Love? In New York, Callie’s Journal, from Stéphanie Benson

”Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze”

Author: Stéphanie Benson

Illustrator: Juliette Maroni

Editor: Syros Jeunesse

Publication date: 2019

Number of pages: 128

Summary: Je suis dans l'avion qui m'emmène à New York ! Là-bas, je vais retrouver Allen (my secret love story ! ). And I'll study Graphic Design ! So I need to practice English. And writing a journal is a very good way to practice ! Ce que je ne sais pas encore, c'est qu'à mon arrivée, Allen va me présenter... Cilla, la fille qu'il a l'intention d'épouser. So humiliating... Journal, please, help me !

My opinion: This time, I decided to write in ENGLISH!!! Well, this book isn’t really an English book, because the story starts in French and finishes in English. It is for B1-B2 level. I read it two years ago (with 12 years old) and I LOVED it. So, I decided to read it again. (This time I read it in 1 hour). As I said, this journal starts in French, and English is gradually integrated. The last pages are only in English, but you don’t realize it.

I love this book because it looks like a real young girl’s journal, with drawings, colors,… And the story is very funny! If you read this book, you‘ll meet Callie (Caroline), a french girl that wants to learn Graphic Design in New York. She‘s gonna live with the Gardner family, she lived there years ago— in the book 1 Dylan Dilemma but you can read this one before-. Friends, teachers, homework, American customs and OBVIOUSLY LOVE❤️ bring together to create a story full of humour!!!

I recommend you reading books in English, or even books like this, from Tip Tongue for example, because it’s a perfect way to improve your English. Now, I read advanced books, but I still love reading this kind of book.😉