(2) 4-6 Translated by Sam Gordon. Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. This is a poignant story of war, loss, and resilience--and a child's need to know even painful truths. With her father fighting in WWI, five-year-old Rosalie sits at the back of her French-village school, hoping to learn to read her father's letters. When she breaks through to literacy, she learns a devastating if cathartic truth. De Fombelle's (Vango) spare text allows narrator Rosalie's fierceness to shine through. Arsenault's emotive art focuses on significant details.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) YA Translated by Sam Gordon. A boy stumbles upon a forest house filled with suitcases. What he learns about their owner brings together the politics of a fairy-tale kingdom, the love between a fairy and a banished prince, and the fate of an adopted son of Parisian marshmallow makers. Stuffed with Old-World, otherworldly strangeness, this fantastical novel movingly explores memory and the power of story to render love immortal.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(2) YA Translated by Sarah Ardizzone. Mysterious loner and orphan Vango (Vango: Between Sky and Earth) continues his quest to discover his origins while pursuing the wicked international arms dealer Voloy Viktor. In the years between 1936 and 1944, the cast dashes about the United States, Europe, and Russia like pieces in a game of Risk. A cinematic, quickly paced, and clever page-turner, with an adventurous, romantic aura.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(2) YA Translated by Sarah Ardizzone. We first meet Vango in the mid-1930s, lying face-down in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Within moments, police pursue him, a killer shoots at him, and he flees like a bird. In effect, de Fombelle's novel is one long chase scene, interspersed with flashbacks to Vango's childhood. WWI, the Russian Revolution, and the rise of fascism all come into play in this unusual and captivating book from France.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(3) 4-6 Translated by Sarah Ardizzone. Illustrated by François Place. This sequel to Toby Alone picks up where its predecessor left off, as Toby struggles to save the world of tiny tree-dwelling humans from destructive tyrants. The novel assumes readers' familiarity with the complex social structures and political conflicts of Toby's world; those who have read the first volume will be satisfied by this intricate and intimate conclusion.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(2) 4-6 Translated by Sarah Ardizzone. Illustrated by François Place. The world of the Tree, a society of miniature people, is threatened when a gangland boss/evil property developer grabs power. It's up to thirteen-year-old Toby to save his parents, the Tree, and the day. This breathless romp is filled with exhilarating surprises; a cliffhanger ending prepares for a sequel. Pen-and-ink and wash drawings convey the epic quality of the tiny world.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009