Amanda In France: Fire in the Cathedral by Darlene Foster

Amanda in France: Fire in the Cathedral

Darlene Foster, Author

Central Avenue Publishing, Sep. 13, 2022

Suitable for ages: 9-12

Themes: France, Travel, Adventure, Mystery, Fire, Cathedral, Friendship

Publisher’s Synopsis:

Amanda explores the exciting streets of Paris, the fabulous Palace of Versailles and the gardens of the painter Claude Monet, while being drawn into the mystery surrounding the destructive fire of Notre Dame cathedral.

Amanda is in love! With Paris – the city of love. She’s in awe of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and Notre Dame Cathedral. While there, she gets to work as a volunteer and stay in a famous book store, along with her bestie, Leah, and Leah’s eccentric Aunt Jenny. A dream come true for a book lover like Amanda.

Except, while she’s at the Paris Opera House there is a bomb threat. Then the lights go out during their visit to the Louvre. Worst of all, a devastating fire blazes in Notre Dame. Why does a mysterious man, who claims to be a busker, writer and artist, show up every time something bad happens?

Join Amanda as she explores the exciting streets of Paris, the fabulous Palace of Versailles and the gardens of the painter Claude Monet, all the time looking for clues as to who would want to destroy such a beautiful, historic cathedral.

Why I like Amanda in France:

Foster has created another exciting and lively adventure story for young readers who enjoy traveling and solving a good mystery. Fans of the Amanda Travels series will quickly pour through the pages exploring the historic sites, munching on sweet macarons and baguettes, and falling in love with Paris along with Amanda.

Amanda is spirited and fun-loving character with a lot of smarts. Her inquisitive nature and keen radar about people draws the girls into a mystery which results in some dangerous situations. Leah is a little more sophisticated, but faithfully remains by Amanda’s side. She’s a nice balance for Amanda, especially when they run into some unsavory characters who may be involved with Notre Dame Cathedral fire. Amanda meets a lot of knew people and I appreciate the subtle message about not judging other people by how the speak or dress. 

I love the setting for this story, as I’ve always wanted to visit Paris. It’s been delightful to journey with Amanda to the Eiffel Tower, the cathedrals, the Paris opera House, Palace of Versailles, and the Louvre. Foster knows her audience and doesn’t talk-down to her young readers. The dialogue is as realistic as are they characters.

Bottom line, I believe that Foster’s Amanda Travel series is a wonderful way for teens to learn about other cultures and be inspired to do some traveling of their own some day.  Make sure you check out the discussion questions at the end of the book.

Amanda in France: Fire in the Cathedral is the ninth book in the Amanda Travels series: Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask; Amanda in Spain: The Girl in the Painting; Amanda in England: The Missing Novel: Amanda in Alberta: The Writing on the Stone: Amanda on the Danube: The Sounds of Music;; Amanda in New Mexico: Ghosts in the Wind; Amanda in Holland: Missing in Action; and Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady.  Foster has written the books in such a manner that they cab be read in any order, but I recommend you start with the first book.

Darlene Foster: Growing up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Darlene Foster dreamt of writing, traveling the world, and meeting interesting people. She also believed in making her dreams come true. It’s no surprise she’s now the award-winning author of Amanda Travels, a children’s adventure series featuring a spunky twelve-year-old who loves to travel to unique places. Readers of all ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another. When not traveling herself, Darlene divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca, Spain with her husband and entertaining rescue dogs, Dot and Lia. Visit her at her website. 

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*Review copy provided by the author in exchange for a fair review.