The Time-Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie Antoinette

July 15, 2012
Middle school girls obsessed with fashion will find an entertaining, painless history lesson in this light romp. Louise, 12, envies her best friend, who is becoming an actual teenager. Worse, her dad has suddenly lost his job, so Louise won't be going on her much-anticipated trip to France with her classmates. She consoles herself by indulging in her obsession, vintage fashion, at the exclusive traveling vintage-clothing store that has sent her another exclusive invitation. The last time she visited the peripatetic store, she wound up traveling back in time to the Titanic, and she wonders if she can take another trip. Of course she can, winding up in the court of 14-year-old Princess Marie Antoinette just after her marriage to Prince Louis. Louise finds herself in the persona of a Duchess called Gabrielle. The amazing excesses of the court astonish her, as, of course, does the fashion. However, she also learns about the appalling conditions of the people of France and tries to awaken Marie Antoinette to their misery. She remembers the lecture her history teacher gave her class about the French Revolution, but can't recall just when it happened. Is Louise herself in personal danger? Turetsky delivers her enjoyable history lesson through the eyes of a girl who knows every major and minor fashion designer, a character sure to appeal to her target audience, as will the time-traveling theme. Appealing illustrations aid readers' imaginations. Good fun. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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November 1, 2012

Gr 5-8-Louise Lambert, a seventh grader who is searching for an outfit to wear to her best friend's 13th birthday party, visits a vintage clothing store. Upon trying on a period dress, she is transported back to the court of Marie Antoinette at Versailles. Ironically, Louise's attorney father has just lost his job and cannot pay for her to go on the class trip to France. Getting to travel this way, Louise triumphs over her friends. There are beautiful color illustrations of fashions richly described and language typical of the time periods then and now. The chapter headings are colorful, and fonts in various hues are used throughout. This book will appeal to girls who enjoy historical fiction and fantasy. Reluctant readers will not be able to keep up with the vocabulary but will like the pictures.Kathy Lyday, William Lenoir Middle School, Lenoir, NC

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
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.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)