Pardon My French (S.A.S.S.) - Softcover

Hapka, Catherine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142404594 ISBN 13: 9780142404591

Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group, 2005

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Nicole dreams of spending the rest of her life with her boyfriend Nate. So when she finds herself on her way to Paris to study abroad without him, she’s less than thrilled. Paris is filled with cars that move at the speed of light, edible snails, and a language that Nicole can’t speak or read. Worst of all, Nicole feels lost without Nate. She’s not sure she’s capable of finding joie de vivre on her own, but with the help of some new friends—and a certain handsome Frenchman— Nicole might find Paris as sweet as a café au lait after all.

About this title

About the Author

Cathy Hapka has written more than one hundred books for children and young adults. At home on her small farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, she enjoys reading and writing, horseback riding, animals of all kinds, gardening, and music.

Reviews

Grade 8 Up–After spending most of her childhood moving from town to town, Nicole is glad to be settled in one place to finish high school. When she starts daydreaming about marrying her boyfriend after graduation, her parents decide that she needs to broaden her horizons. They sign her up for the Students Across the Seven Seas program, and soon she is unhappily headed for Paris where she will attend school and live with an American family. Despite her negative attitude, she makes friends with the other exchange students and her host family's French nanny. As a new culture and new experiences make Nicole more mature and confident, she begins to realize that her decisions about her boyfriend and to belong to the in-crowd are limiting her potential. Nicole starts out as shallow and slightly unlikable, but does show some real growth as the story progresses. This addition to the series is a respectable entry in the teen chick-lit genre, but it moves a bit slowly.–Stephanie L. Petruso, Anne Arundel County Public Library, Odenton, MD
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The magic of Paris…

“Look,” he said softly, pointing over and up.

Nicole followed his gaze. There, rising in the air, so close it seemed almost larger than life, was the angular metal skeleton of the Eiffel Tower. White lights picked out its every curve and strut, making it stand out against the dark sky.

“Oh!” she gasped in surprise. “It’s—it’s beautiful!”

She had seen the Eiffel Tower many times, of course—it was difficult to go anywhere in the center of Paris without coming upon yet another view of it. But from this angle it looked like a whole new structure, looming and strangely mysterious, almost alive.

Becoming aware that Luc was watching her rather than the Tower, she turned and met his gaze.

He smiled. “I thought you would appreciate it,” he said. “You, I think, have the ability to see what is special, what is important.”

His face moved closer. Nicole stared into his eyes, mesmerized by the guileless, undemanding appreciation she saw there. So different from the way Nate looked at her most of the time.

She did nothing to stop Luc as he bent down and kissed her. His lips felt soft and warm against her own, and she let her eyes fall shut as she pressed against him.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0142404594
• ISBN 13: 9780142404591
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224