The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker BradleyReading level: grades 5 and up
Eleven-year-old Isabelle is a peasant lacemaker in Versailles in 1788 on the eve of the French Revolution. Although she accidentally befriends the princess (Marie Antoinette's daughter) and is tutored in all the luxuries of court, Isabelle cannot escape the class differences between them. As the Revolution nears, Isabelle is torn between her new life at court and the family in which she was raised. This novel is rich with details about the French Revolution era while enthralling readers with the story of the girls' innocent friendship.This novel is loosely based on a true friendship that the princess had with a girl of a lower class. Although Bradley takes liberties with the details, the framework is historically accurate. Despite the historical setting, the joy, hopefulness, and dilemmas of the developing friendship are timeless.
