Marie: An Invitation to Dance, Paris, 1775, Book 1 (Girlhood Journeys) - Softcover

Grade 4-6. An imitation of the "American Girl" series, this "Girlhood Journey" features Marie, a 10 year old living in Paris in 1775. Her passion to dance is nurtured by her ballet teacher, who finds her a patron who will sponsor her advanced training at Court. Other major characters include Marie's happy-go-lucky best friend, Joelle, and a 13-year-old girl from the Connecticut Colony who has come to Paris with her father to study painting. Readers are fed snippets of history through the conversations of students who come to Marie's parents' cafe, a raid on Joelle's parents' bakery by hungry citizens who cannot get flour, and glimpses of street life. Decorative full-color illustrations accompany the text. Characterizations are minimal, and the dialogue is stilted. The plot provides a lot of exposition and enough action to lead into Book Two. It is questionable how many middle grade readers will be absorbed enough to care. (Note: a full-page, full-color ad for dolls that correspond with titles in this series appears on the last page.)?Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.