Marie-Grace and the Orphans

Gr 2–5—In Meet Marie-Grace, the child and her physician father move to New Orleans in 1853, where she begins voice lessons with the opera singer Mademoiselle Océane. She meets Cécile, an outgoing African American girl, and, although the girls are total opposites, they form an unlikely bond and Cécile educates her friend about race relations in the South. In Orphans, the protagonist finds a baby boy on her doorstep and wants to keep him. When a slave catcher comes for him, Marie-Grace and Cécile come up with a plan to keep the infant safe. Finally, in Difference, yellow fever has hit the city. Mademoiselle becomes ill and the orphanage where Marie-Grace and Cécile volunteer is full of children who lost their parents to the sickness. As the fever spreads across the city, the girls do their best to help those in need. Full-color illustrations are scattered throughout, and concluding sections offer relevant information about the events and include photos and reproductions. Fans of the "American Girl" books will dig right into this new series and seek out the titles told from Cécile's point of view.—Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH