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{{infobox book
| name        = ''Meet Cécile''
| image       = MeetCecile.jpg
| imagewidth  = 300px
| caption     = The cover of ''Meet Cécile.''
| published   = 2011
| author      = [[Denise Lewis Patrick]]
| illustrator = [[Christine Kornacki]]
| isbn        = 1593696612
| setting     = January - May 21<ref>Pg 73: ''Today [Cécile's] birthday was still a week away, yet she was almost trembling with excitement.'' Since Cecile's birthday is May 28th, the day of Armand's arrival would have been [https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/monthly.html?year=1853&month=5&country=1 May 21].</ref>, 1853
| prev      = ''[[Meet Marie-Grace]]''<ref>The books are more accurately a parallel.</ref>
| next      = ''[[Marie-Grace and the Orphans]]''
}}
'''''Meet Cécile: An American Girl''''' is the [[Meet Books|second book]] in the '''[[List of Marie-Grace and Cécile's Books|Marie-Grace and Cécile series]]'''. It was included with [[Cécile Rey (doll)|the Cécile doll]] when purchased; with the collection's archival, it could be purchased separately.

==Characters==

* [[Cécile Rey]]
* [[Marie-Grace Gardner]]
* [[Océane Michel]]
* [[Luc Rousseau]]
* [[Lavinia Halsworth]]<ref>As ''Meet Cécile'' is told from Cécile's perspective, Lavinia is not identified by name.</ref>

===Introduced===
* [[Armand Rey]]
* [[Aurélia Rey]]
* [[Simon Rey]]
* [[Jean-Claude Rey]]
* [[Octavia Tay]]
* [[René Tay]]
* [[Minor Characters in Marie-Grace and Cécile's Series#Ellen|Ellen]]
* [[Minor Characters in Marie-Grace and Cécile's Series#Agnès Metoyer|Agnès Metoyer]]
* [[Minor Characters in Marie-Grace and Cécile's Series#Fanny Metoyers|Fanny Metoyer]]
* [[Minor Characters in Marie-Grace and Cécile's Series#Monette Bruiller|Monette Bruiller]]

===Only in ''Meet Cécile''===
* [[Minor Characters in Marie-Grace and Cécile's Series#Madame Zulime|Madame Zulime]]

==Chapter by Chapter Summary==

===Chapter One: Kings and Chocolate===

===Chapter Two: Free People of Color===

===Chapter Three: A New Friend and Good News===

===Chapter Four: Mardi Gras Season===

===Chapter Five: Dancing Fairies===

===Chapter Six: Secrets and Promises===

===[[Looking Back]]: New Orleans in 1853===

Discusses the history of free people of color in New Orleans. Topics covered:

* New Orleans in the 1850s and how it differed from other cities in America
* Educated slaves and free people of color who owned businesses
* Daily life, education, and expectations of children from wealthy families
* French and Spanish laws that allowed slaves to earn money and buy their own freedom when Louisiana was under European rule
* How ''gens de couleur libres'' from both America and [http://thelouvertureproject.org/index.php?title=Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue] influenced New Orleans culture
* Prejudice faced by ''gens de couleur libres'' of New Orleans from ''Américains'' following the [[wikipedia:Louisiana Purchase|Louisiana Purchase]], due to cultural and religious differences
* Laws enacted by the American government to limit the rights of ''gens de couleur libres'' in New Orleans
* How European immigration changed New Orleans, such as the use of the English language at schools, businesses, and government
* The role ''gens de couleur libres'' played in the development and culture of New Orleans
* Segregated areas for white people and ''gens de couleur libres'' at entertainment venues such as concerts and balls
* The unique identity among New Orleans' ''gens de couleur libres'', working together to help the less fortunate and pressing for greater equality in government, despite being forbidden to vote

==Glossary of French Words/Preview==

A glossary of the French words Cécile's family uses and a preview of ''[[Marie-Grace and the Orphans]]''. 

==Items associated with ''Meet Cécile''==

* [[Cécile Rey (doll)|Cécile Rey]]
* [[Cécile Rey (doll)#Meet Accessories|Cécile's Accessories]]
* [[Marie-Grace Gardner (doll)]]
* [[Cécile's Parlor Outfit]]
* [[Fancy Dress]]
* [[Fairy Costume Accessories]]

==See Also==

* ''[[Meet Marie-Grace]]''
{{clr}}
==Trivia==
[[File:FancyDress_still.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Promotional video still of the [[Fancy Dress]] and [[Fairy Costume Accessories]].]]
* Although the [[Fancy Dress]] and the [[Fairy Costume Accessories]] are associated with the book, there are no illustrations showing either outfit or accessory set in the book. The ensemble can be seen in a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvuoHubLeqM promotional video].
{{clr}}
==References==

{{refs}}

{{stub}}
[[Category:Cécile Rey]]
[[Category:Cécile's Collection]]
[[Category:Marie-Grace Gardner]]
[[Category:Marie-Grace's Collection]]
[[Category:Books]]
[[Category:Meet Books]]
[[Category:Central Series]]
[[Category:Historical Books]]
[[Category:Items Released in 2011]]

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''This page incorporates text from [https://americangirl.fandom.com/wiki/Meet_C%C3%A9cile the source wiki] ([https://americangirl.fandom.com/index.php?oldid=130131 exported version], [https://americangirl.fandom.com/index.php?title=Meet+C%C3%A9cile&action=history contributor history]), under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ the original text license].''