This book has been on my TBR list for a really long time, but somehow I never picked it up until now, when I was craving for a quick and easy read.

Archibald and the Blue Blood Conspiracy is a mystery set in a boarding school. Shortly before the new term starts, Archibald, the second son of the Duke of Chestershire, is kidnapped but fortunately very quickly rescued. He thinks that this is a one-off, but as mysterious accidents start happening in the school, it becomes very clear that someone is targeting the children of nobility.

Since this is MG, it was a light, breezy read. The friendship between Archie and his friends are adorable and I thought the mystery is well-developed. The ending of the book was pretty exciting, with a few twists that I did not see coming.

However, because this is MG, the book misses a few chances to tackle harder issues. While one issue is dealt with well, because it’s integral to the plot, I was a bit disappointed with how the relationship between Archie and his older brother, Alexander, turned out. It started off as a rather hostile-seeming relationship, possibly brought on by the death of their mother, but as the story continued on, they just bonded without many issues. While I liked the fact that they worked as a team, it would have been more interesting if their reconciliation was a bit rockier (or more realistic, to use a better term).

Overall, I enjoyed Archibald and the Blue Blood Conspiracy. Setting the story in a boarding school in England made me think of Enid Blyton, and I really enjoyed the way Archie, Alexander, and their friends worked together to solve the mystery.