(4) YA Colette struggles to keep up appearances (and placate her snobbish friends) after her parents' divorce. A class trip to Paris is a welcome distraction, but ghostly visions of Marie Antoinette and a series of gruesome socialite murders lead Colette into a supernatural mystery that spans back to the French Revolution. Underdeveloped characters and trite teenage issues detract from the camp.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) YA Illustrated by Sandra Suy. When Louise tries on a dress at another Traveling Fashionista Vintage Sale, she's again whisked back in time, here to eighteenth-century Versailles; she experiences a culture of privilege and excess as a companion of the ill-fated Marie Antoinette. Fashionista readers may overlook the awkward writing and enjoy the lengthy descriptions (and colorful illustrations) of beautiful dresses. Reading list, timeline, websites.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) 4-6 Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames series. Illustrated by Peter Malone. Profiling some of history's most notorious women rulers, this series employs crisp writing along with an appealing mix of dramatic paintings and photographs (mainly of places and items). The main texts deliver plenty of gory details; most volumes include sidebars highlighting cultural specifics. It's a little all over the place, but the series, with its sharp hook, should appeal to a diverse readership. Review covers these Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames titles: Agrippina, Catherine de' Medici, Cixi, Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, and Mary Tudor.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) YA Young Maria Antonia must become Marie Antoinette and marry the French dauphin. Each chapter title is an instruction: "Perfection must be your goal." The story of her reign as queen, and her ultimate execution, is told through her eyes and with a sympathetic point of view. While Marie is well developed, other main characters are less so.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 4-6 Great Queens series. These biographies tell the story of each queen and her role in shaping historical events that affected her subjects. The texts, though choppy, are informative, highlighting important milestones in each ruler's life. Useful sidebars, photographs, reproductions, and illustrations add further context. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Great Queens titles: Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, and Catherine the Great.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Young. Marie Antoinette's self-centered pug narrates this playful portrait of the famous queen, focusing on her early years in France and their effects on his comfort. Cullen neatly balances royal opulence against simple canine pleasures. The art captures the magnificence of Versailles's elaborate architecture and fashion but humanizes the world with gentle pastel colors.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA European Queens series. Whether they came to the throne through their own machinations or because they were next in line, these five women made history-altering contributions--both good and bad--to their respective countries. While the books don't neglect to discuss the intrigues and assignations of these monarchs, the laudatory tone downplays each ruler's flaws. Black-and-white and crisp color reproductions appear throughout. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these European Queens titles: Marie Antoinette and the Decline of the French Monarchy, Catherine de'Medici and the Protestant Reformation, Catherine the Great and the Enlightenment in Russia, Queen Isabella and the Unification of Spain, and Queen Victoria and the British Empire.

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

(3) 4-6 Royal Diaries series. In this fictional diary of thirteen-year-old Marie Antonia, Lasky makes good use of detail, incorporating many aspects of everyday life in both the Austrian and French courts as the young archduchess prepares to become the Dauphine of France. Some minor liberties are taken with events, but in general this is an engaging read. Historical notes, a family tree, and black-and-white archival reproductions are appended.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman