Books with author Elizabeth Robins

When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service—the beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive. Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect adornment of plainness. Isabelle has no idea her new "friend" is the hired help, and Maude's very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose. Inspired by a short story written by Emile Zola, Belle Epoque is set at the height of bohemian Paris, when the city was at the peak of decadence, men and women were at their most beautiful, and morality was at its most depraved.A YASLA William C. Morris Award FinalistA Junior Library Guild Selection“Both touching and fun, this is a story about many things—true friendship, real beauty, being caught between two worlds—and it will delight fans of historical fiction.”—Publishers Weekly“A refreshingly relevant and inspiring historical venture.”—Kirkus Reviews“A compelling story about friendship, the complexity of beauty, and self-discovery…full of strong female characters.”—School Library Journal“With resonant period detail, elegant narration, and a layered exploration of class and friendship, this provocative novel is rife with satisfaction.”—Booklist “Much to offer a contemporary YA audience…flirtation and match-making to tantalize romance fans…prime book-club fare.”—The Bulletin "This delectable Parisian tale left me sighting with sweet satisfaction. J'adore Belle Epoque!"-Sonya Sones, author of What My Mother Doesn't Know and To Be Perfectly HonestFrom the Hardcover edition.

This is the story of a little girl named Rayne who is adventurous and clever, with an inventive imagination. She believes and tries to persuade Cora the cow, Dale the dolphin, Betsy the bird, and Bella the butterfly that she is their queen water supplier of the world. Rayne acknowledges to young children that rain provides water for plants to grow, so animals can have food to eat and shelter for many animals. How will Rayne convince these animals to make her their queen? Will Rayne ever convince these animals that she is their queen water supplier of the world, and that she is the real reason why they have food to eat and a home to live in?

In this variation on the old theme, the dragon is appeased by the King's a-maiden-a-week plan, until his daughter is the only maiden left. The dragon, it turns out, is a lady-lover, not a lady-eater; he has a large, always growing, company of females in his cave. George, a brave knight, enters expectedly, saves the princess, and banishes the dragon despite his good nature.

Out in the Park one day, children, I met a little boy not bigger than you are, who told me that he liked stories about a boy and a dog and the things they did together. He said that it must be a real boy and a real dog, and there must be other animals in the story, not great, big, fierce ones, but just neighborly ones-animals a boy might, perhaps, meet when he went for walks in the woods-and take pictures of and get to know. So this is the story of the way a real boy and a real dog spent their first summer in the real country; and the fun they had together.

"A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of wisteria, and solitude as needed. The women at the center of The Enchanted April are alike only in their dissatisfaction with their everyday lives. They find each other-and the castle of their dreams-through a classified ad in a London newspaper one rainy February afternoon. The ladies expect a pleasant holiday, but they don't anticipate that the month they spend in Portofino will reintroduce them to their true natures and reacquaint them with joy. Now, if the same transformation can be worked on their husbands and lovers, the enchantment will be complete."