Finally, I've started the book Lori lent me a couple of months ago, Bloomability, by Sharon Creech, the story of a young teen who's been "kidnapped" by an aunt and uncle and taken to Lugano, Switzerland, where she attends an American School. Although she is used to moving frequently--whenever and wherever her father finds his latest job opportunity--Domenica Santolina Doone, "Dinnie" for short, doesn't understand why her parents allowed her to be whisked away to a foreign country (although it is beautiful, and she has a view of Italy from her window). She longs to be back at home with her family, to meet her sister's new baby, even though Aunt Sandy and Uncle Max are terrific, even though she makes new friends from different cultures and has new experiences. As in Eat, Pray, Love, the beauty of the Italian language is emphasized in Bloomability, and Dinnie is complimented by a teacher who says she has an "Italian tongue" (meaning that her pronunciation is good). For children who've ever felt abandoned by their families, or were sent off to school, this book will ring true. As for me, I'm enjoying this book, and find much in it to keep me entertained, including enticing descriptions of Switzerland and Italy. The mark of a good children's book is that adults enjoy reading the book as much--if not more--as children do.
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