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Cécile's Gift (2011)

by Denise Lewis Patrick(Favorite Author)

3.98 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1593696647 (ISBN13: 9781593696641)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

American Girl Publishing Inc

series

American Girls: Marie-Grace and Cécile

review 1: Childhood memory: None ... Okay, so this isn't technically one of the American Girl books I read as a kid. But, my memories of those I did enjoy keep me interested in checking in on the historical American Girl books as AG publishes them.Revisited review: Overall, this particular series is just okay. This review will be for all six books in the series. Not sure if I like the deviation from the typical AG historical format (____ saves the day, happy birthday ____, etc.), but that seems to be the trend with the recent AG historical series. This series in particular is unique since it's narrated by two different girls. Unfortunately, until the final book, both characters felt underdeveloped and flat. Marie-Grace was depicted as practically a saint while Cecile had traces of s... moreel-centered, naive rich girl. In the final book, which was the best of the series, both characters finally felt real. Splitting the story between two characters, each girl's story arc felt rushed and I didn't feel as pulled into the historical aspects of the story.
review 2: There'a big benefit to help families who have survived the ravages of the yellow fever outbreak and Cecile wants to contribute. Her dear friend Marie-Grace is singing a duet with her aunt (the girls' vocal teacher) and Cecile decides she'd like to a recitation. When her piece falls flat in her practice performance for the orphans she is challenged to use her gift for storytelling so that her message will be clearly understood by the children of New Orleans. At the very end Cecile and Marie-Grace exchange letters which makes for a satisfying parting thought. Recommended for girls grades 3-5. less

Download links for: Cécile's Gift

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