The Miraculous Tale of the Two Maries
Grade 1-4–Two 16-year-old best friends, both named Marie, enjoy carefree lives in their southern French town, until the day they venture out too far into the clam flats where the fast-moving tide quickly overtakes them. The waves toss them and their boat deep into the ocean and then up to heaven. There, God gives them a second chance by allowing them to return to the town they love and help its inhabitants. They row their boat through the clouds and spend the next 60 years saving children from fever, adults from dog attacks, horses in danger, and anyone else who is in dire straits. This fact-based tale is prefaced with an authors note describing the real two Maries, which adds depth to the story. The main characters are not portrayed as mystical beings but as normal girls who make a foolish mistake but refuse to let that be the end of what they can do for the people they love. The conversational and matter-of-fact first-person narrative is peppered with French words and phrases. Matherss folk-art-style illustrations use simple lines and bold colors to create detailed pictures that effectively capture the action and emotions of the story. A lovely addition to any collection.–Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.