Marie Antoinette

May 1, 2000
Gr 5-8-Lasky takes historical fact and weaves it into a sympathetic account of an adolescent Marie Antoinette. Antonia's diary begins shortly before her politically arranged betrothal and marriage to Louis Auguste, Dauphin of France. It describes her struggles with strange new customs, in particular the elaborate French Court etiquette. The descriptions of Versailles and palace life hold true to fact and fit well into the diary of the Dauphine experiencing her new country. The diary also does a believable job of taking Marie Antoinette from a girl of 13 to a young woman of 15. Antonia goes from playing childhood games to become Marie Antoinette, future queen, playing political games with Madame du Barry. At the conclusion of the novel, an epilogue continues the story to its historical completion. Notes and a family tree are useful for readers who know little of 18th-century royalty and politics. This will be a popular addition for readers who favor the diary format in historical fiction. An excellent companion to this series is Milton Meltzer's Ten Queens (Dutton, 1998).-Carolyn Janssen, Rockford Public Library, IL

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2000
Gr. 5^-8. Few young readers know about Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna, archduchess of Vienna, though they may have heard of Marie Antoinette. It was a politically advantageous, arranged marriage that brought Maria Antonia fame and notoriety as Marie Antoinette, queen of France. This Royal Diaries title spans a two-year period, beginning in 1769 as 13-year-old Marie prepares for and navigates the complex rituals, responsibilities, and superficiality of French courtly life. Lasky's Marie is delightfully dimensional, independent yet insecure, spoiled and fashion crazy. She's bewildered by parental conflict and the manners of society, and her experiences are colored by the hopes, dreams, and disappointments of life and love. Best known for her extravagance--and her beheading during the French Revolution--Marie here discovers that privilege and political status has a price as well as rewards. Endnotes provide historical background and context, and as in others in the series, there's a selection of well-chosen visuals of people and places of the times. Unlike the epilogue in some of the other diary-entry series books, the epilogue here works well, helping to make this well-researched series entry informative as well as entertaining. Quality writing, lively characterizations, and abundant historical detail. ((Reviewed April 15, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)