I don’t read middle-grade fantasy all that often, but my daughter does, and a late-summer complaint that she was out of books sent me scrambling to recommendation lists in search for quality reads that were stocked on our local library shelves. I returned with three, and she immediately picked up the shortest (Dealing With Dragons by Patricia Wrede, which she recommends to fans of The Hamster Princess and is now telling me to read) while balking at the 500-page chonker at the bottom of the stack. So I decided to try Frances Hardinge’s The Lost Conspiracy for myself to determine whether to give a further nudge or simply return it to the library. 

The Lost Conspiracy takes place on a volcanic island whose indigenous people have been pushed farther and farther to the margins in the wake of colonizers seeking land both for themselves and to bequeath to their dead as part of their traditional funerary rites. The interlopers’ refusal to heed local warnings about building near the volcanos had led to violent confrontation that saw the lead’s people pushed to the very edge of the shore, surviving on increasingly unreliable fishing and on the outside tribute raised whenever one of the magical Lost—who can send their senses outside their physical body—is found among them. Unfortunately, the only one living who has manifested evidence of the knack has failed to develop her skills, leaving her sister to pose as her voice in hopes of keeping the tributes flowing. But with examinations approaching and political strife simmering below the surface, mere subterfuge will no longer suffice to keep their people safe and fed. 

I’d seen enough complaints about the aging up of children’s fiction to pause at the book’s nearly 600 pages. And it’s certainly a length that’s intimidating to the actual middle-grade reader in my family. But Hardinge has earned a measure of trust, and it quickly pays off in The Lost Conspiracy. It hooks the reader immediately with concerns that are entirely accessible for younger readers, and for all its length, there’s no hint of slow burn. That’s not to say that there aren’t mature themes—after all, colonial oppression and environmental stewardship are front and center—but they’re delivered in a way that’s appropriate to the stated audience while still being engaging to older readers. And yet that accessibility doesn’t exclude subtlety. There have been a lot of books over the last decade addressing such themes for adult audiences, and there aren’t many that do it with the combination of clarity and nuance that Hardinge manages here in a book for children. 

The main character arc is a familiar one for readers of middle-grade fiction, with an oft-overlooked main character learning to act and to lead in a time of crisis. But unlike many others, there’s no sudden influx of magic enabling her to do the job. Instead, she must apply her wits, her heart, and the skills she’s learned as a child to situations that go far beyond anything she’d dreamed of facing. 

And those circumstances can be staggering. Some of this goes hand-in-hand with the mature themes, but the body count in The Lost Conspiracy is quite a bit higher than I’d expect from a middle-grade novel. Once again, it’s done in a way that’s appropriate for the audience, without much blood or gore, but it doesn’t shy away from throwing the lead into the deep-end with staggeringly high stakes. 

The fight for survival—for herself and her loved ones—always takes center stage, with the environmental theme serving as an extremely plot-relevant buttress, but the lead runs across a variety of other figures along the way. As one might expect, some of these figures come across as wrongheaded to the point of silliness, but she must deal thoughtfully with them regardless. Others introduce further themes that are no less important for their more minor roles in the story, with topics like all-consuming thirst for vengeance or belonging arising on her way. 

In order to avoid spoilers as much as possible, I’ve talked much more about high-level themes than plot details, but the plot itself is thrilling, earning its length with constant tension and nary a slow spot to be found. I understand that I’m an adult reader who cannot approach a book with ten year-old eyes, but as far as I can judge, this isn’t a book that will be too slow for young readers. For myself, I binged more than half of it on a relatively short day of air travel and couldn’t wait to get back for the finish. 

From where I’m sitting, The Lost Conspiracy is just about everything you could want from middle-grade fiction. The length is intimidating, but it’s compulsively readable and deftly handles mature themes in a way that’s accessible to younger audiences. I may have to talk my child into reading it, but if I can, I have no doubt she’ll love it. I only read middle-grade three or four times a year, but even if I’m picking and choosing from highly-lauded titles, I’d be shocked if I find a better one anytime soon. This is only my second Hardinge novel (and it’s more accessible than the also-excellent Unraveller), but it won’t be my last. 

Recommended if you like: middle-grade fantasy, quick reads with surprising depth.

Can I use it for Bingo? It’s a Middle Grade novel set on a Vacation Spot. It’s also a Cat Squasher with plenty of Politics or Intrigue.

Overall rating: 19 of Tar Vol’s 20. Five stars on Goodreads.