Guy Friday- The World-Famous Nine

Guterson, Ben. The World-Famous Nine

January 30, 2024 by Christy Ottaviano Books

E ARC provided through Netgalley, with help from the author

In 2012, young Zander Olinga gets to spend five weeks with his grandmother at her fabulous department store The Number Nine Plaza. Started in the 1800s, the store has been in the family for a long time, and run by only four women in the family. It's located in Novatrosk, and is not only architecturally significant, but also has an amazingly wide range of products as well as a fascinating history. Zander's mother was never interested in the store, and is happy to be a college professor; she and Zander's father are spending time on a research trip while he is with his grandmother. There are a lot of employees who have been at the store for a long time, and we also meet Natasha Novikov, whose step father, Mr. Lukovsky, does plumbing in the building. She swings high above the heads of the diners in several of the store restaurants, which amazes Zander, who has a decided fear of heights. One of the symbols of the store is the mandala; there are several around the premises, although Zander finds out that it is approaching the 90th anniversary of when the most important one went missing. There is some suspicion that it was stolen by Vladimir, who was under the dark force of Darkbloom. There are some odd clues scattered throughout the store, and when bad things start happening, Natasha and Zander set out to find the plaque and uncover the mystery. This, of course, means that Zander has to travel all over the store and get to know its fascinating departments, such as the penguin exhibit, the Sew What You Want department, the Tube Room (for the pneumatic communication tubes!) and the employee lounge, where a quiet man will wake up employees if they are taking a break. As near tragedies like a Ferris wheel malfunction and electrical disturbances continue, and clues are left with "the crimson stitch", Zander singles out Fenton Herpolsheimer, who retired years ago but who has been seen in the building. There is also the suspicious Ludmilla and Sergei, who met at the Dnipropetrovshchyna Art Institute. Will Zander and Natasha be able to make sense of the family history they've uncovered in order to find the lost plaque and stop the attacks on their beloved department store? 

Strengths: I was just thinking about malls and department stores before I read this; my mother adored the mall, and actually worked in a department store where the payments were sent to the office in pneumatic tubes. I also have a friend whose parents ran a department store in a small town, and I spent a year working at the downtown Cincinnati Lazarus, so this made me feel nostalgic. I can't think of any other middle grade books that are set in department stores, but they are rather magical places. The Nine is even more so, with it's fascinating departments for art and odd items, and the building deserves to have a map on the end papers. I loved the history, especially the addition of nine floors, and didn't get to see nearly enough of the penthouse apartment where Zander's grandmother lived! A department store is the perfect place for tweens to have free rein. They can talk to all of the people working, snoop into nooks and crannies, and get delicious food at the restaurants. Of course, this has a tiny bit of darkness, with the accidents and backhistory of Darkbloom, but that just adds to the excitement. I'm not sure if young readers will have seen the television shows Selfridges or The Paradise, but The World-Famous Nine manages to deliver the magic of those earlier department stores while updating the time period a bit. 
Weaknesses: I was unsure of where Novatrosk was located. It seems to be not far from Pittsburgh, but there were so many Russian sounding names that I was a bit confused. There wasn't a language barrier, and Natasha is a fan of sports teams in the US, so I feel like I was missing something. 
What I really think: Fans of quirky, clue oriented mysteries like Mr. Lemoncello's Library and Carmen's Floors will enjoy this virtual shopping trip, and may need to hunt down some mint chocolate candy!