Today on OOM we’re celebrating Bastille Day, an important holiday in France. Also known as French National Day, the celebrations honor the beginning of the French Revolution and the Storming of the Bastille, a prison in Paris. The holiday is celebrated throughout France, and we’re joining in on the festivities by reading some great French-themed reads. Check out the list below!
A Bunny in the Ballet (Ages 4–8) by Robert Beck: With Paris-inspired pen-and-ink illustrations, this charming picture-book debut by an American ballet dancer stars Désirée, a spirited rabbit reaching for her dreams.
Paris for Two (Ages 8–12) by Phoebe Stone: Twelve-year-old Petunia Beanly and her 14-year-old sister Ava are at odds about their family’s move to Paris — though the city seems magical to glamour girl Ava, shy Pet would rather be anywhere else. Pet is trying to get over a broken heart and to add to her romantic drama, the object of her unrequited crush is going to be in Paris with his family, too. But Paris is full of surprises for the Beanly sisters, from anonymous bouquets waiting on their doorstep to the discovery of a mysterious old doll and clues about their grandmother’s life in France during World War II. Will Pet be able to unlock her heart and open up to forging new relationships?
My Secret Guide to Paris (Ages 8–12) by Lisa Schroeder: Nora loves everything about Paris, from the Eiffel Tower to chocolat chaud. Of course, she's never actually been there—she's only visited through her Grandma Sylvia's stories. And just when they've finally planned a trip together, Grandma Sylvia is suddenly gone, taking Nora's dreams with her. When Nora finds letters and a Paris treasure map among her Grandma Sylvia's things, she dares to dream again... Nora knows there are wonderful surprises waiting for her in Paris. And maybe, amongst the croissants and macarons, she'll even find a way to heal her broken heart.
Rook (Ages 12 and up) by Sharon Cameron: In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. The mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent, and a criminal in the eyes of the government.
Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy's arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she. Daring intrigue, delicious romance, and spine-tingling suspense fill the pages of this tale from award-winning author Sharon Cameron.
Two Summers (Ages 12 and up) by Aimee Friedman: Summer Everett makes a split second decision that changes the entire course of the season ahead of her, dividing her summer into two parallel worlds.
Beginning in upstate New York the story divides and she finds herself—
Among sun-kissed fields of lavender in the French countryside…
And spending another summer in upstate New York, along familiar roads that lead to surprises…
In both summers she will fall in love and discover new sides of herself. She is both living amid secrets and kept from them. But what matters more—the choices she makes or the experiences that shape her? Two Summers explores questions of fate, self-determination, and whether or not the journey matters more than the destination.
