france

"A . . . retelling of the classic fairy tale. Once upon a time a baby princess was born. The kingdom's fairies blessed her with happiness, luck, cleverness, kindness and beauty. But one jealous fairy was angry at having been left out of the celebrations and placed a wicked curse on the little princess. A spell which could only be broken by true love's kiss"--Back cover.

"Now an exceptional sprinter and long jumper, Jean-Baptiste lost his right leg when he was just three years old during the civil war in Burundi. When he met his adoptive dad, Robert, Jean-Baptiste had never seen a white man before. But they bonded over the fact that his dad too had lost his right leg in an accident years before. Through the story of this ... athlete, The Long Jump tackles themes such as transracial adoption, living with a disability, finding your purpose and achieving your dreams"-- Provided by publisher.

A biography of the French emperor Napoleon, chronicling his rise as a leader and fall from power.

"The inspiring tale of a seamstress-turned-scientist who invented the world's first aquarium at a time when women in STEM were startlingly rare. The daughter of a seamstress and a cobbler, Jeanne Villepreux-Power began her career as a dressmaker, sewing beautiful gowns for the Parisian aristocracy. But her heart longed for more, and when she moved to the seaside, she became fascinated by the ocean's mysteries"--Provided by publisher.

"The . . . sequel to The Sympathizer, . . . [this book] follows the 'man of two minds' as he comes to Paris as a refugee. There he and his blood brother Bon try to escape their pasts and prepare for their futures by turning their hands to capitalism in one of its purest forms: drug dealing. No longer in physical danger, but still inwardly tortured by his reeducation at the hands of his former best friend, and struggling to assimilate into a dominant culture, the Sympathizer is both charmed and disturbed by Paris. As he falls in with a group of left-wing intellectuals and politicians who frequent dinner parties given by his French Vietnamese 'aunt,' he finds not just stimulation for his mind but also customers for his merchandise--but the new life he is making has dangers he has not foreseen"--Provided by publisher.

"One of the greatest tennis players the world has ever seen was a woman few even remember. A championship player by the age of fifteen in a Europe overshadowed by impending war, Suzanne Lenglen broke records for ticket sales and match winning streaks, scandalised and entranced the public with her playing outfits, and became a pioneer, making friends and enemies throughout restrictive tennis society in the trailblazing jazz age"--From the publisher's web site.

"It was March 11, 2011 when a massive earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami, which, in turn, destroyed the core three reactors of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. This tragedy cost almost 20,000 lives and devastated countless more, including Naoto Matsumura, a farmer evacuated from the deadly radiation zone. Unwilling to abandon his beloved animals, Naoto chooses to return home to his farm -- and to fight for the beauty of life. This important graphic novel from France alludes to Japanese legends as an ode to Mother Nature, and human resilience"--Provided by publisher.

A clever cat wins for his master a fortune and the hand of a princess.

A biography of French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who was the founder of the city of Quebec.

"Published on the 200th anniversary of his death, [this book] is an unprecedented portrait of the emperor seen through his engagement with the natural world. One of the greatest generals in history, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) has for centuries attracted great male writers, who invariably identify with him. [The author] rejects the shibboleth of the "Great Man" theory of history, instead following the dramatic trajectory of Napoleon's life through gardens, parks, and forests, not through his battlefields [and] frames the general's life through the green spaces he created and the diverse cast of scientists, architects, family members, and gardeners who stood in the shadows of his meteoric rise and fall. His dealings with these people offer unguarded and unusual opportunities to see how Napoleon grafted the worst corruption of the Ancien R?gime into a new French Empire."--Provided by publisher.