The Court of the Stone Children by Eleanor Cameron
"The Court of the Stone Children" by Eleanor Cameron is a novel that explores themes of friendship, identity, and the intersection of time through the experiences of a young girl named Nina Harmsworth. Recently relocated to San Francisco, Nina struggles with feelings of loneliness and a longing for her old friends from Silversprings. Her interactions with a boy named Gil Patrick reveal her aspirations of becoming a museum curator, while also highlighting her need for connection in a new and overwhelming environment.
At a museum, Nina encounters Dominique de Lombre, a young woman from the early nineteenth century, who seeks Nina's help to restore her father's reputation. This unique friendship unfolds against a backdrop of subtle mystery and personal growth, as Nina learns to navigate her feelings and the challenges she faces. The narrative underscores Nina's journey toward self-discovery and empowerment, as she utilizes her newfound confidence to influence others and confront the injustices of the past. Ultimately, the novel poses timeless questions about existence and moral courage that resonate across generations, making it relevant for both young readers and adults alike.
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The Court of the Stone Children by Eleanor Cameron
First published: 1973
Type of work: Fantasy
Themes: Family, friendship, the supernatural, and coming-of-age
Time of work: The 1970’s
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: San Francisco
Principal Characters:
Nina Harmsworth , an unhappy girl who has recently moved to San FranciscoDominique de Lombre , a young countess from the nineteenth century whose possessions are displayed in the French MuseumGil Patrick , the intense boy who studies timeHelena Staynes , the museum’s registrar, who is writing a biography of Antoine de LombreMam’zelle Henry , the owner and chief curator of the museumOdile , the journal’s author and one of the statues in the Court of the Stone Children
The Story
When Nina Harmsworth first meets Gil Patrick in the park, she has lived in San Francisco for four months but has made no new friends. Instead, she longs for the friends left behind in Silversprings. The crowded city where the streets look alike and the dingy apartment house with its musty food odors and lack of view repel and depress her. Her frenetic mother admonishes her to make friends, while her quiet father asserts that she is one of the solitaries, like him.
Nina has remained somewhat aloof to the other people in her class, choosing to focus on her long-range career plans. To Gil, a very intense boy she meets, however, she reveals her dream of becoming a museum curator. Although Nina’s parents do not seem to understand her need for a place to belong in the city, Gil does. Perhaps he is so sensitive because of his interest in a special project: the study of time. He suggests that she visit the nearby French Museum.
At the museum, among the furniture and possessions of others, Nina feels at peace until a strange young woman appears, announcing that she has been waiting for her almost two hundred years. In time, the young French woman, whose name is Dominique de Lombre and whose friends are the stone children in the museum courtyard, reveals her history and the unusual dream in which Nina’s assistance had been foretold. Only Nina can see and hear Dominique and her cat, Lisabetta.
These two young people have been brought together in what one character calls an intersection of time: one person from the early nineteenth century and one from the late twentieth century. Each has a compelling need. Dominique seeks to restore her father’s reputation as a just and honorable man. She fervently believes that her father, Comte Antoine de Lombre, is neither a traitor nor a murderer. Nina, for her part, needs to find a special place where she belongs. She also needs a special friend.
The search for answers to the mystery leads Nina to other people. Each encounter brings her new confidence. To Gil and his parents, she relates the prophetic dream of the stone children coming to life and ascending the stairway. To her new landlady, she reveals the existence of Dominique. Nina concentrates on subtle ways to influence Helena Staynes, the museum’s owner and chief curator, so that she will change her opinion of Dominique’s father; The biography which Mrs. Staynes is writing is to be the means of vindicating him. Yet Mrs. Staynes is not aware of the purpose she is to serve.
Once the mystery has been solved, Dominique disappears. Although Nina walks through the familiar rooms of the French Museum calling out to her, Dominique does not answer. The friend has gone forever.
Context
Eleanor Cameron’s earlier novels were aimed for the young child. In the Mushroom Planet series, especially The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet (1954), readers find lighthearted fantasy stories whose characters fly through space, solve problems for other people, and happily return home.
In Nina Harmsworth, Cameron brings readers an adolescent heroine who is emotionally vulnerable. Yet there is another side of her character which the author reveals: Nina is courageous and competent. Cameron places Nina in an intellectual environment, which provides reassurance of the continuity of life and surrounds her with caring adults who help her resolve the crises she faces. Nina rises to the challenge and succeeds in her quest for identity and her quest to solve the mystery of Dominique’s father. Although she loses her friend to the past, she faces the future as a secure young person.
The attributes of Comte Antoine de Lombre—moral courage and a sense of justice—challenge the reader in any society. Timeless questions about the meaning of existence continue to haunt not only adolescents but adults as well. Barbara Wersba notes that the author has “not made a single concession to the conventions of childhood.”