Juliet Grey is back with the second in her trilogy based on the life of Marie Antoinette. Becoming Marie Antoinette began Marie Antoinette’s story at age 10. Days of Splendor picks up when she begins her reign, and covers the next 15 years of her life, ending in 1789, after the storming of the Bastille. The first 300 [...]
Alison Weir’s latest biography was published simultaneously in England as Mary Boleyn: ‘The Great and Infamous Whore’. This is not the first biography of Mary, but there are very few; her sister Anne usually gets all the attention. The resurgence of interest in Mary does seem to be traceable to the publication of Philippa Gregory’s The [...]
Today’s review is an unfortunately rare example of historical fiction that specifically focuses on the early years of a most famous figure. Concentrating on Marie Antoinette’s adolescence, Juliet Grey strives to disperse the misconceptions that are associated with her. Becoming Marie Antoinette is the first in a projected trilogy. The second, Days of Splendor, Days of [...]
Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s gorgeous debut novel is about an 18-year-old girl who ages out of the foster care system. She begins the book homeless on the streets of San Francisco. The thing that keeps her grounded, indeed the way she is comfortable communicating with the world, is the Victorian language of flowers. Appropriately, her name is [...]
Today we review a high-interest novel, set squarely in the world of today’s teens. In fact, Exposure was inspired by the author’s own experience. Therese Fowler’s teen son was arrested for sexting. Fowler states firmly that this is not her family’s story exactly, but she knows of what she writes. For more from the author, [...]
A fun combination of past and present today. First, Dracula’s Guest, a compilation of stories and excerpts from the past, which nicely presage modern stories. Hand this one to young readers who enjoyed Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Even the original fans of Twilight, now older and reading more sophisticated literature, should be persuaded to take a look. [...]
Being particularly fond of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as well as Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation, Gounod’s opera (Romeo et Juliette), and Bernstein’s West Side Story, Anne Fortier’s Juliet was a must-read for me this year. Fortier has written an entertaining mix of historical fiction, romance, and treasure hunt (à la Da Vinci Code). For teens who [...]
Connie Willis considers her World War II alternate history/time travel saga to be one book. She calls it Blackout-All Clear, even though Blackout was published in February and All Clear in October. So we decided to publish one review encompassing both. While yes, both books are long (very long), there are teens out there who have no problem [...]
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