Beth Levine Ain

A story about a sixteen year old girl named Sabine set in the time of the Revolutionary War. She is unlike her mother who is a social climber and wants her daughter to marry well. So to that end she arranges a marriage that Sabine wants nothing to do with. Her mother has a lavish party where Benjamin Franklin is the main attraction. Well Sabine decides to reacquaint herself with Michel the nanny's son. This does not make her mother happy at all since it undermines her agenda. Now Sabine has a chance to meet Benjamin Franklin and learn new ideas and opens her up to a new way of thinking and lifestyle. A chance for High School and even some Middle School students to see how it would be to live in the time of the Revolution. It can also show that even in that time period new ideas came to bear and influenced them to change.… (altro)

Sabine has it all - dresses, food to kill for, and no problems whatsoever... oh besides having a mother who cares little for her and just wants to marry her off. Sabine seems happy for the most part, until she realizes that when it comes to marriage, she now has no choice in the matter. Her husband to be scares her with his rough attitude and lack of charm when alone with her and she turns to books and an old childhood friend (Michel) for help. It's set during a time in France where they admire Ben Franklin and the start of revolutionary groups start appearing.… (altro)

Reviewed by Tasha for TeensReadToo.com

It's 1776 in Paris, France, and while it isn't America, there is still discussion of the American Revolution. There is especially a lot of talk about Benjamin Franklin, the revolutionary American who is coming to visit Paris. All of the socially elite are planning parties in honor of his visit, and it is crucial that they are all perfect.

Sabine Durand's mother is no exception. She wants perfection for her latest party where Franklin is the guest of honor. She has even arranged for Sabine to be escorted by one of the most eligible bachelors in all of Paris. The thing is, Sabine couldn't care less. She's not caught up in the aristocratic lifestyle, and she actually cares about what is going on.

She soon rekindles her friendship with Michel, her nanny's son, and her mother is not at all pleased. Sabine doesn't care, though, as she goes off gallivanting with Michel and even gets the chance to meet Franklin. Sabine gets swept up in the meaning of the Revolution and really comes to form an opinion. Fueled by these new ideas of freedom, Sabine is determined to make a change in her life. She starts to break away from her controlling mother and stand up for herself.

Will Sabine succeed? And is there a possibility of maybe finding real love in this time of change?

This book is one of those historical fiction novels where the author just gets it all right. The facts were spot on, her description of the setting was great, and the overall atmosphere that she created was genuine.

Sabine's character was wonderful. She learned to stand up for herself and discover what really needed to be done in her life in order for her to be successful. She had the right amount of feistiness and seriousness to keep the reader intrigued in her life.

I also thought it was really interesting that the author chose to set the story in the time of the American Revolution, but also in Paris where there wasn't as much of a change going on. The reader got to see how the Revolution effected the whole world. The setting also made Sabine's change much more interesting, because she was taking political ideas and applying them to her life, which I found to be absolutely compelling.

I think THE REVOLUTION OF SABINE is a great book for all ages. It provided a great historical aspect, but yet it wasn't so overloaded with facts that it was boring. Sabine's journey to discovering herself was very realistic, and most teens will be able to relate, even though the story is set in 1776. Beth Levine Ain did a great job and I look forward to reading her future works.… (altro)