The French Adventure
— A Blaise Pascal Story
When curiosity turns into courage and knowledge into adventure, the world stops being only what we can see.
A medallion and a secret hidden in the old streets of France set off the adventure of a boy whose mind would change the world.
- Publisher
- Luka Books
- Year
- 2017
Curiosity is the first step towards a great discovery.
What if a single medallion on an old French street could open a door onto the past?
Luka arrived in France expecting an unusual journey, but not even in his wildest dreams did he imagine that his curiosity would take him several centuries back. “The French Adventure” (A Story about Blaise Pascal) is a family adventure novel in which science, history, imagination and humour meet on a thrilling journey through France and through time.
A France where history comes alive
The cobblestones of Clermont-Ferrand are not merely the stage for this story — its streets, parks and traces of the past become part of the quest itself. Together with Luka, readers visit real places:
- The cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand — where the magic begins and where Luka discovers old medallions dedicated to famous people.
- Lecoq Park — a place to meet the swans and to enter the wondrous world of the guardian fairy Anđelina.
- Pascal’s house — a journey straight into the 17th century and a meeting with the great scientist’s childhood.
- The hidden library — a secret place where books and the search for the parts of the machine become one.
- Gergovia — an exciting journey into the distant French past (the place where Asterix and Obelix were born).
- The Lecoq museum — the destination where the Pascaline, the famous historical invention, awaits them.
Blaise Pascal and the machine that changed history
At the centre of the story stands the real French mathematician, physicist and philosopher, born in Clermont-Ferrand. His Pascaline, the first mechanical calculating machine, which he built to help his father, becomes the key to the whole adventure here:
- the evil scientist wants to turn it into a time machine and disturb the course of history;
- Luka must find the hidden parts of the machine before he does;
- the story once again raises an important question: what happens when knowledge falls into the wrong hands?
When history is given a little magic and humour
During the quest Luka is joined by the guardian fairy Anđelina and by Kuca, his favourite soft toy, who becomes a real dog in the world of magic. Since Anđelina’s spells often go astray and her flying machine is not the most reliable, the journey through time brings a great deal of humour, honest friendship and fun.
A story about the curiosity that changes the world
This novel never separates learning from play. The child is not handed a dry textbook lesson but discovers through the action that behind the great names of history stand real people and gripping fates. The book teaches children that the most important quality behind great deeds is one every one of them already has — curiosity.