Elisabeth sous les toits – Vincent Cuvellier & Guillaume Bianco (Novel, 6+)
With Vincent Cuvellier's words and Guillaume Bianco's black and white illustrations, the young reader will enter a very peculiar Paris, full of mystery and eccentric characters. We're in the 20s and we follow Elizabeth, a young Breton orphan, fleeing for Paris in the hope to find what happened to her parents. She will find refuge in an empty maid's room at the top of a fancy haussmanian building, where her parents used to live. Trying to not get discovered, she will mainly explore the big city at night, meeting curious creatures, a ghost, and a bunch of homeless men who will open their heart and help her in her quest. A delightful novel about being welcoming, warm and brave.
La Tour de Gustave – Sophie Adriansen & Youlie (Non-fiction, 6+)
This non-fiction book relates the life and work of Gustave Eiffel, with the funny twist that it is written from the point of view of its favorite "child", the famous Eiffel Tower. The reader (re)discovers his beginnings as an architect, his involvment in the Statue of Liberty, even his failures, through the delightful illustrations of Youlie. With a hint of art deco, pastel colours contrasting with dark tones, she renders a beautiful hommage to this important French artist.
Borrow from La Médiathèque
Lettres du Kansas – Mélanie de Coster (Novel, 12+)
In this epistolary novel, we read the life-stories of two young women in Kansas (USA) in the year 1869. The two are cousins: Sarah lives in the countryside with her parents, helping to take care of their farm, while Ellie lives in a city, with her husband, trying to make it as a journalist. We follow their struggle, passions, dreams, and how they try to find their place in a society that was quite difficult for women. Even if the story takes place a while ago, it is easy for the female reader to identifies herself to the characters, as all their questioning and doubts are quite current. For the story, the epistolary style, the deepness of the characters, this novel was one of our favourite of this year!