Cécile Rey can't wait for Mardi Gras--New Orleans' dazzling season of parties and costume balls. For the grandest event of all, the Children's Ball, Cécile is determined to come up with a fantastic costume like no one else's. Everyone will notice her And after Mardi Gras, Cécile beloved brother, Armand, will finally come home after two long years in faraway France. But Mardi Gras season turns out to be even more exciting than Cécile expects when she meets a new girl named Marie-Grace Gardner. Together they form an unlikely friendship . . .and share a daring adventure
this was the first book i’ve read for AG book club that i haven’t read before!! because of the lack of nostalgia for me, i didn’t love it as much as i have the others, but it was still really enjoyable and i learned a lot about new orleans history!! i absolutely would have loved reading this as a kid if they had come out in my era!!
This book rehashes the boring first book from another POV. Fortunately, even though it covers the same ground, Cecile is a more interesting character with a more engaging life situation, and the book at least has a semblance of a story arc, instead of just being a series of stitched-together episodes. Also, the key plot points of the Marie Grace book have more significance here, because Cecile's POV provided context, tension, and interest that the other book lacked.
This book also has better subplots, and provides an interesting look into the challenges that wealthy and privileged "free people of color" experienced as New Orleans attracted more white people from the rest of America, who treated them like slaves and second-class citizens. This book, which is set about a decade prior to the Civil War, has an interesting and educational portrayal of how unique New Orleans's racial makeup and culture were in the country at that time. The "peek into the past" covers some of the very same information that was already printed in the preceding book, but also shares more details about black history. These elements make it a three-star book for me, instead of the two stars that I gave the exceedingly dull first book.
I enjoyed this much more than the Marie-Grace companion story. AG should have had the Louisiana native author do the whole series - better yet, just focus on Cecile and the unique history of free people of color in New Orleans! The tandem stories were not well coordinated, either. Half of this was a literal rerun of Marie-Grace’s Mardi Gras ball. More original Cecile content would have been better.
Even though I identify more with Marie-Grace's shyness of character, I enjoyed this book much more than "Meet Marie-Grace". I think Denise Lewis Patrick does a much better job of bringing Cecile to life than the Ms. Buckey does with Marie-Grace. Ms. Patrick's writing is also much smoother and more interesting.
I found the large jump in time (from February to May) a bit jarring. Why not leave Armand's homecoming for the next book?
Again, the illustrations fail to enrapture. Notice how Cecile always has a zombified look in her eyes, never looking at the person she is supposedly talking to in the picture? A little creepy. Too bad such a nice story doesn't have better illustrations to enhance the experience, especially since illustrations are so important in children's books.
I feel like I'm reviewing half a book, which is definitely unfair, but since I don't have the rest of the Cécile/Marie-Grace series at my fingertips, I'll leave some notes and revise at some later date.
Cécile and Marie-Grace were a fascinating if short-lived experiment in exploring a historical period from multiple perspectives: Their six-book core series is split between books from Cécile's point of view and ones from Marie-Grace's. As long as you have the whole set, that seems pretty nifty. If you don't - and at the moment, I don't - it's very clear that you're getting half the story. And as the publisher, you have to know that no matter how many times you put "Get the rest of the story!" on the cover or add a preview of the next book at the end, there are always going to be readers who don't have access to the other books, for whatever reason.
But other than that, I enjoyed this. Cécile is charming. Her family is lovely. Marie-Grace is a sweet cinnamon roll. It's a little surprising how little time they spend together given that the whole premise here is that they are Best Friends, but it seems only fair to hold that judgement until I've read the other books.
A few thoughts:
- There is not a strong sense of plot: lots of "what are Cécile's days like," culminating in the Mardi Gras ball switcheroo and her brother's sudden return. Those are clearly the important things, but the overall effect is somewhat episodic, even in a book this short.
- Cécile lives on the dramatic side of life (would she get along well with Rebecca, I wonder?), and she acts out once when she feels left out. But it's such a brief outburst, it almost doesn't register.
- Like Marie-Grace, Cécile has some bossy rich girls to contend with: Though Cécile is elegant and rich, it seems she isn't quite elegant enough for the Metoyer sisters. Cécile's friend Monette appears briefly, but the Metoyers are much more present. Why do we need this counter-example of good friendship, AG?
- It's interesting that the possible consequences of switching places really only occur to Cécile after the fact and she's a bit shocked.
As a little girl. I was opposed with American Girl. I still really enjoy the stories. American Girl really got me into reading. I started American Girl when I was 9. I loved them ever since.
Goes over a lot of the same plot beats as Meet Marie-Grace, which I think is a bit unfortunate. I see why they did that, but it does feel a bit repetitive I think this book definitely did it better, though. It still can't escape the worst parts, though - terrible illustrations and a confusing Mardi Gras ball plotline. At least Cécile eventually acknowledges the potential danger she's in, but it was a bit too little too late.
Cécile was great fun as a character. I had never known about free people of color in New Orleans - it's a really interesting part of history, and I'm glad I've been introduced to it now! Cécile does go over some plot points which American Girl has tread before - well-to-do family, consciousness of social class, desire for performance and attention. But I kind of like that...? I like that this young Black girl is being allowed to go through these same AG cliches. She was a real treat to read.
I wished that I had read this before Marie-Grace’s book, as it is a much stronger version of their “meet” story. It also feels like a rehash of the plot of Marie-Grace’s with the Mardi Gras party, which further emphasizes why I think Cécile should have been the main character for this series and have Marie-Grace be more of a best friend story, like Ruthie or Nellie.
This book delves into a lesser-known part of US history and the lives of the free people of color living in New Orleans. We see Cécile and her family’s life begin to change as her city has become part of the United States.
This is such a character driven story, and I feel like we truly get to meet and know each member of her family and what joy they bring.
This book is the second in the new American Girl series about Cécile and Marie-Grace, two nine-year-old girls from very different backgrounds who both live in New Orleans in 1853. This book takes place at the same time as Meet Marie-Grace, showing the same events from Cécile's perspective. Cécile comes from a wealthy and respected family from New Orleans' vibrant community of free people of color.
When the story begins, Cécile misses her older brother, who has gone to France to study, and can't wait for his return. At her singing lesson with Mademoiselle Océane, an opera singer from France, Cécile meets Marie-Grace, a girl who was born in New Orleans but lived with her American father in the north the past few years. Although the two girls come from very different backgrounds, they quickly become friends and share an exciting adventure at a children's costume ball during Mardi Gras.
I loved the American Girls series growing up and I credit it, along with the Little House and Dear America books, for helping me develop a love for historical fiction. Even though I am an adult now, I was very interested when I saw that the newest American Girl series would be from the perspectives of two girls from very different backgrounds growing up in New Orleans in 1853. The historical setting is very interesting since New Orleans was such a multicultural city and very different from the rest of the United States in the mid 19th century. I think young girls will enjoy this series while hopefully learning a bit about a very unique place and time from American history.
In this book, we get Cecile's side of the story. Cecile is a spunky little free POC that is Marie-Grace's best friend. She's the one that brings forth M-G's braver and less shy side, and deeply shapes who M-G is as a person. -------- We once again see them meet at Mademoiselle Oceane's vocal classes. But, this does not talk about the all-girls school later on, as Cecile is not a member of that, however we do still get the wonderful story of the Mardi Gras switch. -------- And, in addition, we get a wonderful story of a brother, Armand, who is a sailor presently stationed in France, but set to return home soon. Much as CeCe loves Armand, she can't help but feel that all the attention is going to his return instead of her now, and she kinda dislikes that. But, she would never say so. When Armand returns, Cecile is shy toward him, mostly because he looks and sounds different. He has grown up during his years away, but she is still the first to recognize him. Soon, things are much as before between them. During the family's prayers at a cathedral nearby, Armand calls CeCe out to present her with a present. It's a beautiful porcelain doll that she quickly recognizes as herself. Armand also reveals a special secret before he returns inside to get the package she promised him. --------- While Armand is inside, Marie-Grace comes by, asking her to keep a secret. Cecile tells her Armand is back, and M-G gives her a note asking to meet before lessons, and runs off. What is this secret? Will Cecile be able to keep BOTH secrets?
Okay, so the racial narrative is much better here than it was with M-G, but their freindship is actually less convincing in this retelling of the plot I just read. It looks like the other four books tell independent stories, but I didn't love the choice to rehash the plot from Cécile's perspective.
Also, from a historical standpoint, learning about les gens de couleur libres is mind-blowingly cool and addresses one of the main critiques of Addy, which can be extended to Melody: why do these children's stories have to deal with super heavy civil rights topics? Why can't a black girl just have a normal life? This does a beautiful job of dealing with Cécile's RELATIVELY privileged life that still definitely deals with racism. However, so many of these privileges function on a separate but actually equal level that I'm wondering if this is the precedent that led to Jim Crow (which definitely was not equal). This needs to be addressed in the historical section, and the immorality of segregation should probably be more openly denounced in the novel itself. Once again the M-G and Cécé series is starting to do cool things but just doesn't go deep enough. I'm really missing Connie Porter rn.
Basically a rehashing of Meet Marie-Grace. I liked MG so much that Cecile was going to have to be unique to keep my interest. I just didn't find her character as captivating. MG is dealing with a new home, making friends, and mean girls, while C is just worried about her brother returning.
I did love the chapter where C and her grandfather buy sweets and C begins to see that not all of the US is like New Orleans. It was very poignant, yet appropriate for the age level.
Maybe more like a 3.5, but I couldn't bring myself to rate it as many stars as MG.
Reading for the American Girl Podcast. I like this author much better than the MG books, and Cecile is a much stronger and more interesting character than Marie-Grace. However, it still leaves me with a lot of questions about race in New Orleans in this time period and it still feels like something is lacking. A better read than MG, but still not my favorite AG book.
its about Mardi Gras is coming up and Cecile is so excited but she is even more excited about her brother coming home from Paris.then she meets a girl and becomes friends with her.so she and the girl she meets goes on a amazing adventure.
It would make sense that after two decades in the business, AG experiments with doing co-leads on a historical line, and it's interesting to get the meet cute introductory beats in stereo from both girls' perspectives. Cecile definitely acts with more intent and purpose, and moves with confidence in the city she's born and raised in. Though New Orleans has a different history than the rest of the US, they still encounter ugly Americans at the candy shop who balk at the free Black society. For better or worse, I find it extremely refreshing to have a historical Black character from a wealthy background, rather than the typical Civil War era narratives (no shade to Addy, who was/is the OG for POC in the historical American Girl lines). More backgrounds for people of color, please!
Still not as into as these illustrations as some of the other series, and I found it a little... lazy, I suppose, to reuse a painting or two from Meet Marie-Grace for Meet Cecile.
I enjoyed Cecile's "Meet" book far more than Marie-Grace's. I'm not sure if it's her personality, which has a little more snap to it, or her life-style, which is far more interesting to me. It's not a perspective I've ever learned a lot about.
I wish her story wasn't a repeat of Marie-Grace's, only told from a different perspective. There wasn't enough difference to really warrant a second book, particularly at the ball scene. And don't even get me started on the poor illustrations. I already aired my complaints in my "Meet Marie-Grace" review, so I'll spare you here.
It's unfortunate that these girls did so poorly to warrant a quick retirement in the AG vault. I think what had been a money grab to sell two dolls at once would have been served better by focusing on one girl for a six girl series, like we've grown used to. Even if they did both as a six-book series with their lives intertwining would have been better.
Children's literature historical fiction chapter book Grades 2-4
My daughter read the American Girl books when she was in elementary school and loved them. They didn't have a Cecile character back then so I was curious about this book set in the 1850's. What I found most interesting was that there are two girls who are the main characters of this and five other books; one is black and one is white. In New Orleans in the 1850's black families had white people as servants. The tables certainly were turned from what was happening in most places in the US. I think this book set would be wonderful to encourage elementary girls about friendships across ethnicities. I would definietly steer girls to these books, and may purchase some myself. I love historical fiction an appreciate the historical overviews given at the end of each book. These are winners with me!
What a great book! An interesting concept in this best friends series.
In book one we met Marie-Grace and experienced her first few months back in New Orleans including the moment when she makes a new friend named Ceclie. In this book we get to see Cecile's life and then the moments she meets Marie-Grace from her perspective.
What makes it so interesting is that we get to see how different their home lives are, but also see their friendship bloom and grow.
Also very interesting is seeing how life could be for free people of color during the 1800s. The history aspect is very important to me. Seeing the glimpses of life during the early years of the US makes me appreciate what I have more.
Reading for the American Girls Pod. After reading this book, I think I may be a Cecile. I love new places, am very talkative, am always thinking up a plan, and can't sing. This book gets five stars because of how much I love Cecile, but I was a little disappointed that it covered essentially the same timeline as the Meet Marie-Grace book. I loved having both girls' perspectives, but I would have rather switched back and forth in one book. However, this does not detract from the fact that I am now a huge fan of Cecile! I am not sure why she and Marie-Grace were retired so quickly. So far I find their story delightful and I love the idea of a series that centers two characters.
Cecile is definitely a more interesting character than Marie-Grace and has a lot more personality. I was excited to read her story, but it felt hindered by the dual-perspective narrative this series is going for. A lot of the book replayed the scenes that were already done - which could have been interesting except it didn’t add anything new to it. In fact, I felt that these scenes were wasted instead of giving Cecile her own separate adventures in which she could really shine. The same author wrote the Melody series which was EXCELLENT so I know it wasn’t her fault this story was “meh”. It was trying to follow a narrow storyline which dampened the story.
I really enjoyed this book! I love how the books in this series go back and forth between the two main characters so you get to hear both sides of the story! In this book, Cecile is awaiting the return of her brother, Armand. At one point she feels left out because her family is making a huge fuss about Armand and what he would want when he gets back. I think this is super applicable to our everyday lives because it's very easy to feel left out. Overall, this book was great and I would highly recommend!
Cécile is excited for the children's ball during Marti Gratis. She wants a costume, unlike any other child. Cécile is a young free girl in New Orleans. She has never lived in slavery. She and her family are waiting for the arrival of their son and brother who is set to return from studying in France. Cécile can't wait. But there are some bad signs of illness starting to hit the city. This was a fine introduction to the second half of this American Girl duo. Cécile immediately found a way into my heart. I am excited to read this series.
If you've read Meet Marie-Grace, you've read half this story. It is a bit interesting to see the same interactions through another character's eyes but not too much was added to the story of the friendship that way. I think this book benefited from the author's New Orleans knowledge and connections. I also appreciated the family element to the story compared to the book's counterpart. With two books into the series, I don't feel very connected to either girl or their stories.
So what you need to know is this is a rehashing of Book 1 from Cecile's POV. This one is better than the other. I wish they had just stuck with Cecile's story instead of trying to also include boring Marie Grace who does not give main character energy like Cecile.