The Three Sisters

About the Book

Charlotte’s Christmas Château is the third book in The Three Sisters’ series. With a witty and educational bent, this series is geared for readers with a spirit of adventure, travel, independence and old-fashioned fun. In The Three Sisters: Charlotte’s Christmas Château, Charlotte, the youngest sister, goes to France with her sisters, Elizabeth and Katherine to meet her aunt who is the American Ambassador to France. For better or worse, her aunt is (once again!) otherwise occupied so the three sisters are tended to by her aunt’s energetic and food-loving staff. The “staff” consists of Doodle (short for “Yankee Doodle,” the French-American standard poodle), Madame de Sigy (the trusted bespectacled housekeeper) and Monsieur Duquette (the responsible chauffer/guide/friend). In auntie’s absence, the girls go to a grand party at the Palace of Versailles for Christmas where there are festivities and food galore. While touring the splendid gardens, they lose a special and beloved Christmas decoration – the Golden Bell. They must find it in order to celebrate Christmas and decorate the Christmas tree. The reader is brought along as the Three Sisters follow “The Golden Bell Trail” amidst the famous monuments and gardens of Versailles in their efforts to find it. In Charlotte’s Christmas Château, the reader is brought along on an adventurous journey and learns many interesting facts about French history, culture, geography, food and language. Foreign language is introduced in a fun manner as the book contains a peppering of French and a “Dictionnaire” to learn and pronounce French words “with care” and the required “Parisian flare.”

About the Author

Nancy S. Pruett, Ph.D. fell in love with France and all things French during her first trip to Paris as a young teenager. Born and raised in the United States, she has lived in Paris twice and has traveled extensively throughout France over the past two decades. Outside of Paris, her favorite regions are Provence and the Dordogne. Dr. Pruett loves French food, especially fois gras, pungent cheese and escargot. Professionally, Dr. Pruett earned her B.A. in Psychology at Trinity College in Hartford, CT where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and earned the Presidential Fellowship in both General Academics and Psychology. She received her doctoral degree from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, IL where she was a Northwestern University Scholar. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA where she held a position as Associate Psychologist in Clinical Psychiatry at Harvard University Medical School. There, she was awarded the Harvard University Medical School Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Dr. Pruett has had private practices in Paris and the United States. She is currently in a practice where she primarily conducts neuropsychological evaluations. Although she has published in refereed professional journals, this series is her first attempt at fiction and indulging in her nearly lifelong Francophilia. Coincidentally, Dr. Pruett is the mother of three daughters, one of whom was born in France. She also has a standard poodle named Louis whom her daughters have nicknamed Louis Vuitton. Vive la France! Emily Werner has loved art and design her entire adult life. She received a B.A. from Pine Manor College, MA where she majored in Art History and minored in Visual Arts. She has worked in product development and design for several large corporations. Her whimsical and innovative creations have found their way into invitations, fabrics and jewelry. Emily is the mother of four young children.