A Mind of Her Own

This imagination-oriented biography of mystery writer Agatha Christie (1890–1976) by McGrath (There’s Always Room for One More) foregrounds the role Christie’s internal world played in both her child-hood and her later success. “Agatha, always in her head,” the adults repeat. But imagination and observation give the child a way to amuse herself as she listens to and reads stories, wonders what the things she notices could mean, and struggles to write, preferring arithmetic when “the letters and words come out jumbled.” First-aid classes and nursing work during WWI teach her about medicine, and her imagined questions grow more serious: “Who does that soldier call to in his sleep?” She begins crafting a detective story, working on solving its puzzle, then on details and plot. After multiple rejections, an acceptance arrives. Period and scenic details in digitally finished, occasionally stiff watercolor spreads by Wong (I Am Not a Penguin: A Pangolin’s Lament) give the pages a feeling of romance in this work about an inspirational figure whose mind—through “puzzling and plotting”—brings her success. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Biographical information and creators’ notes conclude. Ages up to 8. Author’s agent: Amy Thrall Flynn, Rubin Pfeffer Content. Illustrator’s agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow. (May)