First book from ex-SNL star

Another celebrity comedian is turning children’s author, Kate McKinnon.

The former Saturday Night Live star has written the middle-grade novel, The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science, aimed at readers aged 8 to 12.

To be published in October, it revolves around four sisters and the town of Antiquarium’s lone mad scientist, Millicent Quibb.

McKinnon said the book was inspired by her own childhood and that she began working it well before first appearing on SNL.

In a statement, she said: ‘I wanted to write the kind of book that I would have loved reading when I was younger, when I was eating honeysuckle on the playground and collecting bugs and falling in love with the natural world.

‘I hope young people read about the adventures of the Porch Sisters and are inspired to get out there and have their own adventures. I started playing with the idea of these characters and this world over a decade ago and am so thrilled to finally bring them to an audience.’ 

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science will published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and features McKinnon’s own artwork as well as that of illustrator Alfredo Cáceres

The description of the book reads: ‘Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee Porch do not belong. They don’t belong in the snooty town of Antiquarium, where all girls must go to etiquette school and all dogs must be bichon frises. They don’t belong with their adoptive family: their uptight Aunt Desdemona, their materialistic Uncle Ansel, and their seven snide cousins, who are all named Lavinia. And they certainly don’t belong at Mrs. Wintermacher’s etiquette school—they’re far more interested in machines and slugs than posture and little forks. 

‘After Mrs. Wintermacher expels them for insubordination, the girls expect to be sent away for good . . . until they receive a mysterious invitation to a new school. Suddenly, the girls find themselves under the tutelage of the infamous Millicent Quibb—a mad scientist with worms in her hair and oysters in her bathtub. 

‘At 231 Mysterium Way, the pizza is fatal, the bus is powered by gerbils, and the dean of students is a hermit crab. Dangerous? Yes! More fun than they’ve ever had? Absolutely! But when the sisters are asked to save their town from an evil cabal of nefarious mad scientists, they must learn to embrace what has always made them stand out and determine what side they’re on—before it’s too late!

The book can be ordered from Amazon, priced £14.24

Published: 13 Feb 2024