Quick thoughts: Kind of funny, but a little hard to "get into." Works for upper elementary more than middle school. The characters are cute, but the plot is hard to follow for young students. I just doubt older ones will get interested. It has some cute moments, but just not a favorite for me. I usually love fantasy and historical fiction, but they plot didn't hold my attention.

This was a fun and funny book. I would say this is perfect for upper elementary and lower middle school. However, as an adult I found this a pleasure to read.
Odette is a young girl who must take care of her mother Annalise. Annalise seems to have a habit of accidently killing people. They have come into the small French town of Nevers. All Odette wants is to find a place they cans stay and call home and to fit in, maybe have a friend. Odette finds a friend in a young boy named Nicois. The town is full of strange people. There is man who likes to smell people’s hands, and a man who wants to be a chicken. There is a pig and chick that have become inseparable, and then there is the donkey that brays in Latin every night. The strange thing is that Odette understands him. Odette’s mother has brought about some trouble for them because she has been looking for a box she hid under a bridge years before. Someone else is looking for it as well.
The book is a mixture of some fantasy, mystery and a bit of historical fiction all rolled into one great book. Kids will love this because they will be able to identify with the characters. This is a book I would highly recommend to readers of all ages. ( )

This was an interesting read filled with lots at bright and delightful characters and interesting pot points. I would like to add that I felt some of it was targeting the wrong audience. I feel that some of the concepts present in this tale are for order readers rather than younger readers. ( )

A delightful new fairy tale! Great characters and fun plot. The magic was subtle, but integral to the story. The history shared in the appendix was a nice surprise. ( )

Nice story, full of interesting characters with interesting "gifts". Moves slow to begin with but contains good character development. I like the setting and the author's explanations at the end and how she was inspired to write. I also agree with the age level recommendation. Thanks for writing this, it was a fun read. ( )