(3) YA After seventeen-year-old alchemist Mirabelle unintentionally helps assassinate King Louis XIV, she renounces the uprising led by her mother's Shadow Society to brew curatives for the impoverished masses in secret. Meanwhile, Josse, the king's bastard son, must flee to the sewers of Paris to protect his beloved younger sisters and decidedly not-beloved half-brother, the crown prince. An exciting debut novel packed with poison, rebellion, action, and romance.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. Humorously illustrated in bright colors and with Baroque patterns and unique perspectives, this historical-fiction story about King Louis XIV's "shrimp" stature--and how he compensated for it--will engage any child. By story's end, the witty text (printed in a font of varying sizes and colors) leaves no doubt that it's always best to be yourself. The book concludes with fourteen facts about the king.

Reviewer:

(1) YA Illustrated by Hatem Aly. In thirteenth-century France, peasant Jeanne has visions of the future; William, illegitimate son of a crusader knight and an African "Saracen," has supernatural strength; Jacob, a learned Jewish boy, has healing powers. Together they try to thwart King Louis's plan to burn all the Jewish texts in France. An ambitious mash-up of medieval saints' lives, the Joan of Arc legend, and elements of The Canterbury Tales. Bib.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Renée Graef. In seventeenth-century Paris, a talented girl creates a tapestry based on a painting by her father. King Louis XIV commissions a larger version for Versailles, even though females at the king's factory aren't permitted to be weavers. This story reveals the complexity of weaving, while realistic paintings capture the period and help elucidate the artistic process. An author's note and pronunciation guide are appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 In a disjointed story, Gibert satirically combines two historical events--the hot-air balloon invented by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783 and the 1789 French Revolution--by imagining that the sheep, hen, and duck sent up in the balloon insult King Louis XVI upon landing; sent to the Bastille, they become revolutionaries six years later. The stylish illustrations, with mixed patterns and regal jewel tones, add interest.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Translated by Catherine Temerson. Marion becomes a servant to King Louis XIV's mistress, who is delighted to discover the girl's talent for making perfume. Some of the characters' actions and some details of daily life at Versailles in 1674 are not believable, but the mystery Marion works to solve is interesting. A history of perfumes is appended.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Dan Andreasen & Dan Andreasen. This lively biography tells the story of the French farm girl who listened to voices she said were sent to her by God, led her country into victorious battle against the English in the fifteenth century, was burned at the stake as a witch, and eventually sainted. Brief paragraphs and short sentences help make the history accessible. Sepia-toned illustrations rendered in simple lines adequately convey the story's events.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA In World History series. In balanced, readable prose, the books in this series recount their subjects' actions and motivations, setting them within appropriate cultural contexts: Queen Victoria's role in establishing the British Empire; Joan's martyrdom; Cromwell's assumption of power to rule England; and the ruthlessness of the Inquisition. Black-and-white illustrations and sidebars of primary material extend the documented text. Bib., ind. [Review covers these In World History titles: The British Empire and Queen Victoria in World History, Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War in World History, Oliver Cromwell and the English Civil War in World History, and The Spanish Inquisition in World History.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Girls of Many Lands series. Coincidence enables twelve-year-old Cecile Revel to become caregiver to the dogs of King Louis XIV's sister-in-law. At the Sun King's court in Versailles, Cecile becomes a favorite of the young royals, unravels the secret of her own past, and initiates a stand against blood-letting that saves the life of the heir-apparent. Historical details are accurate, but the sensibility of Cecile's first-person narrative exudes twenty-first-century awareness.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Women of Achievement series. Quoting profusely from their subjects, as well as their peers and historians, the books in this series offer laudatory biographies of these influential women. Joan uses extensive excerpts from trial transcripts and documents, although there are no source notes. Mostly dull black-and-white photos and reproductions do little to break up or extend the text. All the books include a timeline. Bib., ind. [Review covers these titles: Katharine Graham, Diane Sawyer, Joan of Arc, Amy Tan, Martha Stewart.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) YA Rulers and Their Times series. Divided into three parts, the books in this series cover the lives of the individuals featured, as well as everyday life and the literature of the times. Interesting facts about society, clothing, housing, food, cosmetics, sports, and other daily activities are brought to life. The books are illustrated with plentiful archival art. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Rulers and Their Times titles: Elizabeth I and Tudor England; Isabel, Ferdinand and Fifteenth-Century Spain; Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and the French Revolution.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman