My Secret Guide to Paris

Reviewed by: Phyllis Fuchs - Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 14, 2015

Review

This brief and entertaining book is all about a first trip to Paris arranged by an adoring, wise, and good humored grandmother. Twelve year old Nora finds letters, three airplane tickets and a Paris "treasure map'' after her adored grandmother's unexpected death. Accompanied by her mother and her fourteen year old brother, the three are off to the famous city. Along the way, grandma's insightful guide offers up some of the city's treasures as well as new friends for Nora and her brother and for all three, mother included, a much more thoughtful understanding of what being a family member entails. In just over two hundred pages and twenty seven obviously short chapters, the book is both readable and carefully structured. Each chapter heading displays a sketch and beneath the drawing: French Lesson: followed by one French word and its English translation. That word, readers will recognize, becomes the focus of that chapter. Informative for enthusiasts of all things French and/or in the city of Paris, the book offers refreshing new places to know about. It is also a cheerful read for girls, especially, of about ages nine through twelve.

Overall Book Score: good