Alice Atherton's Grand Tour by Lesley M.M. Blume
Published by Alfred A. Knopf on 10/10/2023
ISBN: 0553536818
Pages: 208
Genres: Historical Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Alice Atherton’s father sends Alice to France to spend the summer with some dear friends and their children.  He is hoping that being around this eccentric family will help Alice find joy after her mother’s death from scarlet fever.  As part of the children’s summer lessons, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy arrange for Alice and their three children to make art with Pablo Picasso, dance with the Ballets Russes, and go on a treasure hunt with F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Through these adventures, Alice grieves for her mother but also starts living with happiness again.  When Alice’s father picks her up at the end of the summer, he is thrilled with the changes he sees in his daughter.  Elementary school readers will enjoy this imaginative historical fiction novel; it would also make a good classroom read aloud.  Backmatter includes short biographies about the famous historical figures the children meet in the story.  Although not a must have, this sweet story of ingenuity  and resilience would make a great addition to any library.

 

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library