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22nd out of 60 books
—
7 voters
The Court of Stone Children
Who is Dominique? When Nina first sees her in the French Museum, she senses that there is something unreal about the strange, beautiful girl. In fact, Domi is from Napolean's time, and she has come to get Nina's help. For Domi's father was executed as a traitor during the French Revolution, and Domi is convinced that Nina can prove his innocence. But to save Domi's father,...more
Hardcover, 191 pages
Published
November 26th 1973
by Dutton Books
(first published 1973)
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It is odd, considering that I could hardly remember this book's plot and haven't read it in many year and have never investigated the author, that it has remained in my mind one of my favourite books. However, I may have discovered something interesting about myself reading it today: this book might be responsible for my love of the French language.
The plot itself is not overly complicated, though some of it is convoluted. Essentially it is about a girl who is growing up and helps solve a myste...more
The plot itself is not overly complicated, though some of it is convoluted. Essentially it is about a girl who is growing up and helps solve a myste...more
Dry, boring, and safe. =)
1 like · like · see review
I'm not sure how many times I read this as a child, but I was a big fan of Eleanor Cameron's realistic fiction, so it's likely I read it a few times. Picking it up again as an adult, I can tell exactly what I loved about it. First of all, Nina wants to grow up to be something in a museum. Did books like this make me love museums, or did I love this book because I loved going to museums? Not only is there lots of time spent in the museum - a building full of recreated rooms from a Napoleonic era...more
Mar 20, 2009
Jen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Children, 9-12
I discovered this book in the school library in 5th grade and read it several times. It was magical and mysterious and delicious. For some reason it found its way back into my mind recently, and when I finally remembered the title I was so delighted, I ordered myself a copy on Amazon. Rereading it as an adult was disappointing. I felt like the writing was labored and didn't feel the magic at all this time. So the jury's still out on this one. I'm going to read it to my kids and see what they thi...more
I bought The Court of Stone Children when I was in Elementary school, honestly just because the picture of Nina on the cover looks just like one of my cousins. I started it, but when it turned out to be above my reading level I put it down and forgot about it until about a year later, when I read it again and immediately decided it was my favorite book of all time.
Although it is no longer my favorite book, The Court of Stone Children remained in the back of my mind the way few books ever have,...more
Although it is no longer my favorite book, The Court of Stone Children remained in the back of my mind the way few books ever have,...more
Nina's a young teen (maybe 12?), new in San Francisco, awkward with peers and mostly alone. Through Gil, she discovers the French Museum, and there meets the mysterious Dominique. The voice (writing in 3rd person) seemed somewhat affected and self-conscious, but reminiscent of a young teen. (It brought back some familiar feelings.) I would have liked fewer grownups in the story. What comes through strongly is the sense of mystery, magic, and the passion for the museum.
i have tried twice at least to read this book. i just hate never finishing a book. for that reason i might try to read it again, but to this day i can not finish this book. I have gotten most of the was though but it's just not exciting enough.
Set in historic Oakland/San Francisco before the bridges were built. It amazes me that this author also wrote the Mushroom Planet series which I loved as a child. Heroine: Julia Redfern, would be writer.
Aug 09, 2007
Kim
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
young lovers of fantasy and the gothic
I loved this book as a kid! Part of it was the fact that Eleanor Cameron wrote about San Francisco, which was not too far from where I lived. Part of it was also my fascination with marble statues, like the titular "Stone Children" of this book. Mostly I could identify with the lonely Nina, who dreams of being a museum curator and encounters Dominique, a lovely ghost from Napoleon's time. Nina finds herself having to solve a mystery that took place centuries before. This is a great book for the...more
Aided by the journal of a young woman who lived in 19th century France, Nina solves a century old murder mystery.
I read it as a library book and was amased to find a copy many years later becaues all I recalled was the other kids making fund of the heroine when she said she 'wanted to be something in a museum'. She meets the ghost of a literary figure in more magic in real life that I always loved when young.
Another book I bought from Julie Chuba. She had so many interesting sounding books!
The court of the stone children by Eleanor Cameron (1990)
I read this over and over in middle school.
I liked this book, because it draws you into another world. Firstly, the world of museums which is great, and secondly, the world of someone's diary from France in the time of Napoleon. Nina is a character that you can identify with - her loneliness, and her imagination. Thanks to google for helping me find the title and author of this book!
Nov 02, 2008
Frédérique
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
girls 9-13
Recommended to Frédérique by:
The nice old lady (rip) and the bookery (rip)
Shelves:
kid-books
Oh, how I loved this book as a child. I think this book is the entire reason I love San Francisco so much. Because I discovered it through this book. The protagonist has no friends and spends all her time daydreaming and consorting with 18th century cats and solving mysteries. A favourite.
Aug 19, 2011
Maureen E
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
middle-grade-and-younger
I never quite connected to the characters on this one. Somehow the children didn’t seem very much like children, or at least their dialogue didn’t. In Odile’s case this makes perfect sense, but for Nina it’s a bit more problematic. [Oct. 2010]
(Not really time travel, but close enough)
I know Laurie really liked this one, but somehow I never got past the first couple of pages when I was a kid--too bad, because it's just the kind of book I liked, especially with all the art.
I know Laurie really liked this one, but somehow I never got past the first couple of pages when I was a kid--too bad, because it's just the kind of book I liked, especially with all the art.
The Court of the Stone Children by Eleanor Cameron (1992)
somewhat slow moving. I kept skipping ahead to find out what would happen next. French phrases uses without translation
This is a long ago favorite but I never realized until tonight there was a book that followed it.
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Eleanor Frances Butler Cameron (1912 - 1996) was a Canadian children's author who spent most of her life in California. She is best known for her Mushroom Planet series and Julia Redfern series.
She also wrote several non-fiction books discussing the writing and enjoyment of children's books.
In 1972 she and Roald Dahl exchanged barbs across three issues of The Horn Book, a magazine devoted to criti...more
More about Eleanor Cameron...
She also wrote several non-fiction books discussing the writing and enjoyment of children's books.
In 1972 she and Roald Dahl exchanged barbs across three issues of The Horn Book, a magazine devoted to criti...more
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