure out that this is no ordinary boarding school: bizarre animals, hidden tapestries, secret tunnels, and a long list of unanswered questions keep Maddie, Jo, and their new friends searching for clues around every corner. Where is that snotty Rosemary Byron going when she sneaks out of her dormitory at night? What secret is their beloved headmistress trying to protect? Who is concealing treasures in the unlikeliest of hiding places? The girls must put all these strange pieces together to discover the staggering truth, and to save their school before Madame Molineaux’s closes its doors—for good!
Chapter One
The words echoed in Maddie’s ears.
You’re not coming with us.
Her emotions bounced between shocked and fearful to giddy and excited. Mom and Dad are going to leave us somewhere. The fact that where was still a mystery calmed her somehow. A hundred different possibilities flashed through her mind. Perhaps Jo and I will be taken back to Paris by Henri to attend the finest ballet academy. Or maybe we’ll stay in Morocco, and live in a beautiful hotel while we’re taught by a fancy governess. Or maybe—
“What?!” Jo wailed, bursting into tears and interrupting Maddie’s daydreams. “What do you mean we’re not coming, Dad? What are we supposed to do? Where are we going when you and Mom go to Siberia? Why can’t we go there, too?”
Martha and Tom stayed calm. As much as they wanted to abandon their plans for Siberia, scoop up their daughters, and return to Boston the next day, they knew this would only sting for a little while more. The work they were about to begin, and the new adventures for Maddie and Jo, were worth the initial sadness.
“It’s not that you can’t come to Siberia, girls,” Tom explained, pausing for a moment to consider another option. “If you like, you can come. But you won’t be able to go outside and play, you won’t have any friends, and you won’t be able to go to school. Siberia is freezing cold, and no one lives in the region we’re going to. Even your mom and I aren’t looking forward to the icy weather, the snowsuits, and the isolation. But if you insist, well!” He tossed his hands up and smiled at his wife. “Honey, I think we should let them come—Ow!”
Martha elbowed him in the side. “Uh . . . thanks, Tom,” she said as her husband rubbed his ribs. “Or,” Martha said, a smile forming at the corners of her mouth, “you could go to Europe, just like you asked to do earlier.”
The girls’ expressions changed. Jo’s chin lifted as she waited for her mother to tell her more, and the wheels in Maddie’s head stopped spinning for a moment.
“Henri knows of a boarding school,” Martha said quietly. “It’s a marvelous place, just for girls. He assured us it would be perfect for you. They’re expecting you soon.”
By now, Martha was crouched down on the ground. Maddie and Jo, temporarily forgetting their sadness about being left behind, sat cross-legged in the sand so they could put their heads on their mother’s shoulders.
“Boarding school?” Jo asked. “Does that mean we would live there?”
“Yes, Jo, with lots of other girls your age,” Martha replied. “Doesn’t that sound like fun? Like when your friends stay over, but it will happen every night.”
Jo began to imagine nightly ghost story sessions, pillow fights, and cookie making—just like when she and Maddie had a birthday party in Boston.
“Mom, Dad,” Maddie asked, “where is the school?”
Tom reentered the conversation now that Martha had pacified their daughters. “It’s in Switzerland, in a tiny town called Saint-Marcel. Henri says that it’s beautiful, on the banks of a sparkling blue lake, high in the mountains. It’s called Madame Molineaux’s School for Girls.”
Jo sounded out the name. “Madame Mo-Lee-Noe’s?” she asked, exaggerating the syllables. “Is that a French name?”
“It sounds like it,” Maddie said, turning to her mother with a new reason to be concerned. “Do we have to speak French there? Do they speak English?”
Maddie and Jo had had French lessons back in Boston and had even gotten to practice with some of the Moroccan locals, but could only carry on light conversation.
“Not to worry, girls,” Martha said. “Most classes are taught in English. There will be others there who don’t speak French, and you’ll take French lessons with them. I bet by the end of the year, you two will sound like you were born in Paris!”
Jo thought about how long it had taken to get to Morocco in the first place. “But how would we get to Switzerland? And how long will it take? And where are our things? And—”
Chapter Two
“This is where I bid you goodnight, ladies,” the headmistress whispered with a kind smile. “My chambers are at the very end of the hallway, and should you need me during the night, just knock and I will answer. The moon should give you enough light to change and get into your beds. Just remember, don’t wake the other girls. I’ll wait outside the door until I don’t hear any noise at all, and then I’ll leave.” She opened the door, waited for Maddie and Jo to step in, and shut the door behind them.
Maddie squinted until she could make out two beds that were still made near the window. She took her sister by the hand and led her toward them, careful not to make a sound. The soft breathing of the other girls in the room could be heard easily now. Looking behind her, she could still see the headmistress’s shadow underneath the bottom of the door.
“Maybe . . .” Maddie whispered. “Maybe we could both fit in the same bed . . . just for tonight.”
Jo took one look at the tiny beds and shook her head no. She sat on top of her bed and popped back up, having sat squarely on something concealed under the covers.
“Shhh! What is it?” Maddie breathed to her sister, afraid she’d already been too loud. The last thing she wanted was for the headmistress to come back in and scold them.
Jo reached under the covers and pulled out a stuffed animal—a soft, pudgy hedgehog. Maddie checked her own bed to make sure she had one, too, and indeed, the same plush toy was tucked under her blanket. The girls gave each other sheepish grins, but they were glad to have something to hold on to as they slept, no matter how long it had been since either one of them needed a stuffed animal to fall asleep.
They changed into their nightgowns, folding their dresses neatly and placing them under their bedside tables. Maddie slid under her covers and let her head fall straight back on the pillow. She held her hedgehog tight against her chest and turned to look at her sister.
Jo was finishing her third glass of water, almost draining the pitcher completely. She kicked around under her sheets to get comfortable, and the bed springs gave a weak groan under her fidgety legs. She settled in and flipped onto her stomach.
Both girls watched as the shadow of the headmistress’s feet under the door grew longer then disappeared, and the room fell silent.
But the stillness lasted for only a few moments. Against the far wall, Jo saw someone sit up in bed.
“Ten!” the girl whispered loudly.
Jo was too terrified to speak and lay paralyzed under the covers. She wasn’t even able to turn to her sister, who was quietly panicking in the next bed.
Maddie’s breathing quickened as she watched whoever was sitting up in the bed start bouncing up and down in a clock-like rhythm.
“Twenty!” another voice breathed in a high pitch, almost squealing. This girl began to bounce in unison with the other one, and two more beds sprang to life, their inhabitants on all fours like wild animals.
“Cre-e-ak . . .” one of them uttered. The silence that followed was interrupted by a distant creak from somewhere down the hallway.
“Click!” the other one said, and once again, the same sound was heard from down the hall, just audible to the girls. A quiet commotion filled the dormitory room.
The four residents scattered, jumping out of their beds and rummaging around. Maddie sat up awkwardly, and in a desperate attempt to find the lamp, knocked the empty water pitcher onto the floor. It hit the wood with a loud clang, interrupting the padded footsteps and whisper-soft ruckus.
Not a moment later, a brilliant orange light was inches away from Maddie’s nose.
“Quiet, or she’ll come back,” uttered a low voice with a French accent.
A torch-shaped flashlight was held steadily in Maddie’s face, as if it were a sword keeping a dangerous opponent at safe distance. Jo was enchanted by the colors—it glowed different shades of orange and gold, and reminded her of a big Christmas tree light.
The three other girls now crowded around the Livingston sisters’ beds, waiting to see what would happen next. The girl with the flashlight stepped back several paces and positioned the orange flame under her own chin.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” she said.
About Mary Knight
We fuel self-discovery, sisterhood and adventure.
Twin Sisters Livingston is devoted to delivering smart, sophisticated media that empowers tween girls. Anchored by a 24-book series, our brand enchants young readers through the adventurous tales of American twin sisters Maddie and Jo, who solve mysteries within the walls of a fabulously diverse Swiss boarding school. The fictional universe is expanded to include e-books and audiobooks, subscription boxes full of rich edu-tainment, gaming apps and more.
Week One
| 10/31/2022 | Mythical Books | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 10/31/2022 | Kait Plus Books | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 11/1/2022 | A Dream Within A Dream | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 11/1/2022 | Two Chicks on Books | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 11/2/2022 | Rajiv’s Reviews | Review/IG Post |
| 11/2/2022 | The Momma Spot | Review |
| 11/3/2022 | Fall Between the Pages | TikTok Review/IG Post |
| 11/3/2022 | @allyluvsbooksalatte | IG Review |
| 11/4/2022 | YA Books Central | Interview/IG Post |
| 11/4/2022 | OneMoreExclamation | Review/IG Post |
Week Two
| 11/7/2022 | Log Cabin Library | Review |
| 11/7/2022 | Brandi Danielle Davis | IG Review/TikTok Post |
| 11/8/2022 | Blog Write. Read. Live | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 11/8/2022 | @froggyreadteach | IG Review/Read Aloud |
| 11/9/2022 | Two Points of Interest | Review |
| 11/9/2022 | Jeff_of_allmedia | IG Review |
| 11/10/2022 | The Page Ladies @jacleomik33 | IG Review |
| 11/10/2022 | A Blue Box Full of Books | IG Review |
| 11/11/2022 | Locks, Hooks and Books | Review |
| 11/11/2022 | The Real World According To Sam | Review/IG Post |
(US Only)
What do you think about Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux’s? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!
This looks like something my granddaughter would love to read.