Written by Suzanne Weyn
This story is set in France just before and during the French Revolution. The main characters are unique, well detailed and supply a different perspective of the events that surround the uprising of the people. It provides an unexpected view of the royals as well as their subjects and displays the elemental forces of life & death.
The heroine, Marie-Therese (who is the daughter of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI), wants to learn about the people of France so she switches places with the Chamber Maid’s daughter, Ernestine, and ‘visits’ Paris. What she learns is disturbing – at first she is upset by the view the people have of her family. As she lives among them, she experiences the difficulties/trials they face each day and eventually becomes one ‘of’ them. She risks everything to warn her family of the pending doom … Her bravery shines through as she makes risky choices.
This book has all the elements that draw you further in the plot – good/evil, sacrifices, risks, intrigue, young minds, lies/truth, political uprising, voodoo, curiosity – and build strong characters. If you are looking for a different experience and view point of the French Revolution, this is the book for you!!
Review by Susan Elder, Wasatch Junior High Media Center
Rating: ★★★★✩ (4 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 7-10
Faces of the Dead
Written by Suzanne Weyn
Scholastic Press
201 pages
Release Date: August 26, 2014
