This is a charming look at Paris, France in 1775, right before the revolution began. Marie is a typical young girl who is very worried about her own life and sees everything else as being peripheral and unimportant, but she does come to see outside of her family life in the story. She also learns that she can make people happy with her dancing and that she can share her talent for it whether she is a professional dancer or not. I think that most young girls will identify with Marie and will enjoy this story. It is a nice challenge for readers starting to get into chapter books, but at 71 pages, with large type, it will be a fun, easy read for more experienced readers. It is true that some of the conversations are a little stilted as the author tries to work in more historical background, but at least children are learning history while they are reading. There are full color illustrations scattered throughout the text, as well as a pronunciation guide for the few French words used in the story. Printed on glossy paper with a nice finish, this book is sure to appeal to fans of the popular American Girl series.


A Shear Joy.   August 7, 1999
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I loved this book from the very first page on! Marie has a tranquil life in bussling Paris, France. Her day consists of helping her parents in the family Cafe and Pension(pahn-SYOHN) or boarding house. Then meeting with Madam Gabrela for her dance lesson. Or, at least, that's how it used to be... Now, the streets of Paris are begining to fill with rebels, the air is filled with the whispers of Revolution. Change is in the wind not just for France, but for Marie personally. Some very important people begining to weave into Marie's life, giving her an idea that just might help with the Country's poverty problems. I absolutly loved this book! It provided such a vivid picture of France and her people, at such a difficalt time in it's history. This book taught me not only about France's Revolution, but parts of it's lanuage as well. Try it. You'll love it!


Marie is my favorite girlhood journeys girl!   May 30, 1999
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Marie is really cool! An invatation to dance s the beginning of her adventures! The best part was the suprise at the end! I think you'll like it!


A good book with a big surprise at the end   April 19, 1998
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Marie dreams of being a ballet dancer, but cannot follow her dream without a sponsor. This book was neat because Marie could do some dancing, and had a big surprise at the end (I think the best books have a surprise at the end!)