CORNELIA AND THE AUDACIOUS ESCAPADES OF THE SOMERSET SISTERS
by Lesley M. M. Blume
Knopf
ISBN-10: 0375835237
ISBN-13: 9780375835230
Ages 8-12
272 pages

Eleven-year-old Cornelia rarely gets to see her mother, a famous pianist who travels almost constantly and gives concerts all around the world. Cornelia would love to be able to accompany her mom on some of these exciting trips, but instead she must stay at their apartment in New York with their well-meaning but nosey housekeeper.

Cornelia's father is a famous pianist as well, but she has never met him. People always ask when she's going to start playing the piano, considering she has two talented musicians fueling her genes, but Cornelia has absolutely no interest in that. She's already plagued with the overshadowing of her mother's fame, as people only seem interested in Cornelia in order to get introduced to her mom. More than once she's been invited over to a schoolmate's home to play just so the parent can ask for favors, like having her mother perform at a charity event.

And Cornelia doesn't get invited over by friends at all, because she doesn't have any. A bit shy and very lonely, she spends her time delving into books, her favorite of which are thesauruses. Cornelia absolutely loves words, especially big ones of which no one knows the meaning. She uses these big words as a defense. Whenever someone corners her into an uncomfortable or annoying situation, like having to face the housekeeper's unending questions, she spouts off a few sentences filled with multi-syllable words and people tend to back away to an exit really quickly. Cornelia accepts her lonely way of life and thinks things will never change.

But then a new neighbor moves in next door. Virginia is a 75-year-old writer with an Indian assistant named Patel and a French bulldog named Mister Kinyatta. Immediately, Cornelia is captivated by them and inadvertently gets acquainted when she helps catch the mischievous runaway dog. She visits often because Virginia shares incredible tales of the adventures Virginia and her sisters had while traveling around the world to places like France, England and India. Cornelia also likes to visit because she finally has found some dear friends.

Lesley M. M. Blume has woven a touching and humorous story within a story. Her unique approach, combined with her diverse and colorful characters, the variety of informative settings and the witty adventures within different cultures around the world, make this book a memorable and joyful experience.

   --- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND.

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